Blog Archives

DHH News Roundup 22nd - 28th August 2022

8/29/2022

Kicking off our final DHH News Roundup for August, we'd like to welcome new client Sara Barnes.

Sara joins Broo Doherty's list and is currently working on her debut novel, Wet and Wild: "a love letter to wild swimming and growing older".

The first in a brand new series from M. W. Craven, Fearless, has been endorsed by fellow author, Chris Whitaker (We Begin At the End):

"Tough, explosive, badass and brilliant. Fearless is everything you could want in a thriller. Blistering pace and all-out action, impossible to put down, impossible to forget. If you like Reacher, you'll LOVE this."

The book will be published in June 2023.

Czech rights for the first in Anna Jacobs' 'Backshaw Moss' series, A Valley Dream, have been sold to Grada.

The paperback for Richard Swan's fantasy debut, The Justice of Kings, was published last week, the first in his 'Empire of the Wolf' series.

The original publication of the book became an instant Sunday Times bestseller back in February this year.

Released just under two weeks ago, Phyllida Shrimpton's moving Every Shade of Happy was given a lovely review in the Sunday Post:

"Exploring lost dreams, loneliness and the unlikely but soulful commune ... it's captivating."

The cover was revealed for Jo Thomas' forthcoming festive read, Keeping A Christmas Promise (September 2022, Transworld):

Four friends
Twenty-five years ago, Freya and her three best friends created a bucket list. The future seemed bright, full of hope and most importantly guaranteed . . .

One promise
Now they are travelling to Iceland in memory of the friend they've lost, determined to fulfil her dream of seeing the Northern Lights at Christmas.

A life-changing adventure
They didn't count on an avalanche leaving them stranded! Handsome local, Pétur, comes to the rescue, showing them how the community survives the hard winter. With Christmas approaching, Freya and her friends throw themselves into the festivities, decorating and cooking for the villagers using delicious local ingredients.

But will the Northern Lights appear so they can honour their friend's wish? And can Freya's own dreams come true, this Christmas?

The January 2023 debut from Heather Darwent, The Things We Do To Our Friends, has picked up some wonderful pre-publication endorsements in recent weeks:

"Dark and compulsive, it will have you turning the pages late into the night."
Sarah Bonner

"Compelling, twisty and surprising, with an intriguing and complex heroine."
Phoebe Wynne

"Menacing and suspenseful with drippings of Donna Tartt."
Victoria Selman

"The Things We Do To Our Friends is one of the best suspense debuts I've read in years. Heather Darwent's prose is startlingly lovely, like a fine, dark silk shivering on your skin. She delivers one artful tease after another until you are completely lost in this labyrinth of clever women and obsessive friendships. I'm already saying, more Heather, please."
Julia Heaberlin

Finally, congratulations to clients Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, M. W. Craven and Ragnar Jónasson, who have all been nominated for the inaugural Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards, taking place at the Festival in September this year.

CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021
Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir

THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021
Dead Ground by M. W. Craven

AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR 2021
The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jónasson

Voting is now open and it is the only Award to be decided on by you, the reader! Cast your votes using this link.

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DHH News Roundup 15th - 21st August 2022

8/22/2022

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We're kicking off this week's DHH News Roundup with the stunning cover reveal for Abi Elphinstone's Saving Neverland (January 2023, Puffin Books), a magical and modern re-telling of the beloved J. M. Barrie tale.

Number 14 Darlington Road, looks like a perfectly ordinary townhouse - at first glance, anyway, but magic is good at hiding ... when it's waiting for the right person to discover it...

Martha Pennydrop is ten, and desperate to grow up. But growing up is a tricky business. It means turning your back on imagination, fun and magic, because those were the things that led to the Terrible Day when something awful nearly happened to Martha's younger brother, Scruff, which would have been All Her Fault.

But when Martha and Scruff discover mysterious gold dust in their bedroom in their new house - along with a window that's seemingly impossible to close - it's the start of an incredible adventure to a magical world: Neverland! The Pennydrop's new house used to belong to another family - the Darlings - who once visited this world themselves. Now Peter Pan is back, and in need of their help. Neverland is in the icy grip of a terrible curse - cast long ago by Captain Hook. And only Martha and Scruff can save it . . .

