THE LAST PASSENGER by Will Dean selected for the Spring W H Smith Book Club with Richard and Judy

THE LAST PASSENGER by Will Dean is one of six titles selected for the ever popular Spring W H Smith Book Club with Richard and Judy.

The titles selected for the Book Club include bonus content exclusive to W H Smith and are available both in W H Smith stores across the UK and online. There is also a podcast series to accompany the selection hosted by Richard and Judy themselves, which features interviews with the Book Club authors and more.

The other Spring titles are: OVER SHARING by Jane Fallon, WEYWARD by Emilia Hart, BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN by Jessica Knoll, NO ONE SAW A THING by Andrea Mara, and THE TRIAL by Rob Rinder.

THE LAST PASSENGER is Will’s third standalone novel and was published in the UK in May 2023, while Emily Bestler Books (Simon & Schuster) published in the US. It was a Financial Times ‘Best Summer Books of 2023’ pick and received glowing reviews from readers and critics alike.

The W H Smith Book Club with Richard and Judy describes the novel as: ‘A tale not so much of the unexpected, but the impossible. Picture this. You’re on a giant ocean-going liner (much bigger than the Titanic) steaming from Southampton to New York. The voyage has only just begun; you and over a thousand fellow passengers are enjoying their first evening meal on board. Everyone drifts off to bed and the great ship settles for the night. You wake next morning to find everyone – everyone; passengers AND crew – have vanished. It’s just you. And the great ship steams on… utterly engrossing, from the first page to the last.’

Richard Madeley on THE LAST PASSENGER: ‘In many ways THE LAST PASSENGER is a classic “locked room” mystery; a sort of literary conjuring trick where the impossible seems to have happened. There is simply no way you will guess the answer to the central conundrum until you get to the end. No way. Unless you cheat! And what a riddle!’

Judy Finnigan on THE LAST PASSENGER: ‘Just what the HELL has happened? You’ll get a huge kick finding out.’

Lucy Swinburn, W H Smith’s group trading director for books, commented: ‘We love teaming up with Richard and Judy as they carefully select each new collection for the book club, which has been a platform for so many bestsellers and debut novels. We’re delighted with the books that have been chosen by them for spring, with every author new to the W H Smith Book Club, and we’re excited to share this fantastic selection of recommended reads with our customers.’

Will is currently working on his fourth standalone novel, THE CHAMBER, a tense and suspenseful locked-room thriller – this time set in a hyperbaric chamber. Hodder will be publish in the UK in June 2024, with Emily Bestler Book set to publish in the US in August 2024.  

About Will Dean

Photo credit: Rosalind Hobley

Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. After studying law at the LSE, and working many varied jobs in London, he settled in rural Sweden with his wife. He built a wooden house in a boggy forest clearing and it’s from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.

Will’s first standalone novel, THE LAST THING TO BURN, was a word-of-mouth sensation reviewed positively by readers and media alike. It was shortlisted for Thriller Book of the Year at the Fingerprint Awards 2022, Crime Novel of the Year at the Theakston Old Peculier Awards 2022 and the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2022 and was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award 2022.

Praise for THE LAST PASSENGER

‘A new high-water mark in high-concept thrillers… astonishing.’ – Ian Rankin

‘Lord SAVE us! What a ROLLERCOASTER of a read THE LAST PASSENGER by Will Dean is! The twists! The turns! The hairpin bends! It’s utterly compulsive reading.’ – Marian Keyes

‘THE LAST PASSENGER is exceptional. Great premise, vivid characters, and truly, deeply, unbelievably tense.’ – Emma Flint

‘Will Dean’s THE LAST THING TO BURN is one of the most terrifying thrillers I’ve read in years, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on his latest, THE LAST PASSENGER. The premise is excellent… Supernatural explanations aside, this seems an impossible trick for a writer to pull off satisfactorily, but Dean, who also writes the excellent Tuva Moodyson crime series, makes it work. I won’t tell you how, because it would spoil this mile-a-minute, bite-your-nails-to-the-quick ride of a novel, but I will tell you to trust this writer, because I guarantee you’ll enjoy where he takes you. Extra kudos for the final twist, which brought me great pleasure.’ – Alison Flood, The Observer, ‘Thrillers of the month’

‘If you think the notion of the “high concept” thriller has been fully exsanguinated, think again. In Dean’s new novel, a luxury liner adrift without a crew in the mid-Atlantic has one passenger, Caz Ripley, left on board, dealing with a Mary Celeste-like mystery. Irresistibly compelling fare.’ – The Financial Times, ‘Best Summer Books of 2023: Crime’

