Dual-Language Prize and Chart Success for Deon Meyer in South Africa

We are delighted to announce a double success for crime writing titan Deon Meyer in South Africa with his latest book SKORPIO: the first edition, published in Afrikaans, has taken home the ATKV-Woordveertjies awards, celebrating exceptional achievement in Afrikaans literature, in the best thriller category; while the freshly printed English-language translation, titled SCORPIO RISING, has shot straight to the top of the charts.

Deon’s success at the ATKV-Woordveertjies awards repeats the feat he achieved in 2024 for his previous novel LEO. In a statement (translated from Afrikaans), the prize committee said: ‘an internationally renowned thriller writer, Deon Meyer has proven himself to be a master of crime fiction over the past three decades. As a result, each new Meyer novel is subject to exceptionally high expectations: the challenge is no longer simply to write a good thriller, but to continue to surprise within an established and highly recognizable oeuvre (and genre). Meyer succeeds excellently in this with SKORPIO.’

‘The novel once again demonstrates Meyer's extraordinary control over the "architecture" of the suspense story: the fine dosing of information, the alternation between storylines, the manipulation of reader expectations and the gradual convergence of seemingly unrelated events. Particularly striking is the way in which Meyer complicates the moral certainties on which the traditional crime story is based in SKORPIO. The distinction between right and wrong, guilt and innocence, becomes increasingly less obvious.’

Meanwhile, his success in the charts with the new English language edition SCORPIO RISING, translated by K.L. Seegers – taking the top spot in both the Fiction and Overall bestseller lists – continues Deon’s domination of the South African charts, having claimed a 9-week end-of-year run at the top of the South African bestseller lists, including the Christmas #1 with SKORPIO. This latest achievement marks a successful debut for Deon’s new English-language publisher, Pan Macmillan, who will publish SCORPIO RISING in the UK on 11 February 2027, alongside Grove Atlantic in the US and Canada.

Rights have further sold in France (Editions Gallimard), the Netherlands (A W Bruna) and Germany (Aufbau). SKORPIO was first published last year in Afrikaans by Human and Rousseau.

Many congratulations Deon!

In SKORPIO/SCORPIO RISING, when Detective Benny Griessel is assigned the case of a private eye crushed under a BMW in his garage, it looks like a tragic accident. But Benny’s partner, Vaughn Cupido, knew the deceased, and he says it’s murder. Benny would love to have Vaughn’s help on the case, because so far it’s going nowhere. But his partner is stuck wasting his considerable talents investigating the arson of a remote shepherd’s hut.

Then a caravan explodes on a nearby farm, and the identity of the body inside drives the media into a feeding frenzy just a week before an international security forum comes to town.

Suddenly, Griessel and Cupido’s dead-end cases are burning red-hot, and the flames threaten not just their careers, but those dearest to them.

Local and international threats become perilously entwined in this tautly constructed thriller from a master of the form, as Griessel and Cupido race against time to uncover a plot that could challenge global politics at the highest level…

Credit: Will Punt, Peartree Photography

About Deon Meyer

Deon Meyer lives in Stellenbosch, South Africa. His books are sold in 31 countries, and have been awarded many prizes around the world: the Deutsche Krimi Prize in Germany, the ATKV Prize in South Africa, the Martin Beck Award in Sweden and Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and Le Prix Mystère de la Critique in France. COBRA was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA International Dagger, THIRTEEN HOURS was shortlisted for the 2010 CWA International Dagger, and HEART OF THE HUNTER, was longlisted for the 2005 IMPAC Prize and selected as one of Chicago Tribune’s ‘10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004’. THE DARK FLOOD was longlisted for the 2023 CWA Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation. His novels always achieve many weeks at the top of the South African bestseller lists, becoming Number One across all categories and languages.

Adaptations of Deon’s novels have recently had great success on screen: in April 2024, HEART OF THE HUNTER topped the global Netflix film charts, becoming the first African film to do so, with over 11 million views in its first two days alone. DEVIL’S PEAK was also adapted for a miniseries by Lookout Point and Expanded Media Productions, premiering on M-Net in South Africa in 2023 before reaching international audiences. In 2020, TRACKERS, produced by Three River Fiction and Scene 23, aired on Sky Atlantic in the UK and HBO in the USA and the latest thriller to hit the screens is INVISIBLE (adapted from BLOOD SAFARI) an 8-part mini-series starring Abbie Cornish which was launched on M-Net on 14 October 2026.  

