Echo acquires Thomas debut murder mystery

Echo Publishing has acquired world rights to Paul Thomas’s debut murder mystery The Beacon, as part of a two-book deal, via Martin Shaw at Shaw Literary.

With a career as a nuclear medicine physician, Thomas took time to work on his manuscript as recipient of the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival Residential Mentorship in December 2021, under the mentorship of Marele Day, among others.

The story begins with the editor of local newspaper the Beacon, Patrick O’Shaughnessy, who has gone missing in Byron Bay, last seen heading off for a morning surf. A few days later his surfboard washes up, with a large chunk missing. When the wayward son of a media tycoon, Jack Harris, comes to town to learn the ropes from Patrick, he starts to wonder if the disappearance isn’t such an open-and-shut case.

Shaw describes the novel as ‘an immensely entertaining thriller in the “cosy crime” category’. ‘The Beacon is full of wonderful local colour, great characters and satisfying plotting,’ Shaw said. ‘This is going to be a compulsory beach read for all visitors to this wonderful destination, and excellent escapism for all of us who dream of being there!’

Echo Publishing managing director Juliet Rogers said, ‘It’s a real—though rare—pleasure to read a manuscript where you know that you’re in the hands of a master storyteller. This book has it all: engaging characters, vivid setting and a fast-paced plot that propels you to the end in one sitting. We just loved it!’

The Beacon is scheduled for a mid-2024 release. The second book in the two-part deal is a yet-to-be-titled crime novel, due to be published in two or three years’ time.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions