Publishing Company Blog: Retired biologist's 'painfully beautiful' debut novel becomes year's surprise hit

Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing has sold more copies than any other title this year – but how does an unsolved murder fit in?

A retired wildlife biologist who spent much of her career studying hyenas, lions and elephants in southern Africa has emerged – at the age of 70 – as one of the most successful authors of the year or any year, with her debut novel one of the sleeper hits of 2019.