Pan Macmillan lands two destination thrillers from Nikki Allen

Pan Macmillan has signed THE HIDEAWAY and one more destination thriller by debut author Nikki Allen. Crime and thriller editor Raphaella Demetris acquired world English language rights from Kate Burke at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency. THE HIDEAWAY, the first book in the deal, will be published in July 2025, with the second thriller to follow in 2026. Romanian rights have also been sold to THE HIDEAWAY.

Pulse-pounding and replete with twists and turns, THE HIDEAWAY follows five strangers invited to an exclusive retreat who, finding themselves stranded in the Costa Rican rainforest with night fast approaching, realise they can’t trust their surroundings, or each other. It will captivate fans of NINE PERFECT STRANGERS and The White Lotus.

Nikki Allen says: ‘As soon as I met Raphaella and heard her excitement and vision for THE HIDEAWAY, I knew my debut had found its perfect home. After reading true stories of tourists disappearing in the Costa Rican rainforest, I was inspired to write a thriller with heart, that could explore the theme of ‘toxic wellness’ and bring to life a set of diverse characters – with plenty of secrets to hide! I am so delighted to be working with Raphaella and her amazing team at Pan Macmillan and also want to thank my fabulous agent Kate Burke for so fiercely believing in me and my book since day one.’

Raphaella Demetris says: ‘THE HIDEAWAY gripped me from the first page with its dynamic tone, riveting premise, and the masterfully painted portrayal of an unexpectedly daunting and claustrophobic rainforest setting. Nikki skilfully tackles weighty themes with grace and nuance, transcending the genre’s boundaries while maintaining an engaging and fast-paced narrative. I am absolutely delighted to be publishing this exhilarating debut.’

About Nikki Allen

Nikki Allen wrote her first book aged five – sadly, THE ADVENTURES OF SILLY SUSIE SAUSAGE didn’t get picked up for publication – and has been writing ever since. After studying languages at UCL, she decided the best way to write for a living was to become a local news journalist and copywriter. But in her thirties, the call of creative writing got too loud to ignore and she tried her hand at a novel.

Nikki is also a qualified therapist, and her endless fascination with people and their stories inspires much of her writing. She was born in Holland, grew up the only Jewish kid in her Worcestershire village, and now lives in North London with her husband, two young children and a rather overweight cat called Tiny.

Visit Nikki’s website.

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BOOKISH, a love letter to reading, by bestseller Lucy Mangan scooped up by Square Peg

Cover artwork by Abbey Lossing

Lucy Mangan, the beloved Guardian television critic and i newspaper columnist, will publish the next chapter of her life in reading, BOOKISH: How Reading Shapes Our Lives, with Vintage imprint Square Peg in 2025. Lucy’s co-agents, Juliet Pickering at Blake Friedmann and Louise Lamont at LBA Books, sold World English rights to Rowan Yapp, former publishing director, with Square Peg Publishing Director Marianne Tatepo steering the project to the bookshelves. The book will publish in hardback, eBook & audiobook – narrated by Lucy herself – on 13 March 2025.

BOOKISH is the highly anticipated sequel to BOOKWORM, Lucy’s popular memoir about childhood reading that was shortlisted for a Books Are My Bag Award. In this new book, Mangan charts how books of all kinds delight, guide, comfort and strengthen us throughout our adult lives. Revisiting the books of all genres – from thrillers and bonkbusters to historical sagas and apocalyptic zombie stories – that ferried her through each important stage of life, BOOKISH is a coming-of-age via reading. It's an ode to our favourite bookish spaces – from the smallest second-hand bookstalls to libraries, glorious big bookshops and our very own favourite book places – and explores how books help us connect with the people we love through shared stories.

‘To be writing about reading again is a joy I'm quite sure I have not earned, but have loved every minute of it anyway,’ said Lucy. ‘I can only thank Vintage from the bottom of my bookcase for the opportunity. I hope that readers enjoy meeting old friends within its covers and maybe making new ones too.’

‘We can think of no better advocate for reading – and hoarding – books than pathological tsundoku Lucy Mangan,’ Marianne Tatepo, Publishing Director of Square Peg, added. ‘Equal parts hilarious and generous, Lucy’s chronicles show how books of all stripes can be an escape, a comfort, a catalyst – changing people, and lives. BOOKISH is also a paean to the people who make reading possible for the many: the librarians, teachers and educators who instil a passion for words in communities even as accessibility is under threat. This book has a special place in our hearts – we cannot wait to share it with the many who loved and championed BOOKWORM; and bookish people everywhere.’

