FEVER CITY, Tim Baker's 'stunning debut thriller' published 21st January with Blog Tour starting today!

‘…the natural successor to such hallowed crime writers as Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy.’ – Stylist Magazine

Violent, vivid, visceral: Faber & Faber will publish FEVER CITY in the UK at the end of the week amidst a host of rave reviews. Baker will also be participating in a two-week blog tour to celebrate the release of his debut novel (dates and locations available below) And Tim will be appearing alongside fellow Faber authors Sarah Pascoe & Brix Smith Start at their Spring 2016 launch event in Clerkenwell on Thursday 20th January.

FEVER CITY is a searing counter-factual conspiracy thriller with three intertwining narratives. Nick Alston, a Los Angeles private investigator, is hired to find the kidnapped son of America's richest and most hated man; Hastings, a gun-for-hire in search of redemption, is also linked to the case. But both men soon become ensnared by a sinister cabal that spreads from the White House all the way to Dealey Plaza and the assassination on JFK. Decades later in Dallas, Alston's son stumbles across evidence from JFK conspiracy buffs that just might link his father to the shot heard round the world.

FEVER CITY is a high--octane, nightmare journey through a Mad Men-era America of dark powers, corruption and conspiracy.

Praise for Fever City:

‘Dense and complicated thriller with a fictional crime at its heart delves into the JFK assassination with walk-on parts for real-life figures from Marilyn Monroe to Richard Nixon. Half a century on from Dallas, the son of a 1960s LA private detective tries to piece it all together. An inventive take on the great American conspiracy theory...’ The Sunday Times, Crime Club Newsletter January Picks 2016

‘Sprawling, ambitious and atmospheric Fever City moves from the early Sixties to the present day via the bizarre abduction of a hated billionaire’s son, this debut author is the natural successor to such hallowed crime writers as Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy. Hard-nosed private eyes, cynical femme fatales and heartbroken hitmen jostle for space against a backdrop of some of the 20th century’s most iconic names…’—Stylist UK

'Tim Baker paints a lurid, sinister portrait of mid-century America, skilfully layering fact and fiction in a way that will forever change the way you think about the Kennedy assassination. An impressive debut.' – Peter Swanson

‘Another mighty impressive debut by a British author despite its sprawling American background and themes. Baker has the audacity to revisit the web of conspiracies surrounding the JFK assassination and despite the sterling previous contributions to the fictional subject by James Ellroy, Don De Lillo and even Stephen King, comes up trumps.’ – Maxim Jakubowski, LoveReading.com

‘Phenomenal. It's a brilliantly conceived and executed thriller that deftly combines smack-you-in-the-mouth intensity with imagery and prose to die for. It's beautifully stark, brutal when it needs to be, and thoroughly engrossing. There have been some truly great books written about the events surrounding the Kennedy assassination, and Fever City can stand with any of them.’ – Rob Reynolds, author of THE DARK INSIDE

About the author:

Born in Sydney, Australia, Tim Baker moved to Italy in his early 20s and lived in Spain before moving to Paris, where he wrote about jazz. For over 5 years he was the director of consular operations at the Australian embassy in France, supervising offices in Paris, Rabat and Algiers and liaising with international police, judicial and intelligence authorities on numerous cases involving murder, kidnap, child abduction, hostage-taking, terrorism, suicide, assault, and disappearances. Follow him on twitter.

Blog Tour and Dates:

18th January http://lizlovesbooks.com/

19th January http://www.thrillerbooksjournal.com/

20th January http:/www.tripfiction.com/

21st January http://www.milorambles.com/

22nd January http://orendabooks.co.uk/category/blog/

25th January http://crimepieces.com/

26th January https://ravencrimereads.wordpress.com/

27th January http://www.deadgoodbooks.co.uk

28th January http://upcoming4.me/

29th January http://grabthisbook.net/

1st February http://wwwshotsmagcouk.blogspot.co.uk/

2nd February http://shazbooksboudoir.blogspot.co.uk/

3rd February http://crimethrillergirl.com/

4th February http://melissa-sargent.com/

5th February http://bigcountrybookclub.com.au/blogs/

8th February http://acrimereadersblog.wordpress.com/[TW1] 

JOSEPH O'CONNOR'S RADIO PLAY THE VAMPYRE MAN SHORTLISTED FOR THE SOCIETY OF AUTHORS TINNISWOOD AWARD 2016

THE VAMPYRE MAN by Joseph O’Connor is one of three plays shortlisted for the prestigious Society of Authors Tinniswood Award

Deft, inventive, consummately elegant, dark and light, here is a play that is both gripping and thought-provoking. With a cast of multi-layered characters, it asks questions about time, art and the bond of friendship. It will stay with us for a long time.