Praise for SKORPIO

‘Even if he writes a book where Griessel and Cupid just go on holiday without any crime to solve, I will still buy it, read it and add it to my collection… Meyer needs no introduction… I don’t even want to think what he has meant to the Afrikaans book and film industry as a whole. He showed everyone what is possible, and SKORPIO shows how everyone still listens when he speaks. In 2025, a wealth of good suspense literature was published; SKORPIO is the icing on the cake.’ – Stefan Coetzee, LitNet

‘It’s the characters, the humanity and the humour that keeps me devouring Deon Meyer’s novels.’ – Deborah Steinmair, Netwerk24

‘In terms of depth, it is Meyer’s penetrating consideration of the nature of criminality that is surprising… In Meyer we notice the necessary awareness of South Africa’s social diversity. This makes the story nuanced and credible. What is also striking is the compassion with which Meyer treats the characters. This is a novel that is marked by humanity. Even the characters and suspects do not lack the author’s compassion… Ultimately, it is the scope of the story that surprises both the detectives and the reader. The evil that is systemic corruption is strikingly exposed. With the unmistakable Deon Meyer trademark, precise and powerful, SKORPIO is prime crime fiction that captivates to the end’ – Francois Bekker, Netwerk24

Praise for Deon Meyer

‘He’s up there with the best in the world.’ – Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘I love Deon Meyer novels. It’s global storytelling at its best, with the undeniable hallmarks of gritty realism and deep character building.’ – Michael Connelly

‘Deon Meyer's name on the cover is a guarantee of crime writing at its best.’ – Tess Gerritsen

‘Deon Meyer is one of the giants of crime fiction.’ – El Mundo

‘One of the best crime writers on the planet.’ – Mail on Sunday

Visit Deon’s website

Follow Deon on Twitter

Peter James has another Top Ten Bestseller with THE HAWK IS DEAD

THE HAWK IS DEAD, the 21st title in Peter James’s international bestselling Roy Grace Series, shot to No.4 in the UK paperback fiction bestseller chart after only three days on sale, with significantly higher sales than previous Roy Grace titles. Last year the hardback edition jumped straight to Number 3 in the charts on publication and also saw more fans and new readers embracing the new book. Peter celebrated the paperback release of THE HAWK IS DEAD with a special appearance at the Windsor Festival earlier this month.

The ‘excellent’, ‘edge-of-the-seat’ television adaptation of the Roy Grace series continues to delight viewers. Starring John Simm and Richie Campbell, GRACE returned to screens with Series 6 in April, winning the top viewing figures in its prime-time Sunday night slot. Last night saw the end of the Sunday night broadcasts, though viewers can catch up on ITVX. The series has also been shown widely internationally.

In THE HAWK IS DEAD, Her Majesty, Queen Camilla, is aboard the Royal Train heading to a charity event in Sussex when disaster strikes – the train is derailed. A tragic accident or a planned attack? When, minutes later, a trusted aide is shot dead by a sniper, the police have their answer.

Despite all the evidence, Roy Grace is not convinced The Queen was the intended target. But he finds himself alone in his suspicions. Fighting against the scepticism of his colleagues and the Palace itself, Grace pursues his own investigation. But when there is a second murder, the stakes rise even higher, and Grace is at risk of being embroiled in a very public catastrophe – and in mortal danger.

Failure at this level is not an option. But time is running out before a killer in the Palace will strike again…

Peter is currently completing the next novel in the Roy Grace series, which will be published by Pan Macmillan in the autumn of 2026.  

Praise for THE HAWK IS DEAD
‘What a fool I’ve been not to have read Peter James until THE HAWK IS DEAD. Anyway, I have no idea if this is the best Roy Grace thriller, but it’s most definitely a great story.’ – James Patterson

‘A majestic treat’ – James Owen, The Times, ‘The Best Thrillers of 2025 so far’

‘THE HAWK IS DEAD is classic Peter James, combining the trademark intricate plotting of his acclaimed Roy Grace series with a fascinating, behind-the-scenes exploration of life within the royal household.’ – Rachel Abbott

‘The pages turn themselves in James’ series’ – Anna Bonet, the i newspaper, ‘The best new crime and thriller books to read in October 2025’

‘I’d never read a detective novel before, but what better place to start than this thumping new thriller from Peter James? A murder investigation sends him deep into Buckingham Palace when Her Majesty Queen Camilla’s train is derailed, and her trusted aide is shot dead by a sniper. Fast-paced and gripping, I couldn’t put it down!’ – Alexandra Potter, Stylist

Photo credit: May Young

About Peter James
Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels. Peter writes both thriller standalones and the hugely popular Brighton-set Roy Grace series.

