Suspense novelist Dennis Lehane will acquire books for his own line at HarperCollins’ William Morrow imprint.  Lehane has published with HarperCollins for nearly two decades.

In his new role, Lehane (pictured, via Diana Lucas Leavengood) will be working with executive editor Claire Wachtel. HarperCollins president Michael Morrison and William Morrow publisher Liate Stehlik negotiated the new role with Lehane’s literary agent, Ann Rittenberg. Earlier this year, the Ecco imprint announced a similar deal with celebrity chef/writer Anthony Bourdain.

Lehane had this statement in the release: “I’m one of those people who buys ten copies of a book I like and sends it to people I think would enjoy it. My goal is to call attention to worthy writers, who for some unknown reason aren’t as popular as they deserve to be. That’s a reason to get out of bed every morning. My background—where I grew up in Boston, the kinds of novels I like to read and write, my time spent as a writer on The Wire—will influence the kinds of books I acquire. But I just want to publish good work—an enthralling story gracefully told.”