Joe’s dramatic work encompasses radio, film and stage work. His novels include COWBOYS AND INDIANS (shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize), THE SALESMAN (in development with Tiger Aspect for ITV) and STAR OF THE SEA (currently being developed as a feature by Parallel Films).

The Tinniswood Award was established by the Society of Authors and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain in memory of Peter Tinniswood and to celebrate high standards in radio drama. Previous winners include Stephen Wyatt, Murray Gold, Morwenna Banks and Christopher William Hill. The other nominations are: FAR SIDE OF THE MOORE by Sean Grundy, DREAM OF WHITE HORSES by Linda Marshall Griffiths, FUGUE STATE by Julian Simpson and TOMMIES: 14th October 1914 by Nick Warburton

The Tinniswood Award is presented annually to the best original drama script. The judges this year are Mike Bartlett, Rachel Joyce and Nell Leyshon. 

The winner will be announced at the BBC Audio Drama Awards on the 31st January 2016

NICHOLSON'S AMONG THE SUMMER SNOW TO SEPTEMBER PUBLISHING

September Publishing have acquired WAL to a non-fiction book in the nature writing genre by Christopher Nicholson, author of acclaimed novels THE ELEPHANT KEEPER and WINTER, from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann.

AMONG THE SUMMER SNOW is an account of a summer's journey through the Highlands of Scotland in search of the snow patches that remain. Interwoven are meditations on the science of snow, the art of observation, the legacy of other walkers such as Boswell and Johnson and the lure of the mountains themselves. As Christopher Nicholson says: 'The summer snow patches of the Scottish Highlands are magical things. They're beautiful, thought-provoking and enigmatic, not least because of their strange survival. They ought to have melted, but they're still here, like icebergs that have floated and settled high in the mountains.' The book will be illustrated and published as a hardback in Spring 2017.

Hannah MacDonald, Publisher of September, says, 'Christopher Nicholson is a singular writer. I relished his beautifully skilful, immersive novels WINTER and THE ELEPHANT KEEPER and am therefore thrilled that Christopher will be publishing his first non-fiction book with September. We look forward to working with Christopher to publish his unique book about an immensely popular landscape.'

Isobel Dixon of Blake Friedmann says, 'I was fascinated by Christopher's pursuit of the enduring summer snow patches, and am thrilled that September have acquired this special book. I admire Hannah MacDonald's thoughtful approach to publishing books of quality and look forward to the beautiful edition that I know she will produce.'

Christopher Nicholson lives in the countryside on the border between Wiltshire and Dorset. His second novel THE ELEPHANT KEEPER (Fourth Estate) was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award and the Encore Award and his third novel WINTER (Fourth Estate), about the late life of Thomas Hardy, has been adapted for radio as TESS IN WINTER and recently published in the US by Europa. French and theatrical rights are also sold.

 For more information, please contact: Sue Amaradivakara, PR Collective sue@prcollective.co.uk

 Praise for Christopher Nicholson’s novels:

 On WINTER:

 'A wonderful novel, moving, gripping and illuminating.' David Lodge

 'Nicholson's understated prose perfectly suits this account of Thomas Hardy's unrequited love ....a superfine, thistledown novel about a novelist, a place and about love and loss.' The Guardian

 ‘Quietly intelligent and compassionate, but what stands out most is that it is gorgeously, gorgeously written in prose so elegantly crafted that it becomes, paradoxically, almost invisible.’ – Minneapolis Star Tribune

 ‘Gently elegiac...ravishing...Hardyesque....' The Sunday Telegraph

 'A superb novel...beautifully written, very moving.' John Boyne

  On THE ELEPHANT KEEPER

 'An unforgettable picture of an elephant/human relationship so close that, as the elephant learns to think like a human, she teaches her human to think like an elephant. This is one of the best books of the year.' BookPage

 'Endearing...a rich meditation on the Enlightenment. Like the elephant at its centre, Nicholson's book is gentle, profound and sweet-natured.' The Observer

 ‘An absolute gem … delightful but often darkly disturbing …The result is a joy.' The Guardian

 See more on Christopher Nicholson's website.

3 OF A KIND – the latest in Rohan Gavin’s KNIGHTLEY & SON series - published today!

Despite trying to leave his detective ways behind to lead a normal teenage life, when his father's loyal housekeeper, Bogna, goes missing, Darkus Knightley must return to the family fold and follow the clues to America and the bright lights of Las Vegas. Alongside his father, Alan, and stepsister, Tilly, Darkus must once again face the deadly criminal organisation, the Combination - and this time, all bets are off. With danger at every turn, Knightley and Son will need an ace or two up their sleeves in order to win this game. Will the odds be in our detective duo's favour? Or will this be the Knightleys' final roll of the dice?