Juliet Pickering and Louise Lamont said: ‘Like a long, satisfying chat with your best friend, BOOKISH is a warm and wonderful tribute to the power of stories in the most befuddling of times, steering Lucy and the reader through our main adult milestones: love, sex, marriage, parenthood and grief, and making an irresistible case for handing our love of books on to generations to come. Anyone who loves reading will find deep joy – and some heartbreak – in these pages.’

Image: Stylist Magazine

About Lucy Mangan

Lucy Mangan is a journalist and columnist. She was educated in Catford and Cambridge; she studied English at the latter and then spent two years training as a solicitor, but left as soon as she qualified and went to work much more happily in a bookshop instead. She got a work experience placement at the Guardian in 2003 and hung around until they gave her a job.  Lucy is now TV critic at the Guardian, and a columnist for The i newspaper. She has written for most of the major women's magazines, including Grazia, Cosmopolitan, and Stylist. She was named Columnist of the Year at the PPA Awards in 2013.

In 2009, a collection of her columns from the Guardian was published as MY FAMILY AND OTHER DISASTERS. Her other works include HOPSCOTCH AND HANDBAGS: The Essential Guide to Being a Girl, a book about the experience of growing up in 80s suburbia, and THE RELUCTANT BRIDE, the lightly-fictionalised story of her wedding. INSIDE CHARLIE’S CHOCOLATE FACTORY, a commemoration of 50 years of Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, was published by Puffin UK/US in 2014.

Lucy's memoir BOOKWORM, a personal history and celebration of children’s literature, was published by Vintage in March 2018. Her debut novel ARE WE HAVING FUN YET? was published by Profile Books in October 2021.

She lives in London with one husband, one son, two cats and fourteen double-stacked Billy bookcases.

Praise for Lucy Mangan’s BOOKISH

‘A bookworm’s delight. A delightful whistle stop tour through some books I’ve loved all my life as well as books I discovered through reading it. I devoured this book.’ – Sara Collins

‘Comforting, funny and moving – BOOKISH is wonderful to curl up with on good days and bad.’ – Sali Hughes

Praise for Lucy Mangan’s BOOKWORM

‘In Lucy Mangan’s BOOKWORM childhood books are brought vividly to life, as are the remembered pleasures of first encountering them… Mangan guides us along her bursting childhood shelves… It’s a delightfully cheerful and humorous romp through children’s literature.’ – Harriet Baker, Times Literary Supplement

‘In her joyful memoir BOOKWORM Lucy Mangan revisits our most beloved childhood books, brings the characters of our collective childhood back to life and uses them – with great wit and wisdom – to tell her own story. Wonderful.’ – Nina Stibbes, The Observer

‘This is THE most wonderful, funny, clever, charming, evocative book’ – India Knight

‘A wonderful romp through the pages of childhood, illuminated by wisdom, humour and enthusiasm.’ – Bernard Cornwell

‘Anyone who has ever preferred books to life will recognise Lucy Mangan as a kindred spirit. Her moving, funny, honest and superbly-written memoir about how childhood reading shapes our personalities, memories and chances could not be more timely or more needed in an age of library closures, embattled Humanities teaching and Philistinism.’ – Amanda Craig

‘She understands how books become entwined in our lives and help us make sense of the world. You don’t need to have enjoyed the same books as she has to recognise the pure, life-affirming joy of reading that BOOKWORM celebrates’ – Observer

Visit Lucy Mangan's website here

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RECIPES TO LIVE FOR by Sally Andrew shortlisted for the 2024 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

Sally Andrew’s mouth-watering cookbook, RECIPES TO DIE LIVE FOR, has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2024 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in two categories – the Acknowledgements Award and Local Regions Award.

The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards were founded in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau. Every year, they honour the best food and wine books, printed or digital, as well as food-focused television. This year there are participants from 221 countries and regions, with 1250 nominations. The winners will be announced in an awards ceremony in June 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal.

The other titles that made the Acknowledgements Award shortlist are: DOOR73 by Eric Ivanidis and Marcelo Ballardin (Belgium); QUININE REMAINS by Townsend Middleton (India); LOS FERMENTOS DEL BOSQUE by Andrea Martin (Spain); NOODLES, RICE & EVERYTHING SPICE by Christina de Witte and Mallika Kruppinen (Thailand). The other titles nominated for the Local Regions Award are: DEL GARUM AL LIMONCELLO by Enzio Falcone (Italy); COMERES RAJANOS, COCINAS RAYANAS edited by Confraria Gastronómica do Alentejo (Portugal); LAGOM SVENSK by Louise Bondebjer (Sweden); EAT LOCAL: BUENGKAN by Suthipong Suriya (Thailand) and REGIONAL COOKING OF ENGLAND by Carol Wilson (UK).