A reluctant Martha and excited Scruff are swept to Neverland and into the company of the Lost Kids. But when Scruff is kidnapped, Martha must rediscover all the imagination, magic and belief she has buried deep inside herself for so long, to save him - and Neverland itself.

Congratulations to the clients who all saw their books published last week:

Every Shade of Happy by Phyllida Shrimpton (Aria, Head of Zeus) - hardback, eBook and audio
Sarah's Gift by Anna Jacobs (Allison & Busby) - paperback
The House at Helygen by Victoria Hawthorne (Quercus) - paperback
The Generation Killer by Adam Simcox (Gollancz) - hardback, eBook and audio

The Portuguese rights for Eva Björg Ægisdóttir's second 'Hidden Iceland' series, Girls Who Lie, has been sold to Trama (Ediouro) in Brazil.

Recently released in paperback, Tom Hindle's debut, A Fatal Crossing, is still riding high in the Saturday Times bestseller charts.

The book is currently a Waterstones Thriller of the Month for August.

Serbian rights for Victoria Selman's recent thriller, Truly, Darkly, Deeply, has been sold to Laguna. This marks the seventh territory sold for the book.

Finally, we are delighted to announce that Louise Beech's memoir, Eighteen Seconds, has been sold to Mardle Books. Mardle bought World Rights, in a deal negotiated by Emily Glenister, and the memoir will be published on 27th April 2023 in paperback and e-book.

Eighteen Seconds looks back to the day Beech’s mother jumped from a bridge, her recovery and survival.

To read the full press release, click here.

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Mardle Books signs Beech's 'raw' memoir Eighteen Seconds

8/19/2022

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Mardle Books has signed Eighteen Seconds, a memoir from Louise Beech about her mother.

Publisher Jo Sollis acquired world all-language rights, excluding audio, from Emily Glenister at D H H Literary Agency. The memoir will be published on 27th April 2023 in paperback and e-book.

Eighteen Seconds looks back to the day Beech’s mother jumped from a bridge, her recovery and survival. The synopsis reads: "Family is the best thing in your life. And the worst. My mother once said to me, ‘I wish you could feel the way I do for 18 seconds. Just 18 seconds, so you’d know how awful it is.’ I thought about it. Realised we could all learn from being in another person’s head for 18 seconds. Eighteen seconds inside Grandma Roberts’ head as she sat alone with her evening cup of tea, us girls upstairs in bed. Eighteen seconds inside one-year-old Colin’s head when he woke up in a foster home without his family. Eighteen seconds inside the head of a girl waiting for her bedroom door to open."

Sollis commented: “Louise’s talent for writing fiction makes her deeply personal memoir one of the most vivid and engaging life stories I have ever read. Her insight, compassion and humour make it easy for you to read something that should be very difficult. We are honoured to be bringing this book to print.”

Beech added: "When I began writing Eighteen Seconds, I wasn’t even sure I’d share it with anyone. It was so personal and honest and raw. Then I realised that my words might be a comfort or validation to anyone else going through the same difficulties. Now I’m just delighted that Mardle will be sharing my story with the world, and that I’ll be sharing a platform with the dynamic and unique non-fiction they publish. They have such passion and vision for the memoir, and I’m excited to see it become a reality.”

"Simply put, Eighteen Seconds is special," Glenister said. "So personal and so raw, it is an absolute privilege to represent it."

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DHH News Roundup 8th - 14th August 2022

8/15/2022

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We are kicking this week's DHH News Roundup with the wonderful news that the paperback Tom Hindle's A Fatal Crossing (Century, January 2022), hit the no.1 spot in the Saturday Times bestseller list.

The book is currently the Waterstones' Thriller of the Month.

Released last month in paperback, Sarah Bonner's debut, Her Perfect Twin (Hodder & Stoughton, January 2022), has been selected by Before I Go To Sleep author, SJ Watson as his own 'thriller of the month' for Perspective Mag:

"[This debut] is a wild ride indeed. Bonner assembles the ingredients for what could have become a fairly standard domestic thriller. What elevates it isn’t just the satisfyingly vivid writing and the he-said-she-said themes of power play in the sibling and marital relationships, it’s also the sheer audacity of Bonner’s twists.

