Quercus pre-empts Faaiza Munir’s Arranged Murder

Quercus is delighted to announce the acquisition of Arranged Murder by Faaiza Munir. Florence Hare, Commissioning Editor at Quercus, pre-empted UK & Commonwealth rights to the debut murder mystery and its sequel from Camilla Bolton at Darley Anderson & Associates.

Arranged Murder by Faaiza Munir came to Quercus in an exclusive submission from Camilla Bolton at Darley Anderson Literary Agency. Faaiza was a runner up for the Mo Siewcharran Prize back when Quercus hosted the prize in 2022. We all loved the partial of Arranged Murder then, so it was a joy to read Faaiza’s novel in full and see how much it really delivers. Arranged Murder is such an engaging, twisty and rich novel and we are all delighted that we continue to be part of Faaiza’s publication journey.

Arranged Murder is a charming mystery that blends all the twists of a murder investigation with humour, heart, and cultural authenticity. Set in a vibrant South London suburb, it explores family, community, and the ripple effects of a heartbreaking crime. The story opens with the incredible hook of a murder at a Rishta meeting:

Iman Asghar is a 24-year-old British Pakistani living in South London. One of four sisters, with very little luck in the dating world, she decides to try an arranged marriage and allows her widower mum, Raheela, to use a matchmaker to find the perfect husband. Everything is planned and the family gather in their home to welcome the third potential match, Dawud. What isn’t planned is Dawud dropping dead in their living room.

Faaiza Munir is an English secondary school teacher from Glasgow, Scotland. She studied English Literature at the University of Greenwich and lives in South London with her husband and three children. Faaiza Munir was runner-up in the 2022 Mo Siewcharran Prize, hosted by Quercus. The Mo Siewcharran Prize, named in memory of Nielsen BookData’s former director of marketing and communications, is sponsored by her husband John Seaton, co-founder of the prize, and Nielsen BookData. It was launched in 2019 to discover unpublished fiction writers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Florence Hare says, ‘Arranged Murder is such a special novel and I am beyond delighted to be publishing it here at Quercus. It is emotionally rich, delivers twist after twist, and has an understated wry humour running throughout. Faaiza has created an incredible cast of characters, and I know readers will fall in love with the Asghar family just as I have.’

Faaiza Munir says, ‘I am so excited to be working with Florence Hare and the rest of the brilliant Quercus team, on Arranged Murder. It feels like the perfect home for the novel, especially as it was through Quercus’ Mo Siewcharran Prize that my manuscript got the initial attention of my amazing agent, Camilla Bolton.’

Camilla Bolton says, ‘Faaiza’s remarkable debut, Arranged Murder, is incredibly special. It will make you laugh, cry and gasp. The Asghar family will capture your hearts and is the perfect escapism we all need. I’m delighted and incredibly excited Faaiza is joining the Quercus family with Florence and the team behind her.’

Arranged Murder is scheduled as a hardback publication for spring 2027. For US and translation rights please contact: Camilla Bolton at Camilla@darleyanderson.com.