Hodder and Stoughton are delighted to announce that they will publish three new novels by South Africa’s premier crime writer Deon Meyer. The deal, for UK and British Commonwealth rights excluding Canada, was struck by Publisher Nick Sayers and literary agent Isobel Dixon of Blake Friedmann.

The first book in the contract, ICARUS, to be published in August 2015, will be another outing for Meyer’s most popular character, the harassed detective Benny Griessel. The following novel, Fever, will be a big standalone thriller.

Nick Sayers said: ‘Deon combines brilliant suspense and driving narrative with the most wonderful sense of character. He writes thrillers with a very human heart and the whole house loves his work. We are thrilled to publish him so successfully in South Africa, where our edition of his latest novel COBRA has recently followed the Afrikaans edition to the top of the bestseller lists, and we are determined to match that success in our other markets. All his fans will be delighted to hear that Benny will be back next year, and Fever will give us a huge opportunity to reach new readers as well.’

Isobel Dixon said: ‘Nick Sayers has been Deon’s editor over several titles now and we’re delighted to continue this happy relationship with Hodder. I know his many fans, like me, can’t wait to see what happens to Benny Griessel next and there are exciting stories to come beyond that. Deon Meyer never disappoints and I look forward to Hodder’s commitment taking his terrific books to new heights.’

ICARUS has also been sold in the US to Grove Atlantic, in France to Le Seuil and in Holland to AW Bruna.

Deon Meyer lives near Cape Town in South Africa. His passions are motorcycling, music, reading, cooking and rugby. His books have attracted worldwide critical acclaim and a growing international fanbase. Thirteen Hours was the winner of the Barry Award in the Best Thriller category 2011 and was shortlisted for the Macavity Award in the Best Mystery Novel category 2011, the Boeke Prize 2011, and the CWA International Dagger 2010. Originally written in Afrikaans, rights in his titles are sold in 27 countries and many of his books have been optioned for film.

Visit the author's website at www.deonmeyer.com and follow him on Twitter @MeyerDeon.

Praise for Deon Meyer:

‘A master on vintage form… He is a defining novelist of modern South Africa.’ – Barry Forshaw, Books of the Year 2012, Independent

‘Deon Meyer is one of the best crime writers on the planet.’ – Mail on Sunday

'With Deon Meyer you can't go wrong. He's a writer whose work I admire, wait for and then devour.' – Michael Connelly