Dame Professor Sue Black to give prestigious Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

Forensic anthropologist Dame Professor Sue Black is set to deliver the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures this winter. The Christmas Lectures are the world's leading science lectures for young people, and have been held since 1825. Previous speakers include Nobel Prize winners William and Lawrence Bragg, Sir David Attenborough, Carl Sagan and Dame Nancy Rothwell. In her lectures, Dame Black will explore existential questions about what makes us who we are, and how others can identify us, receiving input from lawyers, detectives, pathologists and even dog handlers.

A Sunday Times best-selling author, Dame Black is currently President of St John's College, Oxford and the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, and was previously Pro Vice-Chancellor for Engagement at Lancaster University. Her two books, All That Remains: A Life in Death and Written in Bone – Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind, were published by Doubleday in 2018 and 2020 to critical acclaim.

The Christmas Lectures from the Royal Institution will be broadcast on BBC Four between Christmas and the New Year. More information on how to watch the Lectures can be found here.

Sarah Pearse wins the inaugural FingerPrint Awards Crime Book of the Year

Sarah Pearse has been announced as the winner of the FingerPrint Awards Crime Book of the Year for her debut novel The Sanatorium. Published in February 2021, the atmospheric thriller has seen huge success, reaching number one on the Sunday Times best-seller list. The novel was also chosen as a Reese Witherspoon Book Club title.

The Sanatorium was announced as Crime Book of the Year at the Capital Crime Festival, taking place in Battersea Park. Pearse was shortlisted alongside internationally renowned talents Val McDermid, Janice Hallett, Eva Björg Ægisdottir and Mick Herron.

The sequel to The Sanatorium, The Retreat, was published by Transworld in July and quickly became a bestseller in both the UK and US markets.

What a Thing to Say to the Queen to be re-issued

In the wake of the Queen’s death, a number of books concerning the Royals are to be re-issued, including Thomas Blaikie's What a Thing to Say to the Queen: A collection of royal anecdotes from the House of Windsor. Originally published by Quarto in 2015, this edition is due to be available from mid-October with a new cover design and minor updates to the text reflecting the Queen’s passing.

Journalist Blaikie gathered together a number of anecdotes for What a Thing to Say to the Queen, which are presented as illustrated stories providing access to a unique world. Engaging, insightful and sometimes outrageous, the re-release of Blaikie’s book will serve as an affectionate tribute to the late monarch. As the UK’s longest reigning monarch, the Queen met people from all corners of the world. What a Thing to Say to the Queen uncovers what really happened at these meetings and reveals a private side to a very public sovereign.

Professor Turi King to take part in New Scientist Live

Geneticist Professor Turi King is due to feature at the 2022 New Scientist Live festival, taking place from October 7th to 9th at London’s ExCel Centre. A celebration of innovative ideas and discoveries, the festival will include show-floor exhibitors and immersive interactive experiences, as well as talks from a variety of experts at the forefront of scientific discovery.

Professor King is Reader in Genetics and Archaeology at the University of Leicester. She is best known for her work in cracking one of the biggest forensic DNA cases in history during the exhumation and reburial of Richard III of England, the 'King in the car park'. She is currently working on carrying out the whole genome sequencing of Richard III, as well as leading a project examining the genetic legacy of the Vikings in the north of England.

Tickets can be purchased via the New Scientist website.

Sarah Pearse shortlisted for Crime Book of the Year

The nominees for the Fingerprint Awards have been announced, with Sarah Pearse earning a place on the shortlist for her debut novel The Sanatorium. Celebrating the best crime and thriller publications of 2021, the awards are voted for by readers and held as part of the Capital Crime Festival. Pearse is nominated alongside established authors of the genre such as Val McDermid and Mick Herron.

‘My vision for Capital Crime was always to make it a festival for readers, and what better way to celebrate the readers who make it all worthwhile than to give them the power to decide the winners of the Fingerprint Awards?’ said organiser David Headley. ‘I’m confident that these shortlists represent the very best of crime and thriller writing from around the world.’

Readers can vote for their preferred winners until September 19th on the Fingerprint Awards website. The winners will be announced on the evening of September 29th.

HQ acquires three more Marlow Murder Club mysteries

HarperCollins imprint HQ have acquired three new mysteries in the Marlow Murder Club series by Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood. Publisher Manpreet Grewal acquired UK & Commonwealth rights from Ed Wilson. The first book in the new contract will be the third in the series, to be published in January 2024, and will see Judith, Becks and Suzie once more helping to solve a crime that has shocked the residents of Marlow.

Thorogood said: “I’m delighted that HQ have asked me to kill more people in my hometown of Marlow. It’s been a joy working with Manpreet and the team, and I’m particularly grateful to all the booksellers who battled to get the book into readers’ hands over the last 18 months. I can’t wait to find out what Judith, Becks and Suzie get up to next.” 

Grewal added: “It’s been wonderful seeing how readers have taken Judith and co to their hearts, and the anticipation for the second book, Death Comes to Marlow, is already at peak levels, so it’s exciting to confirm that there is a third Marlow adventure in the pipeline. Robert has created a wonderful world, brought to life by witty, intelligent characters who are much more adept at solving crimes than the local police, and it’s going to be quite the ride as they tackle their third mystery.”

The Retreat is an instant bestseller

Celebrations are in order for Sarah Pearse, as her second novel, The Retreat, has managed to land a spot on both the UK and US best-seller lists. Within just a few days of publication, the follow up to her best-selling debut, The Sanatorium, has stormed the charts at number 13, and looks set to continue rising. A huge congratulations to Sarah on this fantastic achievement – once again!

Canelo acquires Heather Critchlow's debut Scottish crime series

The rights to three new crime titles by debut novelist Heather Critchlow have been bought by Canelo Crime. Critchlow grew up in rural Aberdeenshire and studied history and social science at the University of Cambridge before training as a business journalist. Her short stories have appeared in crime fiction anthologies Afraid of the Light, Afraid of the Christmas Lights and Afraid of the Shadows.

The series focuses on Cal Lovett, a true crime podcaster whose own experience of violent crime gives him a unique insight into the cases he covers. In the first novel, Unsolved, Cal comes face to face with a serial killer in Broadmoor, and a chain of events unfolds that tears his past to shreds. The novel sees Cal travel from his home near Birmingham to Aberdeenshire in order to seek answers about the disappearance of a young woman named Layla thirty-five years earlier, all the while battling turbulence in his personal life.

Canelo Publishing Director Louise Cullen said: ‘As a true crime fan, the concept for Heather’s series immediately appealed to me. I had come across her writing previously, and the exceptional quality of her debut novel did not disappoint. Unsolved is a thrilling, immersive novel that swept me away to rural Aberdeenshire and events of more than three decades ago, while also delivering bags of grit and drama in the present day for Cal. I could not be more excited about the potential for this series and the prospect of working with Heather on multiple novels.’

‘I am thrilled to be bringing Cal and Layla’s story to readers with Lousie Cullen and the brilliant team at Canelo,’ said Heather Critchlow. ‘Unsolved is a tribute to true crime podcasters and their desire to find answers for families of long-missing loved ones, as well as the chance to write about the beautiful Aberdeenshire countryside where I grew up. I’m so grateful to my wonderful agent, Charlotte Seymour, who has championed this series from the start and found the perfect home for Cal at Canelo.’

Unsolved is due to be published in paperback and ebook in February 2023. Book two in the series will follow in Autumn 2023, and a third novel featuring Cal Lovett is planned for the following year. World English audio rights for the series have been sold to Dreamscape.

The Marlow Murder Club becomes an international bestseller

The Marlow Murder Club is now an international bestseller, have steadily climbed the charts in the UK, France and Germany. Thorogood's debut in the Marlow series held its own in the UK charts for seventeen consecutive weeks, and the novel quickly became hugely successful in France on its release; Les Dames de Marlow was touted as the country's bestselling cosy mystery across all of 2021. The Marlow Murder Club has been sold for translation in eleven languages: Estonian, French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Finnish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Slovenian and Portuguese.

Our three beloved heroines will be back for more – the second novel in the series, Death Comes to Marlow, will be published in the UK in January 2023.

Sarah Pearse and C. K. McDonnell shortlisted for the 2022 Dead Good Reader Awards

In exciting news, The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse and The Stranger Times series by C. K. McDonnell have been shortlisted for this year’s Dead Good Reader Awards. Dead Good has been celebrating crime and thriller novels and related media for the last decade, offering recommendations and reviews, discounted titles and the chance to enter exclusive giveaways to read brand new releases before they hit the shelves.

Thousands of readers narrowed down a list of excellent novels to produce the 2022 shortlist, nominating their favourite books and authors across a variety of categories. Pearse’s atmospheric thriller, The Sanatorium, is up for The Cold As Ice Award for Most Chilling Read, dedicated to the books that ‘send a shiver down your spine,’ while the fantastical The Stranger Times novels by McDonnell have been nominated for The New Kid on the Block Award for Best New Series, celebrating ‘first-class series’ with no more than three instalments already on shelves.

Readers have the chance to choose their favourite finalist in each category until Monday 18th July, so get voting! The winners will be announced on Friday 22nd July at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate. Tickets to attend the awards and see the winners announced in person can be purchased via the Festival website.

Cover reveal for Kitty Murphy's debut novel, Death in Heels

Thomas Mercer, an imprint of Amazon Publishing, has unveiled the cover for Death in Heels, the first in a planned mystery series by debut author Kitty Murphy. Set in midst of Dublin’s vibrant drag scene, the book explores the fictional club TRASH and its fascinating performers. When Fi McKinnery goes to support her best friend Mae B’s drag debut, she doesn’t imagine a killer will be in the audience – and they’re waiting for their grand finale. . . When one of the queen’s turns up dead in the gutter of a rain-soaked Dublin street, the police are quick to rule the death an accident, but Fi is convinced it was foul play. It’s up to Fi to turn sleuth and as more of her friends become entangled in the killer’s twisted plans she’s determined to uncover the truth, no matter the consequences.

Even as the rest of the gang start to distance themselves, Fi is certain that they’re all in terrible danger. Something dark is lurking beneath the feathers, glitter and sequins of Dublin’s drag scene. And it’s not just the sticky floor and cracked mirrors; someone is targeting the queens. When another member of the group is gunned down, it’s clear the danger is coming ever closer. Can Fi stop the killer before any more of her friends are hurt?

A proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, Kitty has been engaged with Dublin’s drag scene for decades and was always keen to combine her passion for the glamorous art form with her love of crime novels. Death in Heels is due to publish in November, with the sequel following in 2023.

Elliott & Thompson gain rights to a celebration of the seasons by Wiccan priestess Dr Rebecca Beattie

Sarah Rigby, publishing director at Elliott & Thompson, has secured world rights for The Wheel of the Year: A Nurturing Guide to Rediscovering Nature’s Seasons and Cycles by Dr Rebecca Beattie. Due to publish in October 2022, The Wheel of the Year will celebrate eight key moments within the changing seasons, from solstices to equinoxes and cross quarter days-in-between. It is ‘alive with what is happening in the natural world,’ offering tools and rituals to mark each seasonal festival. Beattie intends to connect readers ‘to the wheel of their own life as well, allowing them to chart the turning of their personal seasons alongside these wider cycles.’

Beattie holds a PhD in Creative Writing and has previously published works on modern paganism. She has been practising solitary witchcraft for 20 years and has been an initiate of the Gardnerian Wiccan tradition for 15 years. She considers herself an ‘expert guide to the power of these seasonal rhythms.’

‘I’ve long been intrigued by the ways in which our folklore and folk song connect so directly to the natural world,’ said Rigby. ‘So it’s been fascinating to see the Wheel of the Year – celebrating our solstices and equinoxes and those moments in between – rising into our collective consciousness in recent times. With such a keen interest in ritual, wild magic and seasonal tradition on- and off-line, I was thrilled to find the perfect author for this new project in Rebecca Beattie, a Wiccan priestess.’

Beattie commented: ‘I have long wanted to write this book, but was seeking the perfect home for it, which I have found in Elliott and Thompson. I am thrilled to have such a marvellous collaboration with Sarah Rigby and Michael Alcock and their respective teams. I hope the book will shed some light on the beauty and benefits of celebrating the year with nature as its focus and its inspiration – and show that our relationship with nature is at source a symbiotic one that enriches our lives.’

Dunya Mikhail awarded UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture

It has been announced that Dunya Mikhail will be the recipient of the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture, alongside actress Helen Al-Janabi. Decided by an international jury of experts, the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize rewards two laureates each year who, through their work and outstanding achievements, display a strong commitment to the promotion of Arab culture around the world.

Now in its eighteenth year, the initiative is part of UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Programme and the Sharjah Prize is valued at $60,000, which is divided equally between the two recipients. This year’s jury applauded both remarkable women for their ability to communicate on complex issues while remaining accessible for a large audience, along with their dedication to artistic excellence and social dialogue.

Born in Baghdad, Dunya Mikhail initially worked as a translator and journalist before moving to the United States in 1996, where she earned an MA at Wayne State University. Her powerful writing, translation, poetry, and prose, both in Arabic and English, speak to the horrors and hardships of war, migration and loss of country, and the complexities that accompany it. The nuance of Mikhail’s work, particularly her poetry, is fuelled by a deep sense of identity: as a refugee, an artist, and a woman. She has published a number of poetry collections and her debut novel, The Bird Tattoo, was released in Arabic in 2020, shortlisted in 2021 for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. The English-language edition will be published by Pegasus in December 2022.

The Sharjah Prize award ceremony will be held at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on May 30th.

TV option secured for Dick and Felix Francis novels

The backlisted horseracing thriller novels by father and son team Dick and Felix Francis have been optioned for TV.

Production company Kudos will create a returning TV show, provisionally entitled The Turf, which is currently in development with a major UK broadcaster.

Australian showrunner Kris Mrksa, who worked on White House Farm, Requiem, and The Blue, is attached to the project, which will mine from over 60 years’ worth of novels to develop characters, plotlines and inspiration. Felix Francis will act as executive producer and series consultant, with his brother Merrick Francis also assuming a consultancy role.

‘It has been a long-held ambition of mine to produce real quality dramas of the Dick Francis and Felix Francis stories, and I am so excited that the prospect is a huge step closer thanks to the involvement of Kudos and Kris Mrksa,’ said Felix Francis.

Karen Wilson, joint m.d. for Kudos, added: ‘We’re really excited to be working with Felix and Kris and look forward to bringing some of the incredible stories and characters to life for TV audiences.’

Publication announced for Sinclair McKay's 'latest masterpiece,' Berlin

Sinclair McKay’s Berlin, a biography of the city and its inhabitants, is to be published by Viking in the UK and St Martin’s Press in the US.

Publishing director Daniel Crewe acquired rights from Anna Power, with the team at Johnson and Alcock selling rights in seven further languages so far.

Viking will publish the book in hardback in May 2022. The publisher said: ‘In this magisterial biography of a city and its inhabitants, bestselling historian Sinclair McKay sheds new light on well-known characters – from idealistic scientist Albert Einstein to Nazi architect Albert Speer – and draws on never-before-seen first-person accounts to introduce us to people of all walks of Berlin life. For example, we meet office worker Mechtild Evers, who in her efforts to escape an oncoming army runs into even more appalling jeopardy, and Reinhart Cruger, a 12-year-old boy in 1941 who witnesses with horror the Gestapo coming for each of his Jewish neighbours in turn. Ever a city of curious contrasts, moments of unbelievable darkness give way to a wry Berliner humour – from banned perms to the often ridiculous tit-for-tat between East and West Berlin – and moments of joyous hope – like forced labourers at a jam factory warmly welcoming their Soviet liberators.

How did those ideologies – fascism and communism – come to flower so fully here? And how did their repercussions continue to be felt throughout Europe and the West right up until that extraordinary night in the autumn of 1989 when the Wall – that final expression of totalitarian oppression – was at last breached? You cannot understand the twentieth century without understanding Berlin; and you cannot understand Berlin without understanding the experiences of its people. Drawing on a staggering breadth of culture – from art to film, opera to literature, science to architecture – McKay’s latest masterpiece shows us this hypnotic city as never before.’

C. K. McDonnell releases The Stranger Times sequel, This Charming Man

The next instalment in C. K. McDonnell’s urban fantasy series, The Stranger Times, has hit shelves. This Charming Man, published by Bantam Press, reunites readers with the staff of Manchester’s most unusual newspaper as they reckon with vampires, kidnapping and precarious plumbing.

To celebrate publication, Caimh (writing as C. K. McDonnell) has been travelling throughout the UK, visiting Waterstones stores and signing copies of both books in the series. He was interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Loose Ends’ programme, speaking about his writing, the future of The Stranger Times and lots more (listen from 34:40).

Caimh also spoke to Starburst Magazine to mark the publication of This Charming Man: ‘I’m still discovering things. The great thing with fantasy is you can keep building out, there’s so much mythology you can use. And my books exist in a world where all films and books exist, such as vampires and zombies, so that’s fun to play with.’

The Sanatorium hits 500,000 copy milestone

Just one year after publication, The Sanatorium by debut author Sarah Pearse has now sold over 500,000 copies in the English language worldwide. A terrific start to 2022!

Sarah’s next novel, The Retreat, picks up from where The Sanatorium ended and will be published in July of this year.

Pamela Dorman Books lands North American rights for Bea Setton’s debut

North American rights to Bea Setton’s debut novel, Berlin, have been acquired by Jeramie Orton at Pamela Dorman Books, from Penguin Random House UK on behalf of Johnson & Alcock. For readers of Ottessa Moshfegh, Elif Batuman and Raven Leilani, the novel follows 26-year-old Daphne who, in the grip of an existential malaise, moves to Berlin for a fresh start. But far from resolving her quarter-life-crisis, she navigates a range of challenges – grappling with a new language, acquiring friends, building a life for herself – as well as wrestling with the demons that seem to have followed her across Europe. In the UK, Doubleday will publish in hardback in July 2022, with the US edition to follow in 2023.

Hannah King to take part in Aberdeen’s Crime Writing Festival panel

Debut novelist Hannah King is set to feature as part of the line-up for the Granite Noir: Bold New Voices panel, taking place on February 26th at the Aberdeen Crime Writing Festival. King’s first novel, She and I, was published by Raven Books in January of this year and examines the intense dynamic between best friends Keeley and Jude, whose relationship is thrown into turmoil when they wake up next to the dead body of Keeley’s boyfriend. Deciding together the story they’ll tell the police, their claustrophobic friendship comes under increased scrutiny as the murder investigation progresses, forcing them to question if there's ever such a thing as sharing too much.

Drawing on themes of mental health, class, relationships, addiction and, of course, murder, Hannah’s dark and provocative storytelling makes her a perfect fit for Granite Noir. She will be joined on the Bold New Voices panel by Graeme Armstrong and Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.

Granite Noir aims to celebrate the ubiquitous popularity of crime fiction in all its many forms, framed by the atmospheric and eclectic surroundings of historic Aberdeen. Authors and participants are welcomed from far and wide to both celebrate and explore 'the darkness within and around us.' For more information and details on how to get tickets, please visit the Aberdeen Performing Arts website.

Cover reveal for The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by debut author Shauna Lawless

The beautiful cover for The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, written by Shauna Lawless, has been revealed by Head of Zeus.

Due to publish in the UK and US in September this year, Lawless’ debut tells the story of Gormflaith, the young widow of The Viking King of Dublin. Gormflaith has ambitions for her son, and herself, but Ireland is a dangerous place to be in 981 AD. Gormflaith is also hiding a secret; she is one of the Fomorians, an immortal race who can perform fire-magic. She has kept her powers hidden at all costs, for there are other immortals in this world – like the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of warriors who are sworn to hunt and kill Fomorians.

Fódla is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann with the gift of healing, who dwell in a hidden fortress and are forbidden to live amongst mortals. Fódla agrees to help her kin by leaving to spy on Brian Boru, a powerful man who desires to be High King of Ireland. She finds a land on the brink of war – a war she is desperate to avoid. However, preventing the loss of mortal lives is not easy with Ireland in turmoil and the Fomorians now on the rise. . .

‘Highlander meets The Last Kingdom in this assured and captivating debut. . . I was hooked from page one,’ said Anthony Ryan, author of the Raven's Shadow trilogy and Seven Swords series.

The Children of Gods and Fighting Men is set to be the first in a gripping new historical fantasy series that intertwines Irish mythology with real-life history.