RECIPES TO DIE LIVE FOR features recipes from Sally Andrew’s beloved Tannie Maria murder mystery series, as well as some tantalising new additions, all seasoned with beautiful photographs of the food and the South African landscape. Spiced with enjoyable sayings from the four bestselling novels, as well as letters written to ‘Tannie Maria’s Love Advice and Recipe Column’, RECIPES TO DIE LIVE FOR is as warm and witty as Tannie Maria herself, guaranteed to delight fans and newcomers to the series.

Many of the dishes are slow foods and traditional South African recipes, but there are also quick meals and new inventions, from nachos to spekboom ice cream. Whether you are craving a Karoo lamb pie or sweet melktert or a syrupy koeksister, you’ll find something to discover and savour among Tannie Maria’s culinary delights.

The Tannie Maria murder mystery series was recently adapted into an acclaimed television series, RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER. Season Two will be released in 2025.  Amongst other accolades, it was shortlisted in the Comedy Drama and Sitcom category at the Rose d’Or Awards and is now available to watch on terrestrial television in the UK.

Sally is currently working on the next novel in the Tannie Maria series.

About Sally Andrew

Sally Andrew divides her time between Muizenberg on the Cape Town coast and a nature reserve near Ladismith in the Klein Karoo, South Africa, where she lives with her artist partner and various wildlife (including a giant eland and a secretive leopard). Sally has published a number of non-fiction books on adult and environmental education.

Her first novel, RECIPES FOR LOVE & MURDER: A Tannie Maria Mystery was a Kirkus Best Book of 2015, A Wall Street Journal Best Mystery Book 2015, The Bookseller Fiction editor’s Choice 2015 and A Good Housekeeping Book of the Month. She is now writing the fifth book in the bestselling series.

Praise for Sally Andrew’s Tannie Maria mystery series

‘If you want a vivid, amusing and immensely enjoyable read about detection (and cooking) in an intriguing part of southern Africa, then this is the book for you. A triumph.’ – Alexander McCall Smith

‘Utterly delicious, to the very last morsel.’ – Deon Meyer

‘Chock full of good food and interesting characters.’ – Kerry Greenwood, author of the PHRYNE FISHER and CORINNA CHAPMAN series

‘Murder mysteries, good food, and South African anecdotes make the perfect recipe for a murder mystery series. These books follow Tannie Maria, a recipe writer turned true crime fighter, as she solves mysteries. With an average of 4/5 stars on Goodreads, you can bet that these funny and charming books are well worth adding to your TBR.’ – Jade McGee, Woman & Home

 Visit Sally’s website.

 Follow Sally on X (previously Twitter) and Instagram.

Headline acquires two new Ann Granger novels

Headline Books has signed two new novels by beloved crime writer Ann Granger. Editor Clare Foss acquired World English Language volume rights from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency.

The first, DEATH ON THE PROWL, which was published on  5th  December, is the eighth Cotswold village mystery featuring detective duo Campbell and Carter, and the second novel will be the next instalment in Ann’s Victorian crime series, featuring Scotland Yard’s Inspector Ben Ross and his wife Lizzie. The latter is set to be published in December 2025.

Having been published by Headline for nearly thirty-five years, Ann is one of their longest-standing crime writers and they have sold well over a million copies of her novels. Headline are also releasing ebook editions of the Mitchell and Markby series and Fran Varady series for the first time in the USA.

Ann Granger says ‘I am very fortunate to have been a client of a first-class agency in Blake Friedmann for so many years, and I’m delighted that my long and happy association with Headline will continue.’

Clare Foss says: ‘We are absolutely delighted to continue our long and happy association with one of our best-loved crime writers. As well as seeing both these series flourish, we are delighted to be releasing the ebooks of Ann’s ever-popular Mitchell and Markby series and Fran Varady series for the first time in the USA with exciting brand-new covers designed to appeal to the digital market.’

Isobel Dixon said: ‘I’m thrilled that, as we head towards Ann’s 35th year being published by Headline, we have a new two-book deal. Ann is a marvel, and a joy to work with, and I know her fans will be as delighted as we are that there are more books to come – and now American readers can also catch up with her other beloved characters – Fran Varady, and Mitchell and Markby.’

About Ann Granger

Ann Granger lives near Oxford. Over decades she has created a wonderful range of series characters, all featuring insightful characterisation and satisfying plotting. Ann has written over thirty murder mysteries, including the Mitchell & Markby Mysteries, the Fran Varady Mysteries, the Victorian Inspector Ben Ross and Lizzie Martin Mysteries and the Campbell and Carter Mysteries. Published in 10 languages, her German editions have sold millions of copies and have made more than 30 appearances in the Top 5 bestseller lists.

