David Mark’s Hull-based crime novels have been optioned by a ‘major TV company’, with filming earmarked for next year, the Hull Daily Mail has reported.

The author’s first two books, The Dark Winter and Original Skin, won rave reviews here and elsewhere, and the third in the Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy series is due out in April, entitles Sorrow Bound. Marks has completed the fourth book in the series already and is working on number five. In total, he has plans for 10 McAvoy novels – good news for a TV company looking for longevity.

“The fact they’ve optioned it doesn’t mean it will see the light of day but the conversations we’ve had suggest they’d very much like it to,” Marks told the Hull Daily Mail. “They are looking for the right screenwriter at the moment and when they’ve got something to show directors and potential cast then things will hopefully move forward quickly.

He continued: “The people behind it have got real pedigree – they’ve made some of the most award-winning things on television in recent years – so it would be nice to be in that company.”

Hull plays an important part in the narrative of the novels, and it is hoped that the city will be used in location shots.

“One of the reasons I chose Hull was that I always thought this landscape was perfect for that kind of fiction,” said Marks.

“People are going crazy for these Scandinavian crime dramas because they have this desolate feel – if there’s one thing Hull has in spades, it is desolate beauty.”

You can read our interview with David Mark here. He first came to our attention when Val McDermid tipped him for great things on our site back in September 2012.