Peter’s books have been translated into thirty-eight languages, with worldwide sales of over 23 million copies and his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has given him 21 Sunday Times Number Ones. In 2015 WH Smith customers voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he was awarded the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger, a lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. In 2018 he received a Specsavers Honorary Platinum Bestseller Award and in 2024 he won four Silver Nielsen Bestseller Awards. Peter James has also written two books based on true crime stories, with former senior detective Graham Bartlett.

Peter took part in the launch podcast of the Queen’s Reading Room in January 2024, having had the Grace series featured on the Royal Reading Room previously. He appeared on the podcast again in June 2024, where he was named one of Her Majesty’s favourite crime writers and Roy Grace her favourite fictional detective!

Visit Peter’s website.

Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

SECRETS BETWEEN FRIENDS by Sheila O’Flanagan is an immediate Irish bestseller

SECRETS BETWEEN FRIENDS, Sheila O’Flanagan’s latest contemporary novel, is an immediate Irish bestseller, hitting the No.3 spot after only three days of sales and retaining the position into this week!

This is the latest in a long line of bestsellers for Sheila – her previous contemporary novel, THE HONEYMOON AFFAIR, was an Irish No.1 bestseller and spent a total of thirteen weeks in the Top Ten. Sheila O’Flanagan’s first historical novel, THE WOMAN ON THE BRIDGE, was also a No. 1 bestseller in Ireland.

SECRETS BETWEEN FRIENDS, following three women’s stories across Ireland, Italy and France, was published on 26th March in both the UK and Ireland by Headline Books, and is already delighting readers. It was one of the Irish Times’ ‘Best Fiction of 2026 to Look Forward to’ picks.

Ailie, Sybil and Rua can take care of themselves. But when they form an unexpected friendship, they discover new perspectives on old problems.

Ailie is recently widowed, and struggling. At least she can cut ties with her toxic Italian in-laws. Except her teenage daughter is joining them in Trieste. Should Ailie follow, and confront the family who can’t forgive her?

Sybil has learned to be happy alone. But her younger sister, Tansy, thinks Sybil needs to find a man before it’s too late. And she has the perfect candidate. Can Sybil cope with Tansy interfering – again?

Twice Rua has faced the worst, and twice she’s started over. All that matters now is protecting her daughter. Yet she’s kept the full story from her. Is it time to trust Brontë with the truth?

In other bestselling book news, Sheila O’Flanagan’s story ‘Diving for Pearls’ drew particular review praise when published in BANSHEE: Mythological Irish Women Retold, a collection of stories written by renowned Irish writers and edited by agency client Ailbhe Malone. BANSHEE went straight to No.6 in the Irish bestseller list and No.1 in Hardback fiction following its publication by John Murray in February. Sheila’s ‘Diving for Pearls’ was also one of the five stories from the collection broadcast on BBC Radio 4 this month – you can listen here.

About Sheila O’Flanagan

Photo credit: Evan Doherty

Sheila O’Flanagan is an international bestselling author, with more than 9 million copies sold. Numerous novels have been immediate and long-lasting No 1s in Ireland and UK Top 10 Sunday Times Bestsellers and she is widely published around the world. She is the recipient of the prestigious Irish Tatler Literary Woman of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the 2024 Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year Award. Sheila was an Ambassador in Bookselling Ireland’s Irish Book Week campaign in 2025.

Praise for SECRETS BETWEEN FRIENDS

‘A poignant, heartwarming read of women supporting and empowering each other through difficult times. Another engrossing Sheila O’Flanagan bestseller that will entertain and delight her fans’ – Patricia Scanlan

‘A warm, sensitive story about the power of female friendship, finding hope amidst the toughest times and the joy of second chances.’ – Lucie Diamond

‘Powerful and tender, a beautiful story that will make your heart cheer.’ – Milly Johnson

‘A great read, a trio of effortlessly interwoven storylines peopled with authentic and likeable characters, and a testament to the resilience of female friendship.  Readers are in safe hands with Sheila O’Flanagan.’ – Roisin Meaney

‘I’ve read every single one of Sheila’s books since the first one. Her stories are always beautiful and thoughtfully written, each one a heart-warming page-turner. This one is no exception.’ – Carole Matthews

Visit Sheila’s website

 Follow Sheila on BlueSky and Instagram

A MOTHER’S PROMISE by Renee Salt and Kate Thompson is an instant Sunday Times bestseller

The moving and poignant true story of Renee Salt’s survival of the Holocaust, A MOTHER’S PROMISE, is a Sunday Times bestseller again, flying into the top ten of the paperback bestseller list. A MOTHER’S PROMISE was written with award-winning author and journalist Kate Thompson and reached Number 6 in the hardback bestseller list on first publication.