‘The narration is breathless and brisk, with a tiny suspenseful hook to keep you guessing, and reading on, at the end of each chapter. A number of strange and troubling things will go wrong for these unfortunate people before they’re hit by a giant plot twist. Get your bowl of popcorn.’ – The New York Times

‘This thriller is perfect if you’re addicted to cruising – or indeed if you can’t imagine anything worse… Will Dean’s ingenious plot developments will keep you, like Caz, guessing wildly, and Jenny Funnell’s narration keeps belief suspended until the very end – and indeed beyond it.’ – Christina Hardyment, The Times, ‘The best audiobooks for summer 2023’

 

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Hodder falls under the spell of Kate Hodges’ Macbeth-inspired historical fiction debut

Commissioning editor Lily Cooper from Hodder and Stoughton has pre-empted world all-language rights for Kate Hodges’ debut historical novel, THE WAYWARD SISTERS, from agent Juliet Pickering.

For fans of THE FAMILIARS, THE BINDING and PANDORA, THE WAYWARD SISTERS is a historical intrigue set in 18th century Scotland, which offers a modern, feminist perspective on Macbeth’s Three Witches. The story begins in 1769, the year of Venus’s second transit, when frustrated astronomer Nancy Lockaby is still reeling from the ridicule that her theories on the transit have earned her from her colleagues at the Greenwich Observatory. A mysterious invitation from Shakespearean scholar Caleb Malles to join him as a research fellow in Inverness, gives her a chance of escape. But while Nancy initially finds herself drawn in by Caleb’s eccentric, brilliant mind, when she crosses paths with three crones who warn her that the scholar is hiding dark intentions, Nancy finds herself wondering who she can trust. Especially when the women claim that they have their own relationship with one of the Bard’s greatest works…

Kate Hodges says: ‘I am thrilled to bring the stories of Nancy and the three witches of Macbeth to the world, and to have had the opportunity to explore that period in history when the lines between science and magic were blurred and porous. It’s been magical writing THE WAYWARD SISTERS, and I’m grateful to the team at Hodder for publishing my debut at the perfect time: Halloween!’

Lily Cooper says: ‘THE WAYWARD SISTERS serves up everything I love in a novel – wonderfully chilling atmosphere, a page-turning plot, and characters who speak to our times – with a delicious side-helping of Shakespeare. In her story, Kate interrogates the narrative of Macbeth’s Witches as a representation of evil and chaos, and offers us a fresh, imaginative take on one of literature’s most famous trios through a rollicking adventure that will leave readers under its spell. We’re very excited to be introducing her story to the world this Halloween.’

Juliet Pickering says: ‘I can think of no one better to explore the three women of Macbeth and who they really may have been behind the ‘‘double toil and trouble’’, than Kate and her imagination. THE WAYWARD SISTERS brings them into the spotlight and holds up a mirror to womanhood and power, deftly explored alongside by Nancy Lockaby and her intelligent curiosity. I can’t wait for readers to enjoy this rich, beguiling novel.’

THE WAYWARD SISTERS will be published in hardback, audiobook and eBook on 26th October 2023.

 

Photo: Jeff Pitcher

About Kate Hodges

Kate Hodges graduated from the University of Westminster with a BA in Print Journalism. She has over 20 years writing experience on magazines, having been a staffer on publications including The Face, Bizarre, Just Seventeen, Smash Hits and Sky, and written for many more, including The Guardian, Kerrang! and NME. She has also worked for Rapido TV, makers of cult show Eurotrash, and P For Production films. Since June 2012, she’s edited, researched and written the weekly Hopscotch newsletter, a guide for families to the best cheap, fun things happening in London.

She is the author of three books on London, LITTLE LONDON, LONDON IN HOUR, RURAL LONDON, as well as I KNOW A WOMAN, WARRIORS, WITCHES, WOMEN, ON A STARRY NIGHT and ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS. Her latest book, WILD WORDS (Portico, October 2021), is a collection of words from around the world which are evocative of the wild.

She has twins, Arthur and Dusty, and lives in Hastings. In her spare time, she plays in bands including The Nuns and The Hare and Hoofe.

 

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DEON MEYER’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED NOVEL FEVER PUBLISHED IN PAPERBACK TODAY!

Deon Meyer’s ‘compelling, action-packed’ post-apocalyptic novel FEVER is published in paperback in the UK today by Hodder. In this Number One bestseller, a father and son’s relationship is put to the test as they attempt to salvage civilisation in a world decimated by a deadly pandemic. FEVER has won international praise since it was first published around the world, with Stephen King comparing it to his own novel THE STAND. TV rights to FEVER have also been optioned to UK independent production company Sid Gentle.