She repeatedly toys with reader expectations, so that by the second half of this cleverly structured novel we don’t know where to turn or from which direction the next back-stabbing betrayal will arrive. If that sounds tiresome, it’s not. Bonner writes with a flair unusual for a debut, and has delivered a satisfying, addictive ride, both twisty and twisted, that left me hungry to see what delights she will cook up for us next."

Croatian rights for Victoria Selman's most recent novel, and Sunday Times bestseller, Truly, Darkly, Deeply (Quercus, July 2022), have been sold to Znanje, marking the sixth international territory sold for this killer thriller!

Anita Frank's The Return (HQ, November 2021), released earlier this month in paperback, has been given a fantastic review in the Lancashire Evening Post:

"[Anita Frank] sweeps us away to the rewards and rigours of the home front during the Second World War in a beautifully written and piercingly insightful tale of love and loss, mystery and sacrifice.

Shrouded in an air of mystery, and with the suspense slowly building as the pages turn, Frank’s writing is a triumph of pacing and emotional power. But at its heart is a poignant, alluring romance that refuses to be overcome by pain, tragedy and hidden truths.

With a narrative that plays out against a background of gentle bucolic lyricism, a love story that tugs at the heartstrings, and a surprise twist in the tail that cannot fail to please, The Return is an impressive follow-up for an exciting new author."

We are delighted to be able to reveal the paperback cover for Brian McGilloway's Sunday Times bestseller, The Empty Room (Constable Books, March 2022):

What do you do when your child disappears?

Pandora - Dora - Conlon wakes one morning to discover her 17-year old daughter Ellie, has not come home after a party.

The day Ellie disappears, Dora is alone as her husband Eamon has already left for the day in his job as a long-distance lorry driver. So Dora does the usual things: rings around Ellie's friends... but no one knows where she is. Her panic growing, Dora tries the local hospitals and art college where Ellie is a student - but then the police arrive on her doorstep with the news her daughter's handbag has been discovered dumped in a layby.

So begins Dora's ordeal of waiting and not knowing what has become of her girl. Eamon's lack of empathy and concern, Dora realises, is indicative of the state of their marriage, and left on her own, Dora begins to reassess everything she thought she knew about her family and her life. Increasingly isolated and disillusioned with the police investigation, Dora feels her grip on reality slipping as she takes it upon herself to find her daughter - even if it means tearing apart everything and everybody she had ever loved, and taking justice into her own hands.

The paperback is due for release in January 2023.

Finally, we are delighted for author, Cassie Connor, whose debut Under Contract has been sold to HarperCollins imprint, One More Chapter!

OMC has acquired world all language rights to the book, 'a hilarious and sexy romcom that taps perfectly into the BookTok appreciation for romance alongside authors such as Ali Hazelwood and Tessa Bailey.' Publishing director Charlotte Ledger acquired rights from Broo Doherty at DHH Literary in a two-book deal.

To read the full press release, and for more information, click here.

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One More Chapter signs romcom from debut Cassie Connor

8/12/2022

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HarperCollins' One More Chapter has acquired world all language rights to Under Contract by Cassie Connor, 'a hilarious and sexy romcom that taps perfectly into the BookTok appreciation for romance alongside authors such as Ali Hazelwood and Tessa Bailey.' Publishing director Charlotte Ledger acquired rights from Broo Doherty at DHH Literary in a two-book deal.

According to the acquisition statement: 'Under Contract follows hotshot lawyer Becca who is dreading the annual family Thanksgiving break where the question on everyone’s lips will be "why are you still single?". So when she has a one night stand with a gorgeous stranger she meets in a bar, Becca decides to do what she does best: make a deal with Mr One Night to be her Mr Right…just for the holidays!

