University of Exeter author lands career-defining Faber publishing deal

A University of Exeter academic has secured a major publishing deal with Faber for a new crime-thriller series, marking the biggest milestone of her literary career.

Dr Emily Bernhard Jackson, a Senior Lecturer in English and Creative Writing at the university, has signed a three-book deal with the renowned publisher. 

The first book in the series, Missing, will introduce readers to DI Martha Allen, a Bristol-based detective facing the disappearance of a baby. Two further books in the series are also planned.

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The deal covers the UK, the EU and Commonwealth countries, with a separate two-book agreement for the United States signed with Simon & Schuster.

Dr Bernhard Jackson described the announcement as a career highlight. She said: “This is the biggest deal in my life to date. Any author would be thrilled to be published by Faber, and my excitement is only increased by knowing I’m going to be working with their crime editor Lochlann Binney.”

She said she wanted her lead character, Martha Allen, to feel grounded and authentic. “I intended Martha to be a real, complex woman faced with a complex puzzle, and I’m absolutely delighted that I’m going to get to share her with readers.”

The inspiration for Missing began during the pandemic, when Dr Bernhard Jackson watched an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent and felt the story could have been told differently. She began writing the novel in 2020 and completed it three years later, after taking a sabbatical from her teaching role.

Though she was living in Bristol at the time, Dr Bernhard Jackson has built her academic career in Exeter over more than a decade. 

She joined the University of Exeter in 2013 and is a specialist in Romanticism, Byron and creative writing. Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, she has also taught at Cambridge and the University of Arkansas.

Faber has described Missing as “a smart, suspenseful crime thriller for fans of Cara Hunter and Susie Steiner”. It is scheduled for paperback publication on 12 March 2026.