Tuesday, 14 October 2025 Books+Publishing @booksandpublishing
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has acquired ANZ rights to The Lineup, a crime fiction debut by Nicholas Timms. PRH publisher of commercial fiction Beverley Cousins acquired the novel via Daniel Pilkington at The Pilkington Agency.
According to the publisher, The Lineup follows “washed up” surfer Bo Curren who accidentally witnesses a murder on a Byron Bay beach. When no body is found and the crime dismissed, Bo knows he can track the killer down after seeing their distinctive surfboard.
Born and bred in Byron Bay, Timms is a lifelong surfer who knows the surfing world intimately. “Not just the way the water moves,” the publisher said, “but the undercurrents in the car parks, the codes between locals, the fractures beneath the surface.”
Timms lives in Sydney and works as a senior copywriter at an advertising agency.
Of the book, Timms said, “This novel brings together my passion for crime thrillers, my experience as a former competitive surfer and my lifelong relationship with Byron Bay.”
Cousins said, “I don’t think I’ve even seen a surfboard up close, yet I was hooked from page one by this remarkably assured crime novel, and totally captivated by the surfing world it took me into. With heart-stopping ocean set-pieces amid tense detective scenes, Nicholas Timms masterfully balances the thrills of surfing with the twists and turns of the best crime fiction.”
PRH plans to publish The Lineup in July 2026.
Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions