Georgia Kaufmann's upcoming novel, The Dressmaker of Paris, received a fantastic quote from author Gill Paul:

"The story of a remarkable woman whose life is shaped by an unforgivable decision her father made when she was a schoolgirl. This is a book you will lost yourself in."

We couldn't be more excited for this gorgeous debut to hit shelves in January 2021.

Both Stuart Turton's The Devil and the Dark Water ("dark, disturbing and very hard to put down") and Stephen Moss' The Swallow: A Biography ("this year-in-the-life-of biography, with its attractive illustrations, is a delight") were selected for Choice magazine's bookshelf this month. 

Over the weekend, we were delighted to see three DHH books listed in The Times 'Best 37 Books of 2020':

• Wranglestone by Darren Charlton
• The Mist by Ragnar Jónasson
• The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton (The Times' Book of the Year)

We're wishing a very Happy Publication Day to our clients, whose books were all published this week:

• HB The Stone Knife by Anna Stephens
• PB Infernal by Mark de Jager
• PB A Surprise Christmas Wedding by Phillipa Ashley
• PB The Saturday Morning Park Run by Jules Wake
• HB A Woman's Promise by Anna Jacobs

To celebrate the publication of her book, A Surprise Christmas Wedding, Phillipa Ashley wrote a piece for Female First, on how she plans to make 2021 count. You can read the full article here.

In addition, the book was selected as Holiday Read by both MyWeekly (on sale now) Pop Sugar and was reviewed in Hot Brands Cool Places:

"We love Phillipa’s books and this is another delight, full of festive magic. She captures both the importance of family and the atmosphere and spirit of the Lake District estate in the lead up to Christmas. Her magical storytelling creates so many twists and turns and unexpected developments in this story, it will keep you turning the pages to the very end! A heart-warming festive read! Highly recommended!"

Finally, INCREDIBLE news dropped this week, that Darren Charlton's debut YA novel Wranglestone has been shortlisted for the Costa Award, in the Children's category.

The book has received the most brilliant endorsements, and we couldn't be more delighted for Darren, his agent Hannah Sheppard and the whole team at Stripes publishing. You can read more about the Awards here.

The winner will be announced in January 2021.

We are over the moon for Darren Charlton, whose debut YA novel Wranglestone, has been shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award 2020!

In a post-apocalyptic America, a community survives in a national park, surrounded by water that keeps predators at bay. When winter comes, Peter and Cooper must work together to herd the Dead from their shores before the lake freezes over. As love blossoms a dark discovery reveals the sanctuary’s secret past, forcing the boys to question everything they’ve ever known.

Launched in 1971, the Costa Book Awards is one of the UK's most prestigious and popular book prizes and celebrates the most enjoyable books of the year by writers resident in the UK and Ireland.

Uniquely, the prize has five categories – First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book – with one of the five winning books selected as the overall Costa Book of the year and each category is judged separately by a panel of three judges per category. The Costa Book of the Year is then chosen by a nine-member panel which includes representatives from the original panels who are joined by other well-known people who love reading.
​
Books are entered by publishers and entry for the Awards closes at the end of June each year. The author of the Costa Book of the Year receives a cheque for £30,000, presented at an awards ceremony at the end of January.

​Over the weekend, it was announced that Canongate will be publishing The Diaries of Alan Rickman. The diaries contain 27 hand-written volumes of his "witty, gossipy and utterly candid" thoughts about his career and life spanning more than 25 years set to be edited down to a single book. 



​World Rights (exc.) USA were acquired from Natalie Galustian, with Holt set to publish in the USA.

To read the full press release, with details of the diary's contents, click here.

​Ragnar Jónasson was interviewed on Ireland's RET radio this week. Catch up here.

Speaking to Ryan Tubridy, Ragnar spoke about how he went from translating Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic at the age of 17, to writing his own book including the Hidden Iceland and Dark Iceland series. 

His most recent book, The Mist, is the third in the Hidden Iceland series, featuring DI Hulda Hermansdottir. 

Congratulations to our colleague, Harry Illingworth, who has been made a Director of the agency with immediate effect. 

​Illingworth, formerly a bookseller at Goldsboro Books, has been with the agency for almost seven years. He has been credited with developing the agency’s list of genre fiction authors, and has agreed a number of major deals this year. This summer, he was named a Bookseller Rising Star.

Illingworth, who joins fellow agents and directors David Headley (MD), Broo Doherty and Hannah Sheppard on the board, said: While this hasn’t been the easiest year for publishing, I am so fortunate to represent some truly fantastic authors who are all incredibly fun to work with and are constantly defying genre and pushing boundaries with their writing. They have helped shape what could have been a dire year into a positive one, and this next step really is the icing on the cake. I’m very grateful to David and my colleagues at the agency for their faith and support in me, and couldn’t be more excited to be joining the board of directors.”

