Florence Hare, assistant editor at Quercus, has signed a historical suspense novel by Victoria Hawthorne, who also writes psychological suspense under the name Vikki Patis. Quercus has world rights from Emily Glenister at DHH Literary Agency, and will published The House at Helygen in hardback, eBook and audio on 14th April 2022.

The House at Helygen is set in Cornwall between the present day and the 1800s, and is described as a 'twisted tale of dark pasts, murderous presents and uncertain futures'. When Henry Fox, the owner of a grand estate in Cornwall, is found shot dead, it is ruled a suicide - but his pregnant wife believes it was a murder, and she embarks on a quest to learn the truth. 

Hawthorne said: "I have always loved to read historical fiction and I'm so thrilled to be entering the genre as Victoria Hawthorne. I'm looking forward to working with Flo and the fantastic Quercus team, and I'm grateful to Emily for her unwavering support. I can't wait for readers to be introduced to the secrets of Helygen House."

Hare said: "The House at Helygen is a deliciously gothic novel about dark family secrets coming to light. When I first read it, I was gripped by the way that Victoria builds tension between her characters and by the Cornish setting that she so beautifully evokes. I love that this is a story told through the eyes of several remarkably strong women across generations and I'm really excited to be publishing such a brilliant book."

From BookBrunch article | Lucy Nathan

We're kicking off this roundup with the excellent news that client Phillipa Ashley has scored another four-book deal with Avon, in a deal negotiated by Broo Doherty. Ashley will continue her series set in Cornwall, as well as writing individual novels set in the Lake District. ​

Ashley has already published 10 books with Avon, and the new deal takes her publishing with the imprint through to 2023. 

Congratulations, Phillipa! To read the full press release, click here.​

The ninth book in L. C. Tyler's Elsie and Ethelred series, Farewell My Herring, was published last week. 

​Ethelred Tressider and his agent Elsie Thirkettle have been invited to lecture on a creative writing course at Fell Hall, a remote location in the heart of ragged countryside that even sheep are keen to shun. While Ethelred’s success as a writer is distinctly average, Elsie sees this as an opportunity to scout for new, hopefully more lucrative, talent. But heavy snow falls overnight, trapping those early arrivals inside, and tensions are quick to emerge between the assembled group.
​
When one of their number goes missing, Ethelred leads a search party and makes a gruesome discovery. With no phone signal and no hope of summoning the police, can Ethelred and Elsie identify the killer among them before one of them is next?

"An outrageously clever parody of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and all those other masters of the whodunit, Farewell My Herring – the ninth book in a series that it would be simply murder to miss – is the equivalent of a sparkling glass of champagne."
Lancashire Evening Post

A couple of brilliant reviews for Brian McGilloway's Blood Ties - the latest in his Benedict Devlin series - landed this week, and we couldn't be more pleased.

"The swiftness with which McGilloway can go from one narrative thread to another so neatly and succinctly is a skill that familiar readers will be aware of but new readers will greatly appreciate. A writer of real intelligence has again created a work of fiction that is both real and emotive basing it within a very familiar world as the fear of a pandemic takes over, but a gripping and entertaining crime read of real nous and skill." Next to the Aisle blog

"What an enthralling, powerful, incredibly moving novel this is. Although a police procedural, Blood Ties does not feel like one." Irish Times

Finally, we received word of Very Exciting News:

Stuart Turton's second novel, The Devil and the Dark Water has been optioned for television by Urban Myth Films. Rights were acquired from Emily Hayward-Whitlock at the Artists Partnership on behalf of Harry Illingworth, director at the DHH Literary Agency. Howard Overman will write the adaptation, with Turton on board as an executive producer. 

Turton's debut, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (Raven Books, 2018), was optioned by House Productions and is being adapted as a seven-part series for Netflix. 

​To read the full press release, click here. 

Stuart Turton’s murder mystery The Devil and the Dark Water (Raven Books, 2020) has been optioned for television by Urban Myth Films.

Rights were acquired from Emily Hayward-Whitlock at the Artists Partnership on behalf of Harry Illingworth, director at the DHH Literary Agency. Howard Overman will write the adaptation, with Turton on board as an executive producer. 

