The cover for bestselling author Becca Day's unmissable new psychological thriller, The Secrets We Buried​, was revealed last week:

Some foreign rights news for you now:

Escape to the French Farmhouse by Jo Thomas has been sold to Bastei MOBA in the Czech Republic, while The Creak on the Stairs by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir has been sold to Nordiq in Serbia.

Finally, we were over the moon to see Sean Lusk's debut novel, The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley, longlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award

The debut novel from Sean Lusk, The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley​, has been longlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2023.

David Headley, Goldsboro Books co-founder and MD, and founder of the Glass Bell Award says: “2022’s debut game was incredibly strong and so when we started having conversations about putting together our Glass Bell longlist – coupled with established authors putting out some of their best works yet – I knew we had a challenge ahead of us. However, my team and I work very closely to make sure that we are all in agreement about what goes on the longlist and once again, I am delighted with the outcome. The aim of the Glass Bell Award is to acknowledge incredible storytelling – and this year is no exception!” 

The Glass Bell Award is judged by David and his team at Goldsboro Books. It is the only prize that rewards storytelling in all genres – from romance, thrillers and ghost stories, to historical, speculative and literary fiction – and is awarded annually to ‘a compelling novel with brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised’. The shortlist will be announced on Thursday 27th July, with the winner – who will receive £2,000 and a beautiful, handmade glass bell – announced on Thursday 28th September 2023. 

The book was selected for BBC 2's Between the Covers and was a Sunday Times Historical Fiction Book of the Month.

In addition, crime heavyweight David Baldacci had this to say:

"Craven has unleashed Ben Koenig into the thriller world. Long may he raise hell in the pages. A superb thriller that will have everyone talking and gasping."

​Want to see what all the fuss is about? Pre-order your copy here!

Published last week was Paul Burston's sensational memoir, We Can Be Heroes, which was fittingly celebrated with an intimate gathering at London's Heaven nightclub. 

​Activist. Journalist. Survivor. One man’s journey from prejudice to Pride.

Paul Burston wasn’t always the iconic voice of LGBTQ+ London that he is today. Paul came out in the mid-1980s, when ‘gay’ still felt like a dirty word, especially in the small Welsh town where he grew up. He moved to London hoping for a happier life, only to watch in horror as his new-found community was decimated by AIDS. But even in the depths of his grief, Paul vowed never to stop fighting back on behalf of his young friends whose lives were cut tragically short.

It’s a promise he’s kept to this day. As an activist he stormed the House of Commons during the debate over the age of consent. As a journalist he spoke up for the rights of the community at a time of tabloid homophobia and legal inequality. As a novelist he founded the groundbreaking Polari Prize.

But his lifestyle hid a dark secret, and Paul’s demons—shame, trauma, grief—stalked him on every corner. In an attempt to silence them, he began to self-medicate.
​
From almost drowning at eighteen to a near-fatal overdose at thirty-eight, this is Paul’s story of what happened in the twenty years between, and how he carved out a life that his teenage self could scarcely have imagined. Emotional but often witty, We Can Be Heroes is an illuminating memoir of the eighties, nineties and noughties from a gay man who only just survived them.

​Paul will also be appearing on BBC Radio 4 this Tuesday, 6th June, at 4.30pm on the channel's A Good Read programme.

Finally, we were completely and utterly over the moon to see that Thomas D. Lee's debut novel, Perilous Times, hit the Sunday Times top ten bestsellers list within its first week on sale. 

An incredible achievement - congratulations, Tom! 

Finally, we are thrilled to show you the cover reveal for Kathleen Whyman's new book, Would You Ask My Husband That?, a hilarious and whip smart take on modern marriage.

Embla Books has snapped up two books from author Kathleen Whyman, including Would You Ask My Husband That?

Editorial director Cara Chimirri acquired world English language rights from Emily Glenister. Would You Ask My Husband That? will publish in August 2023, followed by a second book with Embla in summer 2024.

Would You Ask My Husband That? centres on Sarah and Will who are happily married with two young children. But when Will is unexpectedly fired, Sarah is offered his old job. Sarah can’t help but feel that her career has taken a backseat all these years – and this is her moment to shine. With Will at a loose end, he can step in to help at home. After all, they’ve always said they were equals, so how hard could it be? The answer will surprise them both and test their relationship in ways that are both often hilarious and always completely relatable to anyone who has aspired to having it all.

Whyman, who was shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print Prize in 2020, said: “I’m so excited to be working with Emily Glenister, Cara Chimirri and the rest of the Embla team. To know that these fantastically talented women are as passionate about my writing as I am is an incredible privilege. They’re a joy to work with and I’m loving every moment. Although I’ve really got to stop putting their complimentary quotes on T-shirts in the hope my family consider this writing lark a proper job!”

Chimirri said: “From the very first page of Kathleen’s amazing novel I knew I had been sent something very, very special. Her writing is electric with razor-sharp wit and laugh-out-loud moments. But she has also built in the most propulsive twists and such an honest exploration of the complex relationships we navigate when we juggle love, parenting and careers.