Bloomsbury US will publish 3 OF A KIND in August 2017. In France, Gallimard have published the first two titles in the series.

Check out Rohan Gavin’s brand new site and trailer and get some New Years’ detective training under your belt with the Dark Files

Praise for the KNIGHTLEY & SON series:

K-9 was chosen as one of Sunday Express Summer Picks for Older Children in 2014 and KNIGHTLEY & SON was a Kirkus Best Children's Book of the Year 2014, a Sunday Times Pick of the Week, as well as Guardian Best Kids’ Book and a Daily Mail Summer Book Choice. The Guardian described KNIGHTLEY AND SON as “full of intrigue, suspense and humour ... a modern day classic detective mystery” and the Daily Mail wrote “the tweed-loving Doc is a young Holmes for our times.” KNIGHTLEY & SON was Shortlisted for the Stockton Children’s Book Awards 2014 and the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2014, longlisted for Fantastic Book Awards 2014, and received an honour from the International Literary Association Children’s and Young Adults' Book Awards.

Rohan Gavin is an author and screenwriter, and father. He lives in London.

Praise for KNIGHTLEY & SON and KNIGHTLEY & SON: K9

‘Full of suspense, intrigue and humour this is a modern day classic adventure story.’ – Louise Haines, The Guardian

'The perfect case for father-and-son detective team, Knightley & Son' — Sunday Express, Best Children’s Novels Summer 2014

'Young fans of Sherlock Holmes will be happy to see this' — The Bookbag

'A teeth-gnashing thriller... it will have readers howling for a third' – Kirkus

‘A hair-raising adventure… I would highly recommend the trilogy to anyone who loves to get stuck into a great mystery or an action-packed thriller.’ – Louise Haines, The Guardian

Christopher Nicholson's WINTER warmly received in the US

Christopher Nicholson’s ‘moving, gripping and illuminating’ novel WINTER is out now in the US from Europa Editions. Having received fantastic reviews in the UK and France, the novel is now charming readers across the Atlantic.

John Boyne called it ‘a superb novel, beautifully written, very moving’ and David Lodge wrote that ‘WINTER is a wonderful novel, moving, gripping, and illuminating. Keeping closely to the known facts about the triangular relationship between the elderly Thomas Hardy, his second wife Florence, and the beautiful young butcher’s wife and amateur actress, Gertrude, Nicholson has used the resources of fiction to represent their emotional lives with intensity and depth.’

Pre-publication, Publisher’s Weekly gave it a Starred Review: ‘As in his two previous novels, Nicholson (THE ELEPHANT KEEPER) presents an impossible, inappropriate passion. This effort proves most remarkable for its deliciously archaic prose and portrait of the artist as an old man falling in love partly with a girl, partly with the disappearing countryside and the lost youth she represents, and mostly with his own creation.’

This week Carmela Ciuraru of The New York Times called it ‘ an elegiac, beautifully restrained novel, a meditation on ageing, marriage and loss’ and Patricia Hagen wrote as follows in the Minneapolis Star Tribune: ‘A lovely, understated novel, which evokes the best of Hardy’s own prose with nary a whiff of pastiche…Nicholson tells the story from the perspectives of all three characters – Hardy, Florence and Gertie. All three are portrayed unsentimentally, though with empathy and understanding; Florence’s narrative is especially fine…WINTER is quietly intelligent and compassionate, but what stands out the most is that it is gorgeously, gorgeously written in prose so elegantly crafted that it becomes, paradoxically, almost invisible. It never shouts, never startles, just moves lithely along with an almost miraculous sense of rightness.’

In the UK The Times called it ‘pitch perfect…it is brave to set yourself up for comparison with an author as great as Hardy but this poetic and unashamedly literary book is good enough not to be embarrassed by the company it seeks to keep.’ Jane Shilling of The Sunday Telegraph wrote that ‘a gently elegiac tone permeates the novel, with its ravishing, appropriately Hardyesque sense of the intimate connection between landscape and emotion.’

La Table Ronde published L’HIVER in France, and BBC Radio 4 broadcast an adaptation, TESS IN WINTER, dramatized by Sara Davies, in December 2015. Theatrical rights are also sold.

Christopher Nicholson lives in the countryside on the border between Wiltshire and Dorset. WINTER is his third novel. His second novel THE ELEPHANT KEEPER (Fourth Estate) was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award and the Encore Award. 

See more on Christopher Nicholson's website.