'With an iron-clad contract setting out the terms for their fake relationship, Becca has one important point. Clause 1.a. No kissing, no sex (as mind-blowing as it was), and absolutely no emotional attachment! But five thousand miles from home and spending every waking moment in the company of a man who makes her feel things she’s never felt before, just how easy will it be for Becca to stick to her own rules…

'Cassie Connor loves capsule wardrobes, packs light, enjoys weekending in Nice and takes her own champagne flute wherever she goes. She’s also got a history degree and has never finished War and Peace. When it comes to dating, her motto is CBA – Can’t Be Arsed – and has resorted to writing and inventing her own men because fictional heroes are always so much better. Hudson in her debut novel, Under Contract, proves the point perfectly.'

Connor said: "I’m absolute thrilled that my novel Under Contract has found a home at One More Chapter. I’ve always loved reading American romance and I despaired that a UK publisher would be willing to take on a British version but Charlotte Ledger has understood the vision for the book from the very first day it was pitched to her."

Ledger said: "This book is SPICY and the whole team love it! As more and more of us in the industry proudly embrace romance thanks to the amazing appetite of our readers for stories with happy ever afters, not to mention the huge light Tiktok has shone on the genre, publishing a book this funny, this sexy and this romantic is a sheer delight. I know readers around the world will love it as much as I do."

From the BookBrunch article

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DHH News Roundup 1st - 7th August 2022

8/8/2022

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What better way to start the month with a plethora of fantastic eBook deals to see you through...

Simply click on the book cover below to take you straight to the promo!

Last week shall henceforth be known as 'Tom Hindle' week:

The paperback for his debut novel, A Fatal Crossing, was revealed as Waterstones' Thriller of the Month for August. The news comes with a nationwide campaign, including much-coveted promo spots all over London's rail stations.

To go along with the news, Tom wrote a piece for the Waterstones blog, on his favourite crime mysteries taking place "on the move".

Clearly a man of great taste, the list includes fellow DHH stablemate Stuart Turton's second novel, The Devil and the Dark Water.

To read the full blog, click here.

Finally, Tom's current publisher, Century, have bought the next two books from Tom, beginning with The Murder Game, a contemporary locked-room crime novel, centred around a killing which takes place at a murder mystery party in a crumbling country hotel on the Devon coast.

Century's Emily Griffin bought World Rights from Harry Illingworth, and The Murder Game is due for publication in February 2023.

For the full press release, click here.

The debut novel from Georgia Kaufmann, The Dressmaker of Paris (January 2021, Hodder & Stoughton), has sold Romanian rights to Humanitas.

This marks the 13th foreign territory the book has sold in. Congratulations, Georgia!

The paperback of the second book from The Lost Ones author, Anita Frank - The Return - was published last week.

A breathtaking WW2 love story, The Times said of it: "An engaging story of secrets, sacrifice and the persistence of love."

The cover for Julie Caplin's (also known as Jules Wake) new 'Romantic Escapes' novel, The Christmas Castle in Scotland (October 2022, One More Chapter), has been revealed:

Unwrap this gorgeous gift of a book for an escape to the snow-peaked caps of the Scottish Highlands and a romance that will melt your heart…

Izzy McBride had never in a million years expected to inherit an actual castle from her great uncle Bill but here she was, in the run up to Christmas, Monarch of her own Glen – a very rundown glen in need of a lot of TLC if her dream of turning it into a boutique bed and breakfast was to come true.

But when Izzy’s eccentric mother rents a room to enigmatic thriller author Ross Adair and the Scottish snow starts to settle like the frosting on a Christmas cake, it’s a race to get the castle ready before they’re all snowed in for the holidays.

Bestselling author, Phillipa Ashley, will be appearing at the Sandon Literature Festival in September, and tickets are available now.

Having created its very own literature festival to take over the Hall, all Sandon's profits will be donated to the Staffordshire Women's Aid.

Phillipa will be in conversation with fellow author, Katie Fforde, about keeping the romance of summer alive in their gorgeous 'getaway' novels.

To celebrate the publication of her most recent novel, Retreat to the Spanish Sun, Jo Thomas wrote a piece for MyWeekly on finding inspiration in travel; something that is key to her trademark novels, designed to whisk you away for a few hours.

To read the full article, click here.

