Claire McGowan’s Paula Maguire series THE LOST and THE DEAD GROUND have been optioned by BBC Drama Production as the basis for a returning TV series.

THE LOST follows forensic psychologist Paula Maguire as she investigates the disappearance of two girls along the Irish border. The case takes Paula back to her hometown where, surrounded by people and places she’d try to forget, she uncovers a link with two other disappearances from 1985.

The second book in the series, THE DEAD GROUND, will be published on 10th April. This time Paula is faced with a stolen baby, a murdered woman and a decades-old atrocity, with Paula caught up in the hunt, trying to find the link between these seemingly unconnected events.

Praise for Claire McGowan:

‘[THE LOST is] a terrifically assured and pulse-pounding novel; dark, sad, lyrical & full of superb twists.’

Stav Sherez, author of DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND

'Funny and perfectly paced, the pervading sense of "there but for the grace of God you go" chills you to the bone.'

Jake Kerridge, The Telegraph

'McGowan's first novel is a perceptive examination of the after-effects of murder... The characters are finely drawn, and it's conern for them, rather than for whodunnit, that provides the page-turning impetus in this promising debut.'

Laura Wilson, The Guardian

'McGowan writes utterly convincingly in three very different voices and she knows how to tell a cracking story. She will go far.'

Carla McKay, Mail Online