​To read the full article, click here.

​It's the final round for the Goodreads Reader's Awards 2020 and we were delighted to see that both Stuart Turton's The Devil and the Dark Water, and The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson have made it through!

You can vote for your favourite in each genre's category until 30th November. Follow this link to cast yours!

Brian McGilloway's New York Times bestselling Lucy Black series have been reissued by Little Brown's Constable Books, and all four were published in eBook this week. 

Little Girl Lost, Hurt, Preserve the Dead and Bad Blood have garnered strong praise and we cannot wait for a whole new generation of readers to get to grips with this dark and atmospheric police procedural. 

"[A] nimbly written and cleverly plotted tale." Daily Telegraph

"Storytelling of the highest order from one of Irish crime writing's most unassuming masters." Irish Independent

"Some of the very best crime fiction being written today." Lee Child

"A tense and beautifully-written crime novel that takes the reader into lives that aren't seen often enough." Ann Cleeves​
​

A couple of new endorsements for David Fennell's upcoming The Art of Death landed this week, and we're pleased as punch:

"Gripping from the first page to the last, with a great heroine in DI Grace Archer and a plot with hints of Damien Hirst and the “art crime” of Bowie’s Outside, set in contemporary London. Crime fiction doesn’t get much better." Paul Burston

"David Fennell paints a twisted vision of modern London in the grip of a terrifying serial killer. The Art of Death is a deftly sculpted crime thriller that takes a scalpel to contemporary issues, as DI Grace Archer overcomes challenges, present and past, in her quest for justice. Perfect for people who like their reads on the nerve wracking side of creepy. Highly recommended." Adam Hamdy 

Client Stephen Moss wrote a piece for this weekend's Observer on how climate change affects the seasonal migration of birds, unusual changes of which are on the rise. 

To read the full article, click here.

​Best Ever Christmas mag has selected both Jo Thomas' latest book, Finding Love at the Christmas Market and Phillipa Ashley's A Surprise Christmas Wedding as two of their Top Cosy Christmas Stocking Reads. 

These books are absolutely perfect for curling up on the sofa, with a cup of hot chocolate, or spiced cider, watching those winter nights draw in. The darker weather earlier in the day can be tough but these two are guaranteed to lift your spirits.

Agent Harry Illingworth has been promoted to director at DHH Literary Agency, with immediate effect.

Illingworth, formerly a bookseller at Goldsboro Books, has been with the agency for almost seven years. He has been credited with developing the agency’s list of genre fiction authors, and has agreed a number of major deals this year. This summer, he was named a Bookseller Rising Star.

His clients include Stuart Turton, author of the Costa First Novel Award-winning The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (Raven); Anna Stephens, author of the Godblind trilogy (HarperVoyager); and Femi Kayode, whose forthcoming debut novel Lightseekers won the UEA/Little, Brown Crime Fiction Award and was sold to Bloomsbury Raven in a four-way auction.

He is also the UK agent for US clients such as bestselling debut author Micaiah Johnson and Hugo Award finalist Ada Palmer. Most recently, he negotiated the sale of Richard Swan’s The Empire of the Wolf fantasy trilogy in a six-figure pre-empt to Orbit, and Adam Simcox’s supernatural crime series to Gollancz, starting with The Dying Squad, which will be published as a lead debut in July 2021.

M.d. David Headley said: “It has been tremendously exciting seeing the agency grow in the 12 years since its inception, and there is no denying that a significant part of its recent accomplishments have been down to Harry and his brilliant client list. He is an inspiring and respected member of the team, and it felt like the natural next step for him. I am delighted to bring him on board as a director of the DHH Literary Agency.”

Illingworth, who joins fellow agents and directors Broo Doherty and Hannah Sheppard on the board, added: While this hasn’t been the easiest year for publishing, I am so fortunate to represent some truly fantastic authors who are all incredibly fun to work with and are constantly defying genres and pushing boundaries with their writing. They have helped shape what could have been a dire year into a positive one, and this next step really is the icing on the cake. I’m very grateful to David and my colleagues at the agency for their faith and support in me, and couldn’t be more excited to be joining the board of directors.”

​From The Bookseller article | Mark Chandler

Penguin Michael Joseph has bought two more books from Scandinavian crime author Ragnar Jónasson.

Publishing director Maxine Hitchcock acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, including audio, to Outside and White Death from David Headley at the DHH Literary Agency. 

Outside, to be published in 2022, will revolve around a group of friends who, caught in a snowstorm, seek shelter in a cabin – but it isn’t long before one of them ends up dead. 

White Death will be published in 2023 and is billed as a "chilling locked room mystery in which a young police officer is determined to crack a mysterious murder from years before". 

Hitchcock said: "That Ragnar has enjoyed so much success this past year is of no surprise to us at Penguin Michael Joseph — he is a superlative storyteller whose novels chill and haunt in equal measure. Exceptional plots matched only by unforgettable characters and mesmerising writing. We are so proud to be his UK publisher and look forward to publishing his very first standalone thriller, The Girl Who Died, next spring. It’s a stunning book and will ensure he takes the next step in his already impressive career."

Jónasson commented: "It has been an incredible honour to work with Penguin Michael Joseph in recent years, and I am delighted to be able to continue the partnership with their amazing team. It will be very exciting to bring Outside and White Death to readers in the UK."

From The Bookseller article | Tamsin Hackett

​We're kicking off this week's news roundup with the brilliant news that two-books by debut author S. V. Leonard have been acquired by Canelo's new Canelo Crime imprint, beginning with an 'Agatha Christie for the digital age', The Islanders. 

The Islanders is an unputdownable crime thriller featuring former police officer Kimberley King, who is selected for the hit dating show LoveWrecked. It’s the chance of a lifetime, but Kimberley quickly finds her island paradise becomes a nightmare and within hours, one of her fellow contestants is found dead. Then the announcement comes: one of the Islanders is a murderer and Kimberley must find out who, live on television. For every hour it takes her, one more person will die. ​

The deal was negotiated by Emily Glenister and the The Islanders is due for publication in March 2021.

In addition, this week saw The Devil and the Dark Water scoop a Books Are My Bag Readers Award, in the Fiction category. 

The book has garnered high praise since its publication with the New York Times dubbing it "compulsively readable", the Guardian "an irresistible maritime mystery" and "intoxicating" by the Independent.

​An exclusive short story from Amanda Jennings was featured in the most recent issue of Best magazine: Dinner At Luigi's. 

Amanda's latest novel, The Storm, was published earlier this year to rave reviews and is available to buy now.

​A date for your diary...

M. W. Craven, author of the acclaimed Washington Poe series, will be taking part in a virtual event, with fellow author Katie Hale, to talk about the important of place and setting in fiction.

Both writers are based in Cumbria, and this is a chance for readers to see how the the windswept county inspires both their writing. 

The event will be on Thursday 16th February at 7pm, and you can book your tickets here.

We've got a couple of brilliant quotes for one already-published novel and two forthcoming, and the excitement is real...

"A terrifying story of guilt and remorse. A chilling reminder that the past doesn't always stay there no matter what stories we tell ourselves or others! The truth sits in the shadows and will always come to light."
Alex Hart on Carys Jones' The List (October 2020, Orion)

"Femi Kayode’s debut novel about an investigative psychologist’s quest to uncover the truth behind the mob killing of three university students is an original and fast-paced thriller which masterfully explores the smouldering historical tensions underpinning modern-day Nigeria, the role of social media, and the complexities of family, friendship and belonging."
Lauren Wilkinson on Femi Kayode's debut Lightseekers (Feb 2021, Bloomsbury Raven)

"A tense-as-hell high-body count page turner, but a rarer thing too - one that's full of genuine warmth and humanity."
William Shaw on David Fennell's debut adult novel The Art of Death (Feb 2021, Zaffre Books

"Chilling, unsettling and wonderfully atmospheric, it grips from the first page to the last. I hope we’ll be hearing much more from Fennell and his brilliant detective, Grace Archer."
Brian McGilloway on The Art of Death

"Hair-raisingly dark ... Make sure you look out for it in February as you won't be able to put it down."
Araminta Hall

Congratulations to Ragnar Jónasson, who this week saw the paperback publication of his latest Hulda Hermansdottir novel, The Mist. 

An unexpected guest, a liar, a killer. Not all will survive the night. And Detective Hulda will be haunted forever...

Get your copy now.

More for Ragnar, a new two-book deal has been scooped up by Michael Joseph, home of his Hidden Iceland series (The Darkness, The Island and The Mist) and his forthcoming standalone, The Girl Who Died. More on that deal here.

​Finally, we are delighted that both Micaiah Johnson's SFF debut The Space Between Worlds and Stuart Turton's The Devil and the Dark Water have been reached the Semifinal Round for the Goodreads Awards. 

Voting for this round closed yesterday (Sunday 15th November), and the final round will run from the 17th - 30th November. Winners will be announced on 8th December. 

To read more about the Awards, click here.

Assistant Editor Siân Heap has acquired World English Language rights to two new standalone crime novels by S. V. Leonard from Emily Glenister at D H H Literary Agency.