Turton said: "Howard Overman is a ludicrously talented scriptwriter who has spent his career writing things I love. I'm so thrilled he's pointing his pen at Devil. I can't imagine anybody better suited to bringing the book's mysteries, devils, baddies, goodies and sinister boats to screen. It's going to be fun."

Overman commented: "The Devil and the Dark Water is a thrilling story full of unexpected twists and turns. Stuart has created a cast of great characters, and I can’t wait to bring them to life on screen."

Turton's debut, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (Raven Books, 2018), was optioned by House Productions and is being adapted as a seven-part series for Netflix. 

Senior commissioning editor Rachel Faulkner-Willcocks at Avon has signed four more novels by Phillipa Ashley, buying World English Rights from Broo Doherty. Ashley has already published 10 books with Avon, and the new deal takes her publishing with the imprint through to 2023. 

Ashley will continue her series set in Cornwall, as well as writing individual novels set in the Lake District. Ashley's first standalone novel with Avon, A Surprise Christmas Wedding, was a bestseller in 2021.

Faulkner-Willcocks said: "In the past year, readers have needed escapism more than ever, and it's no wonder they have turned to Phillipa's brilliant stories - and their vivid sense of place and community - in droves. With these new books, Avon aims to solidify Phillipa's place among the biggest brands in seasonal women's fiction, which is absolutely where she belongs."

Doherty said: "Phillipa and I are absolutely delighted to be continuing to work with the impressive Avon team; they have done a superb job creating Phillipa' into a Sunday Times bestselling author and I know that Phillipa's reputation can only grow over these next four books."

Ashley, who has also published titles with Penguin, Pitakus Entice, Samhain and Headline Little Black Dress, said: "I couldn't be more thrilled to be working with the talented and enthusiastic Avon team for my next four books. They are a delight to work with and are dedicated to getting my stories into the hands of as many readers as possible."

From Book Brunch article | Lucy Nathan

We're going to kick off this week's DHH News Roundup with a massive congratulations to several of our clients, who have all been longlisted for this year's CWA Awards:

- -

Gold Dagger
M. W. Craven: The Curator (Constable)

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
Stuart Turton: The Devil and the Dark Water (Raven Books)

John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger
Eva Björg Ægisdóttir: The Creak on the Stairs (Orenda Books)

Sapere Books Historical Dagger
A. D. Swanston: Chaos (Bantam Press)

Short Story Dagger
Robert Scragg: A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas in Afraid of the Christmas Lights, edited by Robert Scragg

Victoria Selman: Hunted in Afraid of the Christmas Lights, edited by Robert Scragg

Stuart Turton: Murder Most Vial in First Edition: Celebrating 21 Years of Goldsboro Books (Dome Press)

- -

Honouring the very best in crime writing, the annual awards are the oldest in the genre with previous winners including Ian Rankin, John le Carré, Reginald Hill and Ruth Rendell. 

The shortlists will be announced in May with the awards ceremony taking place at the start of July. 

To read the full Bookseller article, click here.​

Published this week was the eBook for Adam Hamdy's second Scott Pearce book, Red Wolves​. 

The Westhill Whistler featured a lovely interview this week with new client, Caraline Brown, about writing and her novel, The Candlelit Menagerie. 

Set in 18th century London, the story follows Lillian; a young maid struggling to find her place in society, who yearns for something else. When she wakes to hears lions roaring in the distance, her intrigue leads her to discover a candlelit animal emporium – the Menagerie. She quickly begins to find her calling and befriends the exotic animals.

​To read the full article, click here. 

Thank you to Adam Hamdy who gave a brilliant endorsement for G. S. Locke's brand new crime thriller, Six:

“Decades spent atoning for a great wrong. Redemption that is always out of reach. A killer who won’t let go. Six is an enthralling mystery that delivers twists and thrills galore as it builds to its engrossing conclusion. A real page-turner.”

In other Joanna Toye news, one of her more recent Shop Girls book, Heartache for the Shop Girls, is only 99p in eBook for the remainder of this month. 

We are delighted to announce that we have a number of DHH authors included in the CWA Dagger longlists for 2021. 

