Krystyna Green, publishing director at Constable, has acquired from Bill Goodall at the Bill Goodall Agency, world rights in a three-book deal from debut fiction author C J Farrington. The first, Death on the Trans-Siberian Express, introduces protagonist Olga Pushkin, railway engineer (third class) and would-be bestselling author who spends her days in a little rail-side hut with only Dmitri the hedgehog for company. While tourists and travellers clatter by on the Trans-Siberian Express, Olga can only dream of escaping the sleepy, snow-clad village of Roslazny. But one day all that changes, when Olga arrives at her hut only to be knocked unconscious by a man falling from the Express, his throat slit and his mouth stuffed full of 10-rouble coins…

Krystyna Green says:  ‘I absolutely loved this ts when it came in and read it in one sitting. Olga is such a wonderful, wistful and so Russian a protagonist, and the whole story reads like a cross between Eleanor Oliphant meeting Alexander McCall Smith – in Siberia.’

C J Farrington says: ‘I’m delighted to join Constable’s fantastic author line-up, and am looking forward to working with their wonderful team to introduce readers to Olga Pushkin and the dreamy yet deadly Siberian setting of Roslazny.’

Constable will publish Death on the Trans-Siberian Express as a trade hardback in November 2021, with the mass market paperback to follow in the spring of 2022 – and more Olga adventures planned for later that year.  All rights enquiries should go to Andy Hine at Andy.hine@littlebrown.co.uk.