The Islanders is an unputdownable crime thriller featuring former police officer Kimberley King, who is selected for the hit dating show LoveWrecked. It’s the chance of a lifetime, but Kimberley quickly finds her island paradise becomes a nightmare and within hours, one of her fellow contestants is found dead. Then the announcement comes: one of the Islanders is a murderer and Kimberley must find out who, live on television. For every hour it takes her, one more person will die. 

S. V. Leonard grew up in the little coastal town of Formby, a suburb of Liverpool. She studied Classics at Oxford University and has been lucky enough to live in Australia, Poland and Malaysia. She is now based in London. The Islanders is her debut novel.

Siân Heap says: ‘I fell in love with The Islanders instantly. It’s the perfect page turner – pacy, gripping and a brilliant, unique combination of classic crime tropes and pop culture. It’s packed full of tension and drama with a colourful cast of suspects. Sarah has done such a fantastic job and I can’t wait for readers to discover The Islanders.’

S. V. Leonard says: ‘I'm so excited to have signed a two-book deal with the wonderful team at Canelo and to have an editor like Siân Heap. Siân's passion and enthusiasm for my debut, The Islanders, is a dream come true and it is such a privilege to be working with her to put my books into the hands of readers!’

Emily Glenister says: ‘The premise of Sarah’s debut is exceedingly clever and I was immediately hooked, so I’m delighted that it has found the perfect home at Canelo, whose passion and vision for the book is clear to see.’

The Islanders will be published by Canelo Crime in March 2021, in ebook and mass market paperback, with a second book to follow in early 2022.

Raven Books is thrilled to announce the acquisition of two new novels by Costa Award winner Stuart Turton, author of Sunday Times bestseller The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and the recently published The Devil and the Dark Water, winner of the Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Fiction. 

Raven Books Publishing Director Alison Hennessey acquired UK & Commonwealth rights, including audio, for the two as yet unnamed high concept novels from Harry Illingworth at DHH Literary Agency in a major deal.

"The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water have launched Stu as one of the most imaginative, creative and original writers of his generation, and rightly won him fans and prizes across the world," says Alison Hennessey, "the publication of both titles at Raven Books has been a joy to work on for me and the whole team from start to finish, and I can’t wait to see just where he takes us next."

Says Stuart Turton: "I can't believe Alison's bought my next two books! They're both nuts. She's nuts. I'm thrilled. Honestly, I can't believe how lucky I am to carry on working with the brilliant team at Raven, and shamelessly taking the credit for their talent and hard work. I'm so proud of everything we've achieved together already, and what we're going to do next. It's going to be fun! And nuts. Did I mention nuts?"

Stuart Turton’s The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was the second best-selling hardback crime debut in 2018, winning the Costa First Novel Award and the Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Fiction, spending three weeks in the Sunday Times bestseller charts and has been published in over thirty-four territories around the world and optioned for TV by House Productions. 

To commemorate the publication of his new book, The Swallow, Stephen Moss was interviewed for Waitrose's Weekend magazine

We are welcoming two new clients to the agency this week:

T. M. Payne joins Broo Doherty's list. A former Police Case Investigator within the Domestic Violence Unit, she has now taken a break to concentrate on her passion to write crime novels.

In addition, Sean Lusk has joined David Headley's list. Sean is the winner of the 2015 Manchester Fiction Prize. He is currently working on his debut novel, The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley.

The forthcoming debut novel from Femi Kayode, Lightseekers, has picked up some fantastic quotes recently and we are delighted to share them with you:

"​The best crime fiction transports and enlightens while also entertaining - and Lightseekers, a compulsive and illuminating debut, does that and more. This is a novel that honours and inverts the tried and true tropes of the amateur PI with a contemporary flair that feels assured and innovative."
Alex Segura

"An important story masterfully told."
Leye Adenle

"A superb novel - so inventive and well done. It's just brilliant."
Harriet Tyce

"Thrillingly good. Femi Kayode takes crime fiction - very literally - to new places. Ian Rankin once said the best way to understand a country is to read its crime fiction. Told from the perspective of a returning expatriate, Lightseekers takes us deep into the rich complexities of contemporary Nigeria."
​William Shaw

The book will be published by Bloomsbury Raven in February 2021.

Finally, we were thrilled to see that two of our authors have been nominated for the CILIP Children's Books Awards. 

The Sky Is Mine, the moving YA debut from Amy Beashel is up for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, and Abi Elphinstone's magical The Snow Dragon (illustrated by Fiona Woodcock) is up for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal. 

The longlist will be announced on Thursday 18th February 2021, and the shortlist on Thursday 18th March 2021.

For more information on the Awards, click on the titles above.