Myrmidon Books signs acclaimed mystery writer Craig Smith

Newcastle upon Tyne, 21 June 2006. Independent publisher Myrmidon
Books announces the signing of acclaimed mystery writer Craig Smith
via agent Jeffrey Simmons. Myrmidon has paid an undisclosed advance
for a brand new novel by Craig Smith titled The Painted Messiah.
Publication in hardcover is scheduled for February 2007.

Craig Smith garnered acclaim with his debut title, Silent She Sleeps,
published in 1997 by Heinemann / Mandarin. His third novel, The Whisper of Leaves,
won the Bronze Medal for the 2002 ForeWord Mystery Book of the Year.

Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, Craig Smith presently lives in Lucerne,
Switzerland. He received a Ph.D. in English from Southern Illinois
University Carbondale in 1988 and has been a professor at Arkansas
State University and the University of Northern Colorado.

"In contrast to our other acquired titles to date, this is a mass
market, blockbuster of a thriller," says Ed Handyside, publishing
director at Myrmidon Books. "Myrmidon is committed to a publishing
programme of both literary and commercial fiction."