FEVER was a number one bestseller in South Africa after its release by Tafelberg in 2016 in Afrikaans as KOORS and again in 2017 when Jonathan Ball published the English edition translated by K.L. Seegers. Across the Atlantic, it has found a home in Canada with House of Anansi and in the USA with Grove Atlantic. FEVER has also been published in France by Le Seuil, in Germany by Aufbau and Holland by A. W. Bruna, among others. The Dutch edition leaped into the Top 20 in the Netherlands, where Deon was selected as the national Crime and Thriller Week’s Author and commissioned to write a special novella – DE VROUW IN DE BLAUWE MANTEL (THE WOMAN IN THE BLUE CLOAK),

In July 2017, FEVER was shortlisted for the prestigious Nielsen Bookseller’s Choice Award, Meyer’s third title to be nominated for the award. His ground-breaking novel SEVEN DAYS won the award in 2012.

Nico Storm and his father drive across a desolate South Africa, constantly alert for feral dogs, motorcycle gangs, nuclear contamination. They are among the few survivors of a virus that has killed most of the world's population. Young as he is, Nico realises that his superb marksmanship and cool head mean he is destined to be his father's protector.

But Willem Storm, though not a fighter, is a man with a vision. He is searching for a place that can become a refuge, a beacon of light and hope in a dark and hopeless world, a community that survivors will rebuild from the ruins. And so Amanzi is born.

FEVER is the epic, searing story of a group of people determined to carve a city out of chaos.

Deon Meyer’s work has been published in over 27 countries. In 2016, he was the second bestselling author in South Africa in any language, after J.K. Rowling. He won the Deutsche Krimi Preis 2009 for BLOOD SAFARI, the Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière 2003 for DEAD BEFORE DYING and Le Prix Mystère de la Critique 2004 for DEAD AT DAYBREAK, which was adapted for an Afrikaans M-Net TV series (SA). THIRTEEN HOURS was the winner of the Barry Award in the Best Thriller category 2011 and was shortlisted for the Macavity Best Mystery Novel Award. He has been shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger three times and many of his books have been optioned for film. DEAD BEFORE DYING was filmed for a 6-part TV series, titled CAPE TOWN, featuring his character Mat Joubert.

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Praise for FEVER:

‘FEVER by Deon Meyer is reminiscent of THE STAND and THE PASSAGE. Great stuff.’ — Stephen King

‘Wonderful writing... It is a crime thriller, but it's far more... absorbing, emotional and atmospheric... There are shades of Cormac McCarthy’s superb THE ROAD, but FEVER grips even more.’ — Marcel Berlins, The Times Book of the Month

‘This is less a mystery than a thought-provoking, post-apocalyptic examination of the human condition …With its stunning final revelation, this is a remarkable literary achievement.’ — Booklist Starred Review

‘Compelling, action-packed and fraught with emotion. At its heart it is a powerful exploration of humanity at its best and worst and bears favourable comparison with landmarks of the genre such as Stephen King's The Stand and Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Simply stunning.’ — Daily Express

‘FEVER explores human relationships and resourcefulness and is also a poignant meditation on the love that rises from catastrophe: the love of a parent for a child, a child for his hero, a people for their country and the love of life’ — Foyles

Hodder to Re-issue Cold War Classic, THE TWENTIETH DAY OF JANUARY

Hodder will re-issue Ted Allbeury's classic spy novel, THE TWENTIETH DAY OF JANUARY.

Set in 1980, Ted Allbeury's THE TWENTIETH DAY OF JANUARY imagines Russia meddling in the election of a wealthy businessman to the US Presidency.

Hodder & Stoughton says the reissuing of the thriller next January is 'to coincide with the current political climate' and summarises the book accordingly: 'It’s 1980. The Cold War is at its height. Out of nowhere, wealthy businessman, Logan Powell, has become President-elect and is only weeks away from being sworn in to the most powerful position in the world. Meanwhile, British Intelligence has discovered that the Russians may have been involved in the election result.' 

Hodder & Stoughton audio editorial director Dominic Gribben said: "Ted Allbeury was one of the most consistently excellent and impressively prolific espionage fiction authors of the Cold War period and beyond. He deserves to be read more widely today." The publisher has also acquired UK and Commonwealth audio rights, from Juliet Pickering at Blake Friedmann, and will publish for the first time as an unabridged audiobook alongside the paperback reissue. THE TWENTIETH DAY was re-published in the US this year by Dover Editions.

