Luca Veste returns to Avon with exciting four-book deal

Credit: Ean Flanders Photography

Avon has acquired four novels to launch a new Liverpool-based crime series by Luca Veste. The first two titles, LIAR LIAR and TELL TALE, are scheduled for publication in Spring 2026 and early 2027, respectively. Helen Huthwaite, Publisher at Avon,  acquired World English language rights from Kate Burke at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency.

The multi-book deal marks Veste’s return to Avon, eleven years after the publisher released his first series featuring DI Murphy and DS Rossi. Most recently published by Hodder, LIAR LIAR sees Luca returning to his home town of Liverpool and features a disgraced detective who finds himself caught in the middle of a criminal investigation, racing against time to clear his name with his life on the line.

Helen Huthwaite said: ‘To say that I am delighted to bring Luca home to Avon is something of an understatement. I am ecstatic to see him return and couldn’t be more excited at the prospect of publishing his brilliant new Liverpool-based series. As a proud northerner myself, returning to Luca’s familiar northwest stomping ground will be an absolute joy - albeit one that’s peppered with plenty of bodies along the way! I know that we have an incredible opportunity to put Luca on the TBR pile of every crime reader in the country, with the potential for his new series to take him all the way to the top - where he rightly belongs!’

Luca Veste added: ‘I couldn't be happier to be returning to Avon - going back home, where it all began - to work with the incredible Helen Huthwaite and the amazing Avon team. To be given the opportunity to start a brand-new series, set in my beloved Liverpool, is one I couldn’t turn down. I'm absolutely thrilled and can'‘ wait for the first book to be in readers’ hands.’

Kate Burke commented: ‘I’m delighted to see Luca return to where it all started with the lovely Avon team! This is such an exciting new series and new chapter in his publishing.’

About Luca Veste
Luca Veste is a writer of Italian and Liverpudlian heritage. He is the author of eight novels, including the Murphy & Rossi series, and standalones THE BONE KEEPER and YOU NEVER SAID GOODBYE. He is the co-organiser of the Locked Up Festival, which raised over £25,000 for the Trussell Trust, co-host of the Two Crime Writers and a Microphone podcast, and the bass player in the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers. He studied psychology and criminology at the University of Liverpool. He lives in Merseyside and is married with two daughters.

 Praise for Luca Veste
‘A writer who just gets better and better.’ – Mark Billingham

‘Re-energises the shop-worn police procedural format.’ – Financial Times,

‘A writer who has been favourably compared to Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay... and rightly so….’ – Belfast Telegraph

‘Luca Veste is leading the new wave in British crime fiction, using mystery novels to explore social issues, armed with heart, insight, and anger.’ – Jay Stringer

‘Luca Veste has talent for exposing the ugliness of the criminal mind... For readers in search of disturbing and dark, you have come to the right place.’ – Crime Review

Follow Luca on X.

Visit Luca’s Facebook page.

The Queen’s Favourite Fictional Detective, Roy Grace, goes behind the scenes at Buckingham Place in Peter James’ THE HAWK IS DEAD

THE HAWK IS DEAD, the exciting new novel by crime writing sensation Peter James, will be published by Pan Macmillan on Tuesday 21st October 2025. In THE HAWK IS DEAD, Queen Camilla will take a leading role alongside her favourite fictional detective, Peter James’ Roy Grace.

Combining Peter’s classic fast-paced thriller with extensive behind-the-scenes research at Buckingham Palace, and  insights from members of The Royal Household, including from the Queen herself, THE HAWK IS DEAD is the not-to-be-missed publishing event of the autumn, and the perfect entry point into the world of Roy Grace for anyone yet to meet him.

Opening with a cinematic derailment of the royal train, THE HAWK IS DEAD takes Roy Grace deep into the heart of Buckingham Palace, when he is called upon to solve a murder and what looks to be a royal assassination attempt.

Queen Camilla, a well-known book-lover and reading champion through her charity The Royal Reading Room, has always been one of the very first people to receive each Grace novel, and is excited to have a starring role, alongside His Majesty King Charles, in Peter’s latest thriller.

Peter James says: ‘It’s a decade since I discovered Queen Camilla is my No.1 fan and we’ve since built up a great rapport. She asked me when I might set a Roy Grace novel in London … and the seed was sown. Where better in London than Buckingham Palace? It has been the most fascinating research I’ve ever done, learning about the inner workings of the Royal Household and the Palace.’

