CANELO PUBLISH 4 PETER JAMES STANDALONES IN THE US

Canelo USA has acquired and published four standalones by global bestselling author Peter James with THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL hitting Kindle Number One spots this month soon after release.

In the US, Canelo are publishing ABSOLUTE PROOF, PERFECT PEOPLE, THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL and THE SECRET OF COLD HILL in e-book form. James’s chilling ghost story THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL was Number One in Occult Fiction, British Horror Fiction and Ghost Mysteries this month – a perfect Halloween read!

The most recent standalone THE SECRET OF COLD HILL is the spine-chilling follow-up to THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL, which played to packed houses in theatres around the country earlier this year.

PERFECT PEOPLE was shortlisted for National Book Awards Crime Novel of the Year and the Wellcome Book Prize and ABSOLUTE PROOF was a summer blockbuster on this year’s Richard and Judy Book Club picks.

Of the deal for these titles with Canelo, Peter James said ‘Canelo is an immensely exciting young company with great talent and energy and, I believe, a unique vision for growing sales within the USA. I am so thrilled that they are launching my four recent standalones in this huge but tough market – I really love how they “get” the books and their ambitions for them.’

Michael Bhaskar, Canelo’s Publishing Director, said ‘You really couldn’t dream of working with a better author than Peter James. His extraordinary track record speaks for itself, but these really are truly brilliant, inventive, unexpected novels. Few writers can work across genres with such stunning originality and success. It’s a great privilege to work with Peter to build these books in an absolutely critical market. We can’t wait.’

Isobel Dixon, Head of Books at Blake Friedmann, said ‘This an exciting new step for Peter James in the US and a tremendous treat in store for US fans. We’re very much looking forward to working with Michael Bhaskar and the Canelo USA team on this fabulous quartet of thrillers.’

To date, James has sold over 20 million copies of his books around the world and has had 15 Sunday Times Number One Bestsellers. The fifteenth Roy Grace novel DEAD AT FIRST SIGHT, published by Macmillan, currently stands at Number One in the paperback charts for its second week, after the novel was at the top of the hardback charts for two weeks earlier this year.

Praise for Peter James:

'Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business.' -- Karin Slaughter

'Exceptional, knock-your-socks-off.' -- Washington Post

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

About the Author:

Peter James is an international bestselling crime and thriller writer. He has a total of 15 Sunday Times Number 1s and has been translated into 37 languages. In addition to his career as a novelist, he has produced several films, including THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes. He also co-created the hit Channel 4 series BEDSITCOM, which was nominated for a Rose d'Or.

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.

Visit Peter James’s website

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

PERFECT PEOPLE shortlisted for Wellcome Trust Book Award

Peter James has been shortlisted for the prestigious Wellcome Trust Book award for his stand alone thriller PERFECT PEOPLE, which enters the sinister world of designer babies. The Wellcome Trust Book Prize awards fiction and non-fiction titles that centre around the theme of health, illness and medicine. They aim to encourage interest and excitement about medicine and literature, and reach audiences that do not normally read about medicine or science. For more information on the Wellcome Trust Book award, please click here.

Peter James says: 'I spent twelve years researching and writing this book, and much though I love my Roy Grace novels, PERFECT PEOPLE has a very special place in my heart.  To be shortlisted for such a prestigious award thrills and humbles me; I feel I am walking among giants.'

The judging panel will be chaired by Radio 4's Mark Lawson, and the winner of the £25,000 prize will be announced on 7 November.  

Praise for PERFECT PEOPLE:

'Brilliantly done, the emotional credibility of the characters is as good as it gets.  There's a movie in this book.' -- Jeff Park, 'Front Row', BBC Radio 

'Peter James is acknowledged as being one of the top thriller writers in the UK, and his series of crime novels featuring DI Roy Grace are the best of the current genre.  But in his new novel PERFECT PEOPLE he has proved he can depart from the formula and break the mould... From the moment they meet the sinister geneticist who offers to create a new child from their cells, the pages just keep on turning themselves.  The ending is so horrifyingly scary that I was unable to sleep properly for several nights.' -- Joan Collins, The Mail on Sunday

'James takes a break from his Roy Grace crime series with this excellent standalone thriller...James writes beautifully, maintaining the pace with short, punchy chapters. But it's his firm grasp of the moral issues surrounding designer babies that makes PERFECT PEOPLE so satisfying - and so unsettling.' -- John O'Connell, The Guardian

PERFECT PEOPLE on Wellcome longlist

The Wellcome Trust Book Prize awards fiction and non-fiction titles that centre around the theme of health, illness and medicine. Peter James has been long listed for this prestigious award for his stand alone thriller PERFECT PEOPLE which enters the sinister the world of designer babies. Eight additional fiction and nine non-fiction titles join James on the longlist with the shortlist announced on 11th October and the winner of both the award and a £25,000 prize announced on 7th November.  