- -

Gold Dagger
M. W. Craven: The Curator (Constable)

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
Stuart Turton: The Devil and the Dark Water (Raven Books)

John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger
Eva Björg Ægisdóttir: The Creak on the Stairs (Orenda Books)

Sapere Books Historical Dagger
A. D. Swanston: Chaos (Bantam Press)

Short Story Dagger
Robert Scragg: A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas in Afraid of the Christmas Lights, edited by Robert Scragg

Victoria Selman: Hunted in Afraid of the Christmas Lights, edited by Robert Scragg

Stuart Turton: Murder Most Vial in First Edition: Celebrating 21 Years of Goldsboro Books (Dome Press)

- -

Honouring the very best in crime writing, the annual awards are the oldest in the genre with previous winners including Ian Rankin, John le Carré, Reginald Hill and Ruth Rendell. 

The shortlists will be announced in May with the awards ceremony taking place at the start of July. 

To read the full Bookseller article, click here.

Sticking with a bit of glorious Icelandic fiction, Ragnar Jónasson's forthcoming new standalone, The Girl Who Died, has been announced as Goldsboro Books' Prem1er Book of the Month for June. 

Clare Whitfield's debut, People of Abandoned Character, was selected for one of the Library Journal's Best Debuts of Spring & Summer 2021, who also gave it a brilliant review:

"This debut historical mystery contains echoes of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and Jack the Ripper. The unreliable narration combines with richly details writing in a mystery with a shocking conclusion."

To read the full article, click here. 

Congratulations to Adam Hamdy, who this week saw the paperback of his book co-written with James Patterson, hit no.4 in the pb charts and no.5 in the overall charts. 










​Here's what readers are saying about Private Moscow:

​"An unmissable, breakneck ride into Moscow's dark underworld."
James Swallow

"Great action sequences... breathtaking twists and turns."
Anthony Horowitz

"The first Private outing for a couple of years, but its been well worth the wait... As always in a Patterson novel there's lots of action and plot turns as Jack tries to discover the secrets that unite the murder victims as he gets tangled up in the murky world of espionage."
Keighley News

"There's enough action, adventure and excitement to fill two chunky blockbusters in Private Moscow which makes for an exhilarating and totally satisfying read."
NB magazine

"Exhilarating, high-stakes action set in sub-zero temperatures, but so fast-paced, you won't have time to feel the chill."
Lesley Kara

Two fabulous books were published this week:

Chasing the Italian Dream, the gorgeous new summery read from Jo Thomas, is out now in eBook and is an irresistibly feel-good novel set in beautiful southern-Italy. 

Condemned by R. C. Bridgestock is the second in their gritty police procedural DI Charley Mann series - perfect for fans of LJ Ross and Joy Ellis. 

To order your own copy of either book, just click on the title. 

We hope you're suitably loaded up on chocolate eggs and hot cross buns (either regular or Free From - we don't discriminate here) and are ready to tackle a brand new week!

​To help ease you in, we've got some lovely bookish news courtesy of our fantastic clients. 

An exciting new virtual event with client Brian McGilloway has been announced. 

As part of the 'Locked Up' Festival, Brian will be chatting with literary giants Ian Rankin and John Connolly. The Festival itself runs Thursday 8th - Saturday 10th April and the In Conversation event will be on Saturday evening at 8pm GMT. 

Grab your tickets here. 

Brian's latest Devlin novel, Blood Ties (Little Brown UK), has received a brilliant review in the Chronicle:

"Producing a crime novel in the midst of pandemic is difficult. If it's set in the present day, does the author ignore Covid-19? Pretend it's not there? Sneak the plot into 2019, maybe, or go for it bald-headed while not knowing what will happen by publication day? Brian McGilloway has opted for the bald-headed approach and it has worked beautifully ... This is a stylish, measured, superior police procedural."

To further celebrate the release of Blood Ties, Brian spoke to David Roy at the Irish News about the long-awaited return of his original Garda hero. 

Fancy a read? Click here. 

We've got a veritable smörgåsbord of fabulous books up for an absolute steal as part of Amazon's Kindle Monthly Deal.  

Simply click on any of the books above to take you straight to the deal!

We had a number of new and exciting signings to the Agency last week:

Eleanor Tattersfield, Caraline Brown and Robert Scragg join David Headley's list; and Suzie Edge joins Emily Glenister's. 

You can find out more about each author by clicking on their name above, but we are delighted to welcome them!