Francesca Pathak says, ‘Peter is much-loved by his legions of fans and has garnered an amazing twenty-one Sunday Times No.1 bestsellers. I’m delighted to publish THE HAWK IS DEAD, which sees Detective Superintendent Roy Grace taken from his home territory of Brighton and dropped into the heart of the establishment in Peter’s most thrilling tale to date. It’s the perfect place to start for anyone who hasn’t yet met Grace, and I can’t wait to introduce him to legions more new readers.’

Isobel Dixon says: ‘Peter James reaches an astonishingly broad range of readers, audiences and viewers worldwide through his much-loved novels, the touring play adaptations and the hugely popular Grace television series, streaming and broadcast in scores of countries. And after 20 years of bestseller-list stardom, Peter James and Roy Grace are about to reach even greater heights with this spectacular 21st title, THE HAWK IS DEAD. The stakes for this royal investigation are very high indeed, but as ever the journey will be a twisty thrill and the outcome supremely satisfying - I can’t wait to see even more readers joining the party at this exciting moment.’

To date, Peter has written an impressive total of 21 Sunday Times No. 1 bestsellers, sold over 23 million copies worldwide, and been translated into 38 languages. The fifth series of ITV’s hit adaptation of the Grace novels, starring John Simm, continues to delight audiences with significant ratings growth, and series six is currently in production. PICTURE YOU DEAD – the seventh play in Peter James’ successful stage franchise – is currently selling-out theatres on a nationwide tour. The latest Roy Grace novel, ONE OF US IS DEAD, was a UK Number One in paperback in April, with the hardback reaching Number Three when it was published last October.

About Peter James

Peter James is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author best known for his crime thrillers featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, who Queen Camilla recently named as her favourite fictional detective.

Praised by critics and much-loved by crime and thriller fans for his fast-paced page-turners full of unexpected plot twists, sinister characters, and accurate portrayal of modern-day policing, he has won more than 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award and the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger. His books have sold over 23 million copies worldwide, achieved 21 Sunday Times No.1s, and have been translated into 38 languages.

His Roy Grace novels are currently filming their 6th season for the hit ITV drama, Grace, starring John Simm as the troubled Brighton copper and available to view on ITVX and on Britbox. Seven of his novels have been adapted into hit stage plays, with his most recent, PICTURE YOU DEAD, now on national tour in the UK. His plays have been named as ‘the most successful stage franchise since Agatha Christie’.

Praise for Peter James

‘If you have never read Peter James’ crime thriller series about the Sussex detective Roy Grace, I would highly recommend you give it a try.’ – Queen Camilla, Press and Journal

‘Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business’ – Karin Slaughter

‘Peter James, Britain’s closest equivalent to Stephen King’ – The Sunday Times

‘A master plotter.’ – The Bookseller

‘James just gets better and better and deserves the success he has achieved with this first-class series.’ – Independent on Sunday

‘Peter James is one of the most fiendishly clever crime fiction plotters.’ – The Daily Mail

Visit Peter’s website.

Follow him on BlueSky, X (previously Twitter) and Instagram. 

International bestseller Deon Meyer joins Pan Macmillan in six-figure swoop

Credit: Will Punt, Peartree Photography

Deon Meyer, the internationally acclaimed bestselling author of the Benny Griessel novels, has joined Pan Macmillan for the next three instalments in the award-winning series. Alex Saunders, Editorial Director at Pan Macmillan, acquired UK and Commonwealth (excluding Canada, including South Africa) rights from Isobel Dixon for SCORPIO and two further Benny Griessel novels.

Translated from Afrikaans by K.L. Seegers, SCORPIO will be published on the Macmillan imprint in hardback, e-book and audiobook in early 2027, and by Pan Macmillan South Africa in October 2026. The Afrikaans edition will be published by Human & Rousseau in late 2025. Rights have already sold in Germany (Aufbau) and The Netherlands (AW Bruna), and the TV rights are also under option.

In SCORPIO – the 9th instalment in Deon’s bestselling series – as an international security forum convenes in the picturesque town of Stellenbosch, detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido must race against time to uncover a plot that could shake international foundations. With the threat of a sinister plot looming over the prestigious gathering of global leaders, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

‘I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Pan MacMillan family,’ commented Deon. ‘Their passion for and excellence in international publishing – and crime fiction in particular – is legendary, the team’s enthusiasm and energy is contagious, and I couldn't be more excited about this new chapter in my writing career. And, just for the record, Benny is pretty chuffed about his new home too.’