A MOTHER’S PROMISE is published by Seven Dials (Orion) in the UK. Alcove Press publish in the US, Simon & Schuster publish in Canada, and translation rights have been sold in Portugal, Italy, Finland, Spain and Romania.

From invasion to liberation, September 1939 to April 1945, as Renee was marched from ghetto to camp, there was one constant. One hand that clutched hers – her mother’s. Every day for nearly six years, mother and daughter were bound together in hell. From Auschwitz-Birkenau to Bergen-Belsen, they were a powerful source of solace and hope for one another.

The strength of Sala’s love gave them both something fragile yet beautiful to cling to in an ugly, depraved world. It was her mother who hid Renee, lied to the SS, went right when she was directed left – whose small actions had life-saving consequences. Now, for Renee, the need to share has finally overcome the desire to forget.

Renee’s powerful story was featured in BBC documentary ‘What Happened at Auschwitz’ in January 2025 and Renee has appeared on Sky News, ITV’s Lorraine and in Prima magazine. She also met the Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Number 10 Downing Street at a reception for Holocaust survivors.

Praise for A MOTHER’S PROMISE

‘Deeply moving and essential reading… It’s essential to praise the powerful structure of this book, which adds so greatly to its cumulative effect. Throughout, Renia’s recollections are printed in italics, and between those passages the writer Kate Thompson provides an excellent, beautifully written historical narrative… The trust and affection between the two women gives every page extraordinary emotional depth… keeps you on the edge of your seat with pity, horror and excitement… beautiful, uplifting testimony.’ – Bel Mooney, The Daily Mail

‘Renee Salt and Kate Thompson come together in powerful unity in a way that is both deeply moving and unforgettable. This is a story the world needs to know.’ – Madeline Martin, author of THE BOOKLOVER’S LIBRARY

‘An unforgettable story about the power of love, a story that reminds us how important hope is, a story that proves to us that human beings are remarkable and endlessly inspiring.’ – Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of THE PARIS ORPHAN

‘A powerful testament to a mother’s love during unbelievable hardship… Renee’s story of resilience and survival is powerful, poignant, and deeply important. A must-read.’ – Elizabeth Bellak, co-author of RENIA’S DIARY

‘A privilege to read. It is a deeply moving memoir, beautifully written and researched. What a fascinating, heartbreaking story… How heartening to see the strength of family love and resilience threading through the narrative. I was engrossed from the opening… Renee’s own words are brilliantly supported by Kate’s in depth exploration of context and her well-crafted storytelling. In addition to the evocation of Renee’s past life, the narrative is fascinating from a textile history point of view, highlighting Nazi policies of plunder and exploitation… I valued the way in which she was able to share her memories, despite her deep reservoirs of pain and loss… As a dress historian I was also impressed by Renee’s sense of re-humanisation when given a wool skirt to replace the awful garments doled out at Auschwitz. I was elated when she described the profound joy of saving money from her post-war sewing work in order to treat herself to a shop-bought dress.’ – Lucy Adlington, author of THE DRESSMAKERS OF AUSCHWITZ

‘This is a most extraordinary memoir, distinctive for its detailed recollection and its fearlessness in recording the truth of what happened.  Such accounts stand against violence and tyranny for all time.’ – Rachel Hore, author of A BEAUTIFUL SPY

‘A moving portrayal of one young woman's heroic life story... Renee’s journey is one of hope through the ashes of the past.’ – Heather Dune Macadam, author of 999: THE EXTRAORDINARY YOUNG WOMEN OF THE FIRST TRANSPORT TO AUSCHWITZ

‘A powerful account of a young girl’s incredible resilience in the face of the unthinkable horror of the Holocaust, Renee Salt’s memoir is needed now more than ever. A riveting read.’ – Julia Kelly, bestselling author of THE LOST ENGLISH GIRL

‘This is a book that will stay with me for a long time... A beautiful account, so movingly told.’ – Anna Stuart, author of THE MIDWIFE OF AUSCHWITZ

‘Quite simply the most important book you will read this year. It will stay with me for a very long time.’ – Hazel Gaynor, bestselling author of THE LAST LIFEBOAT

About Renee Salt

Reene was born Rywka Ruchla Berkowitz in Zdunska-Vola, Poland, in 1929 and is a Holocaust survivor. Renee and her mother survived both Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. After the Holocaust, Renee returned to her hometown to try and find any surviving members of her family. She moved in with an aunt in Paris where Renee then met her husband, Charles, a British soldier who had helped liberate Bergen-Belsen. They married in 1949 and had two children. Renee lives in northwest London and has five grandchildren. She regularly speaks in schools about her experiences during the Holocaust.

