St Albans author Nick Churton returns to his A Family History series with The Art Department, a cosy mystery thriller set against a backdrop of fine art, period houses, and international espionage.
The paperback will be published on Friday, February 6, 2026, and will be available as a paperback costing £9.99 and a Kindle edition for £2.99. The book will be available via Amazon and to order through bookshops. The Art Department follows on from Churton’s previous novel Witch’s Lawn and is set in 2022.
Newly married Dimity and Felix are drawn into a complex Secret Service investigation led by MI6 chief Sir Bidian de Butts. The plot is set in motion when Russian billionaire Yuri Volkov, flagged as a potential threat to UK security, commissions Felix’s firm to restore a recently acquired manor house in the Cotswolds.
The project provides intelligence services with an opportunity to observe the oligarch more closely. At the centre of the operation is “The Art Department”, a covert unit based at Somerset House that exploits Volkov’s interest in fine art to assess his intentions.
Oversight of the investigation comes from Eliza Arrow, Sir Bidian’s mentor and Felix’s grandmother, adding another layer of personal history to the unfolding events. Churton draws inspiration from real locations throughout the book.
Elements of the story reflect his connection to St Albans, including references to the city’s cathedral and the surrounding Hertfordshire and Chiltern countryside. These settings are woven into a narrative that combines domestic detail with international intrigue.
Before turning to fiction, Nick Churton spent many years working in property marketing, a career that took him around the world and informs the novel’s focus on historic buildings and restoration.
He now divides his time between Hertfordshire, London, and Menorca in the Balearic Islands, using these locations as creative influences. Further information about the author and his work can be found at www.nickchurton.com
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