‘We are thrilled to welcome Deon Meyer, an extraordinary storyteller and a master of the crime thriller genre, to Pan Macmillan,’ said Alex Saunders. ‘Deon’s ability to weave compelling thriller narratives with rich character development, as seen in his award-winning and much-loved Benny Griessel series, has captivated readers around the world. We eagerly anticipate this new chapter with Deon and look forward to bringing his wonderful writing to an even larger audience of readers.’

‘Benny Griessel, the flawed but endearing Detective Inspector created by Deon Meyer, holds a special place in the hearts of South African readers,’ added Terry Morris of Pan Macmillan South Africa. ‘As ardent fans of Deon Meyer's writing we are delighted to expand his reach and fanbase.’

Isobel Dixon said: ‘It’s an exciting new season for Deon Meyer and Benny Griessel – along with his partner-in-crime-solving Vaughn Cupido and an ensemble cast of characters beloved around the world. Deon surpasses himself with every book and I know that these enthralling stories will be in excellent hands with the brilliant UK and South African teams at Pan Macmillan.’

LEO, Deon’s most recent novel, was first published in South Africa, in Afrikaans, by Human and Rousseau in October 2023, with the English-language edition (translated by K.L. Seegers) from Hodder and Stoughton, in partnership with Jonathan Ball Publishers, launched in October 2024, followed by Grove Atlantic in the US and Canada on 18 February 2025. LEO also been published in France (Editions Gallimard), the Netherlands (A W Bruna) and Germany (Aufbau). The book was awarded the Adult Fiction Prize and Book of the Year at the SA Book Awards and the ATKV-Woordveertjies Prize for best Afrikaans Thriller, as well as dominating the South African bestseller lists in both its English and Afrikaans editions.

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. His latest novel LEO, a new Benny Griessel thriller, enjoyed ten weeks at the top of the South African bestseller lists, Number One in all categories.

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 audiences in the USA, New Zealand, Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. 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.

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

TO DIE IN JUNE by Alan Parks longlisted for 2025 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award

Edgar Award and McIlvanney Prize-winning author Alan Parks has secured his latest nomination, with recognition on the longlist of this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award for TO DIE IN JUNE, the sixth novel in Alan’s acclaimed Harry McCoy series. Alan and McCoy’s last outing, MAY GOD FORGIVE, was also longlisted for the award in 2023.

The award, now in its twentieth year, celebrates excellence, originality and the very best in crime fiction from UK and Irish authors. The shortlist will be unveiled on 5 June, with the overall winner to be announced at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, which takes place from 17 – 20 July 2025. Previous winners include Mick Herron, Val McDermid, Denise Mina, Chris Whitaker and Belinda Bauer.

TO DIE IN JUNE was published by Canongate in the UK in June 2023 and in the US by Europa in June 2024. The series is published in translation in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Sweden, and the Film/TV rights are also under option.

Alan’s latest book GUNNER, the first in a new trilogy of World War II-set thrillers, is soon to be published by Baskerville Press, on 17 July 2025 and is already receiving praise from readers.

Congratulations Alan!

About TO DIE IN JUNE

A woman enters a Glasgow police station to report her son missing, but no record can be found of the boy. When Detective Harry McCoy, seconded from the cop shop across town, discovers the family is part of the cultish Church of Christ's Suffering, he suspects there is more to Michael's disappearance than meets the eye.

Meanwhile there are reports of a string of poisonings of down-and-outs across the city. The dead are men who few barely notice, let alone care about — but, as McCoy is painfully aware, among this desperate community is his own father.

Even as McCoy searches for the missing boy, he must conceal from his colleagues the real reason for his presence — to investigate corruption in the station. Some folk pray for justice. Detective Harry McCoy hasn't got time to wait.

Credit: Euan Robertson

About Alan Parks

Alan Parks worked in the music industry for over twenty years before turning to crime writing.

His debut BLOODY JANUARY was shortlisted for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, FEBRUARY’S SON was nominated for an Edgar Award, BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER won the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, the Prix Mystère de la Critique in the foreign fiction category, and was shortlisted for the Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel and THE APRIL DEAD was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. The fifth Harry McCoy book, MAY GOD FORGIVE, was published in April 2022 and won the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2022. It was shortlisted for the 2023 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and longlisted for the 2023 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. Most recently, TO DIE IN JUNE, the sixth entry in the series, was published by Canongate in 2023. The Harry McCoy series is optioned for television.