Her Perfect Twin by Sarah Bonner was reviewed in an edition of the Daily Mail last week:

"Sarah Bonner's first novel is a dangerous thriller about family secrets, gaslighting, and a deadly sibling rivalry."

Congratulations to client Lucy Fulford, who last week sold her non-fiction book, The Exiled: Empire, Immigration and How Ugandan Asians Changed Britain, to Hodder & Stoughton imprint, Coronet. The book is a narrative history of the Asian population of Uganda who were expelled by President Idi Amin in 1972.

Joelle Owusu-Sekyere, commissioning editor, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights including audio from Broo Doherty at D H H Literary Agency. It will be published in hardback, e-book and audio on 3rd August 2023.

To read the full press release, click here.

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Coronet nets Fulford's story of how Ugandan Asians changed Britain

8/4/2022

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Coronet has netted The Exiled: Empire, Immigration and How Ugandan Asians Changed Britain from journalist Lucy Fulford.

Joelle Owusu-Sekyere, commissioning editor, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights including audio from Broo Doherty at D H H Literary Agency. It will be published in hardback, e-book and audio on 3rd August 2023.

The Exiled is a narrative history of the Asian population of Uganda who were expelled by President Idi Amin in 1972. The publisher wrote: "When Ugandan President Idi Amin expelled the country’s entire Asian population in 1972, more than 28,000 people from Britain’s former colony arrived on airstrips around the country and began building new lives – but their incredible stories remained largely hidden. Fifty years later, first and second-generation testimony uncovers an underexplored period of history, touching on colonialism, immigration, identity and modern multiculturalism through the lens of individual experience."

Fulford’s history combines elements of memoir writing including first-person experiences and interviews alongside Fulford’s own experiences. The Exiled reveals a story of resilience and "illuminates an essential chapter in British history, in which immigrants reshaped society".

Owusu-Sekyere commented: "I am thrilled to be publishing Lucy’s debut book next summer. As we approach the 50th anniversary, it is staggering that there has not been a commercial book about this by a direct descendant. It is crucial that the varied stories of British Ugandan Asians are amplified and celebrated as an important part of British modern history. Lucy’s brilliant book will help put that wrong to right."

Fulford added: "Joelle’s belief in this book has been a joy and I am so honoured to be working with Coronet on my debut. The Exiled asks what happens next, after a story fades from the headlines. Now, more than ever, feels like a time to take this approach to this country’s migratory and racial history. I hope that in shining a light on the diverse lives forged through forced migration, The Exiled will illuminate the universality around the meaning of home.”

From The Bookseller article | Katie Fraser

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Century snaps up two more locked-room mysteries by Tom Hindle

8/1/2022

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Century fiction publishing director Emily Griffin acquired World Rights including audio to THE MURDER GAME and an untitled novel by Tom Hindle from Harry Illingworth at DHH Literary Agency.

THE MURDER GAME is a contemporary locked-room crime novel centred around a killing which takes place at a murder mystery party in a crumbling country hotel on the Devon coast.

In the seaside town of Hamlet Wick, guests assemble for a New Year’s Eve party to remember. It’s a murder mystery evening with a 1920s twist, and everyone has their own part to play. But the game has barely begun when one of the guests is found dead – killed by a fatal injury to the head. With no phone signal and no way out of the house, the guests are trapped with a killer amongst them. Someone is playing by their own rules. Can the guests unmask the culprit before they strike again?

Tom Hindle is originally from Yorkshire and now lives in Oxfordshire, where he writes full time. THE MURDER GAME follows hot on the heels of his debut novel, A FATAL CROSSING, which launches today as Waterstones Thriller of the Month for August supported by a major campaign.

Tom Hindle says: ‘Seeing readers give A FATAL CROSSING such a warm reception has been nothing short of incredible. I wrote this book as a passion project at my kitchen table, hardly daring to think that I’d finish it, let alone that folks might one day want to read it – to be announcing today that it’s featuring as Waterstones Thriller of the Month is beyond anything I could have imagined. Looking to the future, I’m proud to be teaming up with the brilliant team at Century on two more novels. I’ve been working hard to cook up a pair of mysteries just as thrilling as A FATAL CROSSING, and I can’t wait to see what readers make of A MURDER GAME when it hits shelves in February.’