Praise for Ann Granger

‘Deft plotting, elegant descriptive prose, delicate comic touch, endearing eccentric characters.’ –Publishers Weekly

‘Granger writes in the best tradition of Agatha Christie and classic crime stories’ – Woman Space

‘Granger’s deft touch raises her above the competition and her finely drawn characters are affecting and believable… Something quite special.’ – Crime Time

‘Anyone who enjoys crime stories featuring credible characters in action in a recognizable real world… will lap up the work of Ann Granger.’ – Oxford Mail

‘Classic… a good feel for understated humour, a nice ear for dialogue.’ – The Times

Bridget Walsh triumphs at 2024 HWA Crown Awards

THE TUMBLING GIRL, the first title in Bridget Walsh’s sharp and witty Variety Palace Mystery series, has triumphed at this year’s HWA Crown Awards, winning the prestigious HWA Debut Crown Award.

The HWA Awards celebrate the best historical writing, fiction and non-fiction, and its ability to engage, illuminate, entertain and inform legions of readers. To be considered, the bulk of the work must take place at least thirty-five years prior to publication.

The winners of all the 2024 HWA Crown Awards were revealed at an awards party at St Ethelburga’s Centre in Bishopsgate on Wednesday 20th November – with DISOBEDIENT by Elizabeth Freemantle winning the Gold Crown Award and FOUR SHOTS IN THE NIGHT by Henry Hemming winning the Non-fiction Crown Award.

The judges for the 2024 Debut Crown Award were Ayo Onatade (chair), Dan Bassett and Susan Heads. On THE TUMBLING GIRL they said: ‘Recreates all the atmosphere of a Victorian music hall. Gripping plot and a clever insight into the world of the dark theatrical underworld.’

HWA Chair Imogen Robertson commented: ‘We were delighted that so many publishers submitted books to the Crown Awards this year and are very grateful for their support. It’s wonderful to see the rich range of historical fiction being published in the UK… Every book that was long- and shortlisted is an excellent read, offering new insights about the past and compelling storytelling, be they fiction or non-fiction. I encourage all history and literature lovers to dive in. And huge, huge congratulations to the winners for taking the crowns in another highly competitive year.’

THE TUMBLING GIRL was first published by Gallic Books in May 2023, and prior to publication it won the UEA Little, Brown Award for Crime Fiction. It was also shortlisted for the 2024 Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) ILP John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and reached No. 1 in the US Amazon Kindle New Historical Thriller Chart. It sees an unlikely duo – ex-actress Minnie Ward and private detective Albert Easterbrook – team up to solve a grisly spate of murders in Victorian London.

The hotly anticipated sequel, THE INNOCENTS, was published by Gallic Books earlier this year to great acclaim, and the next novel in the series, THE SPIRIT GUIDE, will be published by Pushkin Press in 2026. THE SPIRIT GUIDE sees Minnie and Albert uncovering the dark secrets behind a female-only spiritualist group that purports to help its members commune with deceased loved ones.

About Bridget Walsh

Bridget Walsh lives in Norwich. She has a PhD in ‘Murder in the Victorian Domestic Sphere’ and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia.

Praise for THE TUMBLING GIRL

‘Bridget Walsh’s THE TUMBLING GIRL is the first in what promises to be an entertaining series of historical mysteries… a narrative that neatly weds historical detail and quiet wit.’ – Nick Rennison, The Sunday Times, ‘The best historical fiction books of May 2023’

‘Ms. Walsh does a splendid job depicting Minnie’s flea-bitten yet appealing theatrical world and Albert’s monied yet treacherous milieu.’ – Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

‘Walsh impresses in this series launch featuring an unlikely pair of investigators in 1876 London… diligent research pays off in spades here, and her rich and nuanced portrayal of the period will leave readers feeling like they’re on the soggy streets of London. Imogen Robertson readers will be eager for a sequel to this un-put-downable mystery.’ – Publishers Weekly, starred review and a ‘Books of the Week’ pick

‘Walsh resurrects the culture and crimes of Victoriana without cliché or condescension, but with warmth, wit, remarkable texture and rare authority.’ – Tom Benn

‘Smart, funny and expertly plotted, THE TUMBLING GIRL cartwheels off the page. I loved my time with these characters. A cracking start to a charismatic and distinctive series.’ – Emma Styles

Visit Bridget’s website.

Follow Bridget on X (previously Twitter) and Instagram.