Commissioning Editor Kate Smith has acquired World All Language rights to three books in a new Scottish crime series by debut author Doug Sinclair from Kevin Pocklington of The North Literary Agency.

The series centres around a West Lothian detective called DS Malkie McCulloch who has recently returned to work after the death of his mother in a fire. The first book in the series sees Malkie investigate a hit-and-run which turns out to be anything but accidental. Despite all the evidence pointing towards a former soldier being behind the wheel, Malkie is convinced there’s more to the case than meets the eye.

The first in the series will publish in February 2024 with books 2 and 3 following in May and August 2024.

Sinclair says,

‘I am ridiculously happy to become a part of the Storm family. I look forward very much to working with my talented and experienced editor, Kate Smith, and the rest of the fantastic crew at Storm, to inflict DS Malkie McCulloch and his long-suffering colleague and best friend, DC Steph Lang, on an unsuspecting crime fiction world. I’m excited about how an innovative and forward-looking publisher like Storm can help me become the best writer I can be. My thanks go to both Claire and Kate at Storm, and Kevin Pocklington at The North Lit, for believing in me and for “getting” Malkie.’

Smith adds,

‘Doug has created a brilliantly complex and razor-sharp character in DS Malkie McCulloch. He combines a strong sense of place with a lightning-fast plot that keeps the reader guessing right until the end. Crime fans are truly in for a treat with this exciting new series.’

Kevin Pocklington says,

‘I’m so pleased that the very talented Doug Sinclair will be published by Oliver Rhodes and his equally talented team at Storm.’

For more information about Doug Sinclair, you can find him on Twitter or via his website.