Allbeury was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the UK Intelligence Corps during World War II, and later an executive in marketing, advertising and radio. He began his writing career in the early 1970s and became well known for his espionage novels, but also published one general novel, The Choice, and a short story collection, Other Kinds of Treason. His novels have been published in twenty-three languages, including Russian. He died in 2005. 

Author Deon Meyer says: "I discovered Ted Allbeury when I was about 15 years old. I am re-reading him now for the first time in 40 years and the amazing thing is that that the writing has not aged. He is still as smooth and as great a storyteller now as when I experienced him at 15. The Cold War was a fascinating time. Now with Russia showing aggression, it has become very topical again."

Deon Meyer’s bestselling FEVER spreads to many shores

Deon Meyer’s stunning standalone post-apocalyptic thriller, FEVER, has raced to No. 1 on the South African (Jonathan Ball, 2017) bestseller lists, having already been No. 1 there in its Afrikaans edition, KOORS (Tafelberg, 2016), for some time last year. The Dutch edition (A.W. Bruna, 2017) has also shot into the Top 20 in the Netherlands, where Deon was selected as the Crime and Thriller Week’s Author and commissioned to write a special novella – DE VROUW IN DE BLAUWE MANTEL (THE WOMAN IN THE BLUE CLOAK), which features his beloved police detective Benny Griessel and will in due course appear in Afrikaans, English and other languages. His long-time UK publisher, Hodder, will publish FEVER on Thursday 15 June. 

Deon was the second highest best-selling author in South Africa last year, among all the international competition, second only to J.K. Rowling. Meyer-fever is spreading to other countries too, with Grove Atlantic set to publish in the US in September 2017. Joining them for the first time is Deon’s new Canadian publisher, House of Anansi, who will also publish FEVER in September. 

As his editor Douglas Richmond says: ‘House of Anansi is thrilled to be Deon Meyer’s new Canadian publisher. Deon is a tremendously gifted writer with an uncanny talent for storytelling and world-building. In FEVER, he has created a new masterpiece of dystopian fiction, which promises to be one of the most talked about books of the fall.’

And the talking has begun … FEVER has already been hailed by thriller master Stephen King as ‘reminiscent of THE STAND and THE PASSAGE. Great stuff.’

Deon Meyer kicked off UK launch week with The Post-Apocalyptic Book Club at Waterstones Piccadilly on Monday, with Brighton Crime Wave on Tuesday 13 June, a launch at Hatchards Piccadilly on Wednesday 14 June, and publication day on Thursday 15 June. In addition to his events in the UK and Holland this June, Deon is also visiting Spain where his previous novel ICARUS, also featuring Benny Griessel, has just been published. He’ll be touring Germany and France for the publication of FEVER later in the year too. 
See more on Deon’s website, including news of events.

Follow Deon on Twitter.

Deon Meyer is the international acclaimed, bestselling and prizewinning author of crime thrillers, both series and standalone. He won the Deutsche Krimi Preis 2009 for BLOOD SAFARI, Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière 2003 for DEAD BEFORE DYING and Le Prix Mystère de la Critique 2004 for DEAD AT DAYBREAK, which was adapted for an Afrikaans M-Net TV series (SA). THIRTEEN HOURS was the winner of the Barry Award in the Best Thriller category 2011 and was shortlisted for the Macavity Best Mystery Novel Award. He has been shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger three times. Rights in his titles are sold in 30 territories and 28 languages and many of his books have been optioned for film. DEAD BEFORE DYING was filmed for a 6-part TV series, titled CAPE TOWN, featuring his character Mat Joubert.

Praise for FEVER: 
'UK readers, you have a nice surprise coming. No, not Brexit, FEVER, by Deon Meyer. Reminiscent of THE STAND and THE PASSAGE. Great stuff' — Stephen King

‘FEVER bears comparison with landmarks in the genre such as THE STAND ...The novel explores humanity at its best and worst; the crushing loss of civilisation with everything that means for the structure of society...This great book asks us to reflect on our own hidden natures - how would we react if the world we knew came to an end tomorrow?’ — Vaseem Khan, author of The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

‘FEVER is one of the best books of the year. Deon Meyer is a masterful writer and has created a stunning epic that brims with emotion. The mystery, thrills, and action kept me riveted to every page. Highly recommended.’ — Adam Hamdy, author of Pendulum

Praise for Deon Meyer:
‘Deon Meyer is not just South Africa’s greatest crime writer, he’s up there with the best in the world.’ — Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘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

‘Deon Meyer is a top notch plotter and has created one of the best ensemble (and multi-racial) casts of any modern police procedural series.’ — Shots magazine

‘Crime fiction with real texture and intelligence.’ — Independent