“I honestly defy anyone to be able to put this incredible book down once they have started and I can’t wait for readers to fall in love with Sarah and Will’s story as much as I have! I know so many readers are going to see so much of themselves in these amazing characters and there might be a few conversations round the dinner table as a result!”

Glenister added: “It has been my joy and my privilege to work with Kathleen on my list, and I am delighted that she is now working with the uber-talented Cara Chimirri on the rip-roaringly funny Would You Ask My Husband That?. With her star well and truly on the rise, I urge you to watch this Kathleen Whyman-shaped space with great interest!” 

From The Bookseller article | Lauren Brown

Also published last week was the paperback fro Mike Hollow's seventh Blitz Detective book, The Camden Murder.

As dawn breaks on a chilly morning in November 1940, a car is found ablaze in an abandoned builder's yard a stone's throw from the Regent's Canal in Camden Town, north London. In the burnt-out vehicle police find the charred remains of a body. The victim is Les Latham, a commercial traveller for the Barings confectionery company. He liked to be known as Lucky Les, but it seems his luck has finally run out.

​DI John Jago discovers among Latham's belongings a mysterious photograph and some suspicious-looking petrol ration books that set Jago off on a murky trail of deceit, corruption and murder.

To celebrate the paperback publication of his debut novel, The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley, Sean Lusk will be appearing at Chorleywood Bookshop on Tuesday 20th June for a very special event. 

​Details below!

Congratulations to M. W. Craven; The Botanist has been shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award 2023. 

This particular Dagger is awarded to the best espionage, psychological or thriller adventure novel. 

The Botanist is the fifth in Craven's Washington Poe series, with the highly-anticipated sixth, The Mercy Chair, out March 2024.

Rebecca Thorne is the pen-name for author Rebecca Tinnelly, previously published by Hodder & Stoughton. ​

The cover for Phyllida Shrimpton's new book, The Storyteller by the Sea​, was recently revealed and we're delighted to show you it right here!

As we head into a brand new month, so we have some brand new Kindle Monthly Deals for you! Whether you're taking yourself away for the many Bank Holidays, or just fancied a little weekend reading, there's something for everyone.

​Simply click on the jacket below to take you straight to the deal.

Congratulations to Diana Kessler, who last week saw her book, Health via the Mouth published in Germany. ​The book, published by De Gruyters, takes you on a journey through the fascinating world of our oral cavity and takes you to more distant regions of your body that are related to it.

The cover for the new novel by M. J. Robotham has been revealed! The Scandalous Life of Ruby Devereaux is out with Aria, Head of Zeus in January 2024.

Also published last week was the devastatingly poignant and powerful memoir from Louise Beech, Eighteen Seconds.

​In it, Beech looks back on the events that led to the day her mother wrote down her last words, then jumped off the Humber Bridge. She missed witnessing the horror herself by minutes. Louise recounts the pain and trauma of her childhood alongside her love for her siblings with a delicious dark humour and a profound voice of hope for the future.

Our final published book last week was the eBook for Jo Thomas' gorgeous new getaway read, Summer at the Ice Cream Cafe. 

A dream home. A big mistake? A recipe for change.
​Will the Valentino family legacy be lost forever? Or can Beca create a new recipe for happiness?

Huge congratulations to both M. W. Craven and Victoria Selman, both of whom saw their respective books, The Botanist and Truly, Darkly, Deeply longlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2023.

Hodder Fiction has acquired two new books by Robert Rutherford, a founding member of the Northern Crime Syndicate crime writers’ group who has been shortlisted twice for the CWA Short Story Daggers.

Crime and Thriller publisher Phoebe Morgan bought world all language rights to Seven Days and a second novel from David Headley, with the first title due to publish in spring 2024. The second novel will publish in 2025.

Seven Days is described as “a fast-paced, high-octane crime novel about Alice, whose world is shattered when her estranged father is put on death row for murder and given seven days to live". The publisher added: “Alice knows her father is guilty of abandoning her. She knows he’s guilty of being unfaithful to her mother. But is he guilty of murder? She has one chance to save him from execution – but after the childhood she had, does she want to?"

Rutherford said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be working with an editor of Phoebe’s calibre, and can’t wait to get started with her and the rest of the team. Hodder feels like the perfect home for Seven Days. With the passion and enthusiasm they’ve shown for it already, I can’t wait to work together on this and other projects."

Morgan said she fell in love with the pitch for Seven Days and then was “blown away by the manuscript". “What stood out for me is the fact that not only is this a high concept novel with a brilliant clear hook, it’s also a layered, deeper story about a daughter’s complex relationship with the father that abandoned her,” she said.

“This story feels so wonderfully global in scope, too – Alice’s journey takes her from Newcastle to America, with a whirlwind ride in between, and reading it was a very visual, cinematic experience. I can’t wait to share it with readers in 2024. It’s also a privilege to share a book with David Headley and the wonderful team at DHH and Goldsboro.”
​
Headley commented: “I’ve been keen to share a book with Phoebe for quite some time and when Rob delivered the utterly gripping read that is Seven Days, I immediately thought of her. I am thrilled that Rob, who is such a talented author, has found his new publishing home with Phoebe and Hodder. Their immediate passion for the book blew Rob and me away — I can’t wait to see what they do.” 

​From The Bookseller article | Lauren Brown