About Kate Thompson

Kate is an award-winning journalist, ghostwriter and novelist. She spent five years’ working on national newspapers such as the Daily Express and Daily Mail, and also on all the major national woman’s magazine titles. Her debut novel, SECRETS OF THE SINGER GIRLS, was a Sunday Times bestseller in 2015, with first week sales of over 10,000. Kate’s first non-fiction book, THE STEPNEY DOORSTEP SOCIETY, was published by Penguin in February 2019 and reached number one in the history categories on Amazon. Hodder will publish her next novel, THE SECRET SOCIETY OF LIBRARIANS, in March 2026.

Deon Meyer’s SKORPIO dominant at the top in South Africa after claiming the Christmas #1

Deon Meyer’s SKORPIO – his latest Afrikaans-language thriller following Detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido – extended its reign at the top of the South African bestseller lists, scooping the coveted Christmas #1 slot as part of a 9-week run that stretched back to its November debut. The book has now achieved the feat of exceeding 24,000 copies in its Afrikaans first-edition, and continues to reign at the top of the each of the Fiction, Afrikaans-language and South African-writers bestseller lists in South Africa.

SKORPIO was published by Human & Rousseau, an imprint of Jonathan Ball, on 31 October 2025; English-language editions (translated by K.L. Seegers) are forthcoming from Pan Macmillan in the UK, Grove Atlantic in the US and Canada, as well as translations in Germany (Aufbau), and the Netherlands (A.W. Bruna).

In SKORPIO, as an international security forum convenes in the picturesque town of Stellenbosch, detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido race against time to uncover a plot that could shake international foundations. With the threat looming over the prestigious gathering of global leaders, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Congratulations, Deon!

About Deon Meyer

Deon Meyer lives in Stellenbosch. His books are sold in more than 40 countries worldwide, and have been awarded many prizes around the world: the Deutsche Krimi Prize in Germany, the ATKV Prize in South Africa, the Martin Beck Award in Sweden and Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and Le Prix Mystère de la Critique in France. COBRA was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA International Dagger, THIRTEEN HOURS was shortlisted for the 2010 CWA International Dagger, and HEART OF THE HUNTER, was longlisted for the 2005 IMPAC Prize and selected as one of Chicago Tribune’s ‘10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004’. THE DARK FLOOD was longlisted for the 2023 CWA Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation, and LEO enjoyed ten weeks at the top of the South African bestseller lists, Number One in all categories, before going on to win Best Adult Fiction and Book of the Year at the 2024 SA Book Awards, and the ATKV-Woordveertjies Prize for best Afrikaans Thriller.

Adaptations of Deon’s novels have recently had great success on screen: in April 2024, HEART OF THE HUNTER topped the global Netflix film charts, becoming the first African film to do so, with over 11 million views in its first two days alone. DEVIL’S PEAK was also adapted for a miniseries by Lookout Point and Expanded Media Productions, premiering on M-Net in South Africa in 2023 before reaching international audiences. In 2020, TRACKERS, produced by Three River Fiction and Scene 23, aired on Sky Atlantic in the UK and HBO in the USA, as well as Australia and New Zealand, and across the Nordic countries and Europe. His latest adaptation, THE INVISIBLE (from the novel BLOOD SAFARI), starring Abbie Cornish and Dougray Scott is currently in production through M-Net, Scene23, Berkeley Media Group (BMG), and ITV Studios.

Praise for SKORPIO

‘It’s the characters, the humanity and the humour that keeps me devouring Deon Meyer’s novels.’ – Deborah Steinmair, Netwerk24

Praise for Deon Meyer

‘He’s up there with the best in the world.’ – Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘I love Deon Meyer novels. It’s global storytelling at its best, with the undeniable hallmarks of gritty realism and deep character building.’ – Michael Connelly

‘Deon Meyer's name on the cover is a guarantee of crime writing at its best.’ – Tess Gerritsen

‘Deon Meyer is one of the giants of crime fiction.’ – El Mundo

‘One of the best crime writers on the planet.’ – Mail on Sunday

Visit Deon’s website

Follow Deon on Twitter