Director of Medical Humanities and Engagement at the Wellcome Trust, Clare Matterson, called the longlist 'an excellent and extremely diverse selection of books, reflecting the creative ways in which authors use medicine in fiction and non-fiction.' She went on further to say, 'These books challenge and entertain the reader in equal measures, but crucially make us reflect on the impact that medicine has on our lives.'

We are thrilled with the continued success of our longstanding client Peter James. And at the time of writing, Ladbrokes have quoted odds that make him the favourite to win!

Click here for more details on the Wellcome Trust Long List.

Praise for PERFECT PEOPLE:

'He is best known for his No 1 bestselling Roy Grace crime novels, combining super-deft plotting, great characterisation and extraordinarily accurate procedure. But Peter James isn't just a superb popular writer, he's a great researcher...Now, his first stand alone novel since the extraordinary, though completely deserved, success of the Roy Grace series features all James' strengths, including his ability to capture a sense of real horror in a very real world.' -- Daily Mirror (Five star review)

'...fast-paced and gripping...' -- Jessica Hamzelou, New Scientist

'Peter James is acknowledged as being one of the top thriller writers in the UK, and his series of crime novels featuring DI Roy Grace are the best of the current genre.  But in his new novel PERFECT PEOPLE he has proved he can depart from the formula and break the mould... From the moment they meet the sinister geneticist who offers to create a new child from their cells, the pages just keep on turning themselves.  The ending is so horrifyingly scary that I was unable to sleep properly for several nights.' -- Joan Collins, The Mail on Sunday

"Brilliantly done, the emotional credibility of the characters is as good as it gets.  There's a movie in this book." -- Jeff Park, 'Front Row', BBC Radio

Blake Friedmann clients are riding high!

Blake Friedmann is thrilled to reveal that the Neilsen Bookscan charts, released 10 July 2012, show three of our authors high in the charts. 

Barbara Erskine's RIVER OF DESTINY, published in hardback just last Thursday, has gone straight to No 5 in the Hardback Chart on just a half a week's sale. 

Sheila O'Flanagan's BETTER TOGETHER remains number 1 in Ireland.

Peter James' two novels, published at the end of May, are still in the charts - the latest Roy Grace novel, NOT DEAD YET is 10 in the Hardback Chart and the standalone PERFECT PEOPLE is 25 in paperbacks.  They have both been in the bestseller lists since they were published 7 weeks ago.

We are delighted with the continued success of our fabulous authors.

Praise for Barbara Erskine
'Barbara Erskine's storytelling talent is undeniable.' The Times

Praise for Shelia O'Flanagan
'Shelia O'Flanagan is one of the blinding talents on the female fiction scene.' Daily Record

Praise for NOT DEAD YET
'James's thrillers... have attracted a massive following - and, reading this, it's not hard to see why. NOT DEAD YET is brilliantly paced and plotted... I'm now a Peter James addict. You'll gulp this book down in three infatuated sittings, deaf to the telephone, indifferent to any distractions.'
A N Wilson

Praise for PERFECT PEOPLE
'Brilliantly done, the emotional credibility of the characters is as good as it gets. There's a movie in this book.'
Jeff Park, 'Front Row', BBC Radio

Peter James’ NOT DEAD YET shoots straight to No.1 in the UK hardback chart!

After only three days of sales Peter James has once again shot straight to No. 1 in the hardback sales chart with his latest novel NOT DEAD YET selling 8,500 copies. This is the fifth consecutive No. 1 for the Roy Grace series, which is a great achievement. PERFECT PEOPLE, published in paperback on the same day has gone straight to No. 11, again, also only after three days sale - selling nearly 12,000 copies.

NOT DEAD YET was launched with a fantastic party in Brighton on 7 June. The series is published in 35 languages.

Praise for NOT DEAD YET:

'James's thrillers... have attracted a massive following - and, reading this, it's not hard to see why. NOT DEAD YET is brilliantly paced and plotted... I'm now a Peter James addict. You'll gulp this book down in three infatuated sittings, deaf to the telephone, indifferent to any distractions.'  -- A N Wilson, Reader's Digest