Mystery writer Harlan Coben to try hand at young adult books

(AFP PHOTO/FRED DUFOUR)

Bestselling mystery/thriller author Harlan Coben is set to write a three-book young adult series, announced publishing blog GalleyCat on April 26. The books will tell the story of a teenager investigating "a conspiracy that may reach deep into his family history."

Coben has written 19 books, 47 million copies of which are in print worldwide. He is best known for his suspense novels, including a nine-part best-selling series about sports agent and sometimes murder investigator Myron Bolitar, as well as several standalone novels, among them his most recent title, Caught, which has also topped bestseller charts.

The new young adult series, Coben's first books written for that audience, will include appearances by the characters Myron Bolitar and Win Lockwood. The first book will be published in 2011.

Coben joins several other bestselling novelists who are trying their hand at young adult fiction, moving into the market when it is white-hot thanks to the success of the Twilight novels. Among them are John Grisham, who is set to publish his first children's book, Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, in late May ; and Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell, whose SATC prequel for young adults The Carrie Diaries is due out on April 27.