Emily Griffin says: ‘The reader response to A FATAL CROSSING has been incredible and Tom Hindle has outdone himself with this follow-up – which is three murder mysteries in one! With its stand-out concept, immersive setting, a cast of characters that leap from the page and fiendishly plotted twists, I have no doubt that readers will devour this in droves. This publication will be a major focus for Century in 2023 as we build on the exciting momentum ignited by Tom’s debut.’

Century will publish THE MURDER GAME in hardback in February 2023, with the paperback edition following later on in the year.

From The Bookseller article | Ruth Comerford

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DHH News Roundup 25th - 31st July 2022

8/1/2022

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Karen Sullivan of Orenda Books has acquired the World English Language rights to the new book by Essie Fox, The Fascination, which will publish in June 2023. The deal was brokered by David Headley. The Fascination is set in Victorian London and follows twins Keziah and Tilly Lovell and Theo, an orphan raised by a wealthy family. To read the full press release, click here.

Congratulations to Phillipa Ashley, who has seen her gorgeous, sunny Summer at the Cornish Cafe, sold to Bragelonne in France.

The paperback for Tom Hindle's debut, A Fatal Crossing, was published last week:

November 1924. The Endeavour sets sail from Southampton carrying 2,000 passengers and crew on a week-long voyage to New York.

When an elderly gentleman is found dead at the foot of a staircase, ship's officer Timothy Birch is ready to declare it a tragic accident. But James Temple, a strong-minded Scotland Yard inspector, is certain there is more to this misfortune than meets the eye.

Birch agrees to investigate, and the trail quickly leads to the theft of a priceless painting. Its very existence is known only to its owner . . . and the dead man.

With just days remaining until they reach New York, and even Temple's purpose on board the Endeavour proving increasingly suspicious, Birch's search for the culprit is fraught with danger.

And all the while, the passengers continue to roam the ship with a killer in their midst...

Additionally, up on Unseen Histories, was an excerpt with an exclusive foreword from the author himself!

Click here to see more.

To celebrate her 100th book being published, SeeSaw, Western Australia's art magazine, ran a piece interviewing Anna Jacobs about this enormous accomplishment. You can read the full interview here.

Anna's 100th book, A Valley Wedding, was published in May 2022.

The recent novel from Julie Caplin, The Cosy Cottage in Ireland is still holding strong at no.9, in the Czech Republic - ten weeks after initial publication!

Talented lawyer Hannah Campbell wants a change in her workaholic Manchester life – so she books herself a place at the world-renowned Killorgally Cookery School in County Kerry. But on her first night In Ireland, sampling the delights of Dublin, Hannah can’t resist falling for the charms of handsome stranger Conor. It’s only when Hannah arrives at her postcard-pretty home at Killorgally for the next six weeks that she discovers what happens in Dublin doesn’t quite stay in Dublin…

Nestled amongst rolling green hills and breathtaking countryside, the cookery school throws Hannah and Conor together again–for better or worse.

Commercial fiction heavyweight, Adele Parks, provided a gorgeous quote for Phyllida Shrimpton's upcoming heartstring-puller, Every Shade of Happy:

"Heartwarming and uplifting. It will make you miss your grandfather and want to hug your grandchild."

The book will be published by Head of Zeus imprint, Aria, later this month.

Finally, Lily Cooper at Hodder & Stoughton pre-empted a two-book deal with Emily Glenister. Louise Swanson (a new direction for established author Louise Beech) will see End of Story published in January 2023, and is a twisty high-concept thriller, with a twist that no one will see coming ... To read the full press release, click here.

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DHH News Roundup 22nd - 28th August 2022

DHH News Roundup 15th - 21st August 2022

Mardle Books signs Beech's 'raw' memoir Eighteen Seconds

DHH News Roundup 8th - 14th August 2022

One More Chapter signs romcom from debut Cassie Connor

DHH News Roundup 1st - 7th August 2022

Coronet nets Fulford's story of how Ugandan Asians changed Britain

Century snaps up two more locked-room mysteries by Tom Hindle

DHH News Roundup 25th - 31st July 2022

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