Alan was born in Scotland and attended The University of Glasgow where he was awarded a M.A. in Moral Philosophy. He still lives and works in the city as well as spending time in London.

Praise for Alan Parks

‘One of the great Scottish crime writers’ – The Times

‘Tipped to become an enduring classic of tartan noir.’ – Sunday Post

‘Dark and gritty… Gripping.’ – Crime Monthly

‘A brilliant series’ – Sunday Times Crime Club

‘Bloody and brilliant’ – Louise Welsh (on BLOODY JANUARY)

‘Pitch-black Tartan noir: bleak, but with an emotional heart that's hard to ignore.’ – Daily Mail (on FEBRUARY’S SON)

‘Manoeuvering through the mean streets of Glasgow, the morally ambiguous, deeply flawed McCoy makes an ideal antihero.’ – Publishers Weekly (on BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER, Edgar Prize Winner 2022)

‘Altogether one of the best police thrillers of the last few years.’ – Morning Star (on THE APRIL DEAD)

Visit Alan’s website

Follow Alan on Twitter

Deon Meyer’s LEO awarded ATKV-Woordveertjies Prize for best Afrikaans Thriller

We are delighted to announce that Deon Meyer – author of the blockbuster Benny Griessel series – has been awarded the 2024 ATKV-Woordveertjies Prize, celebrating exceptional achievement in Afrikaans literature, in the thriller category for his latest novel LEO. Published by Human & Rousseau in October last year, the book took South Africa by storm, enjoying a ten-week run at the top of the bestseller list on its way to becoming South Africa’s bestselling fiction book of 2023.

English-speaking readers of Deon’s work do not have long to wait to discover LEO’s thrills either, with Hodder and Stoughton publishing K.L. Seegers’ translation in the UK, South Africa and the British Commonwealth on 10 October 2024.

Deon will be making a rare UK appearance tomorrow (Wednesday 9 October, 19:00) for a Wine and Crime Night at the French Institute in South Kensington, with tickets for the event still available. The event will be hosted by translator and editor Georges Lory, and all ticket include a complimentary glass of wine – a truly unmissable evening.

Grove Atlantic will publish in the US and Canada on 18 February 2025. The book is already out in Germany (Aufbau), France (Editions Gallimard) and the Netherlands (A W Bruna). Back in South Africa, Afrikaans fans of Deon can also look forward to a brand-new audiobook of FENIKS – available in the format for the first time – published by NB this November.

LEO picks up the story of Meyer’s heroes Detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido – now stars of M-Net (South Africa) and Tubi (US) series DEVIL’S PEAK. Following the explosive events of THE DARK FLOOD, the detectives are now languishing in Stellenbosch. Run-of-the-mill police work in the leafy university town is a far cry from their previous life in Cape Town fighting crime and government corruption at the highest level. Then a student is found dead on a mountain trail, and the key suspect, a local businessman, is found murdered in what looks like a professional hit delivering a message – suffocated by fast-action filler foam sprayed down his throat.

On the other side of the country, a beautiful wildlife guide is recruited by a group of special forces soldiers to act as a honeytrap, part of a dangerous multi-million-dollar heist that goes tragically wrong. A single link connects the murdered businessman to the special forces, making Benny and Vaughn’s case all the more mysterious. Another former soldier is soon killed, as is an agent of the country’s disgraced former president; and then the heist crew reorganizes with an even more audacious theft in mind.

Following leads as they fly at them, not sure exactly who to trust and struggling to connect the dots as the motives don’t seem to add up, Benny and Vaughn find their case increasingly points to the corruption polluting the country. They know the clock is ticking – and Benny also has to be at the altar on time for his very anxiously-anticipated wedding day.

About Deon Meyer

Deon Meyer lives in Stellenbosch. His books are sold in 23 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 latest novel LEO, a new Benny Griessel thriller, enjoyed ten weeks at the top of the South African bestseller lists, Number One in all categories.

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 audiences in the USA, New Zealand, Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. 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.

Praise for LEO

‘When a new Deon Meyer lands on the shelves, I feel like W.H. Auden: “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone / Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone.” All 490 pages of such a book have to be devoured in one sitting. Keep it for the holidays, or for a weekend when you have nothing planned… You’ll be on the edge of your seat, chewing your nails… Meyer is the best, if you ask me... Buy LEO and take a day or two off work.’ – Deborah Steinmair, Vrye Weekblad

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