HODDER & STOUGHTON ACQUIRES KATE THOMPSON’S THE LITTLE WARTIME LIBRARY

Hodder & Stoughton will publish THE LITTLE WARTIME LIBRARY by Kate Thompson, based on a real-life underground library at Bethnal Green during the Second World War.

Women’s fiction publisher Kimberley Atkins bought world English language rights from Kate Burke at The Blake Friedmann Literary Agency. The title will be published in spring 2022.

THE LITTLE WARTIME LIBRARY focuses on the women at the heart of the subterranean community.

Atkins said: ‘I am truly delighted to be publishing another novel from Kate Thompson on the Hodder list—she is a brilliant writer of evocative historical fiction, and I was captivated by this incredible story of friendship, romance, community and hope. Kate writes with meticulous historical detail based on her own research, often speaking to individuals who lived through the period and can give a first-hand account of what everyday life was like during the war. It’s a privilege to be publishing THE LITTLE WARTIME LIBRARY, and to give a voice to some of the brave women on the home front.’

Thompson commented: ‘World War Two reconfigured the literary landscape. The unique challenges presented to the librarian at Britain's only underground shelter library, built 80 feet underground, next to the tracks at Bethnal Green Underground has had a powerful hold on my imagination since I discovered its existence in an old photograph. I can't wait to dig deeper into the 'Read for Victory' campaign and share this little known slice of social history. THE LITTLE WARTIME LIBRARY has found its perfect home at Hodder & Stoughton.’

Thompson's other novels include SECRETS OF THE HOMEFRONT GIRLS (Hodder, 2019), SECRETS OF THE SEWING BEE (Macmillan, 2016) and SECRETS OF THE SINGER GIRLS (Pan, 2015). SECRETS OF THE LAVENDER GIRLS will be published in ebook and audio on 6th August 2020, and in paperback on 21st January 2021.

About Kate Thompson

Kate is an award-winning journalist, ghostwriter and novelist. She spent five years’ working on national newspapers such as the Daily Express and Daily Mail, and also on all the major national woman’s magazine titles. Over the past seven years, she has concentrated on writing fiction and non-fiction titles. Her debut novel, SECRETS OF THE SINGER GIRLS, was a Sunday Times bestseller in 2015, with first week sales of over 10,000. It has recently been optioned by Bandit Television.

Kate's first non-fiction book, which uncovers the lives of extraordinary women of wartime East End, THE STEPNEY DOORSTEP SOCIETY, was published by Penguin (Michael Joseph) in February 2019 and reached number one in the history categories on Amazon.

Praise for Kate Thompson

'An important glimpse into a vanishing world' - Sunday Express

'Inspiring tales of courage in the face of hardship' - Mail on Sunday

‘I loved this book, so filled with life and compassion and the sadness of wartime. Kate has caught the idioms and spirit of those tough women and the characters just danced off the page’ — Leah Fleming, author of THE OLIVE GARDEN CHOIR

'Crammed full of fascinating stories' - BBC 2 Steve Wright

‘Astonishing’ – Radio 5 Live

Follow Kate on Twitter.

SHEILA O’FLANAGAN’S THE WOMEN WHO RAN AWAY JUMPS STRAIGHT TO NO. 1 IN THE IRISH BESTSELLER CHARTS

In its first week of sale, Sheila O’Flanagan’s latest novel THE WOMEN WHO RAN AWAY (Headline, UK and Audio) shoots straight to the Number One spot on the Irish Times Bestseller list this weekend.

Deira isn't the kind of woman to steal a car. Or drive to France alone with no plan. But then, Deira didn't expect to be single. Or to suddenly realise that the only way she can get the one thing she wants most is to start breaking every rule she lives by. Grace has been sent on a journey by her late husband, Ken. She doesn't really want to be on it but she's following his instructions, as always. She can only hope that the trip will help her to forgive him. And then - finally - she'll be able to let him go.

Brought together by unexpected circumstances, Grace and Deira find that it's easier to share secrets with a stranger, especially in the shimmering sunny countryside of Spain and France. But they soon find that there's no escaping the truth, whether you're running away from it or racing towards it . . .

Sheila O’Flanagan is an international bestselling novelist, with more than 7.5 million copies sold. Numerous novels have been immediate and long-lasting No 1s in Ireland, UK Top 10 Sunday Times Bestsellers and Kindle Bestsellers, and she is widely published around the world. She is the recipient of the prestigious Irish Tatler Literary Woman of the Year Award.

Read Sheila’s recent interview in the Irish Times.

Praise for THE WOMEN WHO RAN AWAY
‘Sheila was a star at our Rooftop Book Club event last August, fans will love her fabulous new book.’ — Nina Pottell, Prima

‘Life-affirming goodness from O’Flanagan.’ — Irish Examiner

Praise for Sheila O’Flanagan

‘One of my favourite authors’ – Marian Keyes

‘O'Flanagan is one of our best-known, best-loved and most prolific women's fiction authors’ – Irish Independent

‘O'Flanagan's writing is crisp and concise and her plotting deft’ – Belfast Telegraph

'One of our best storytellers' – Irish Mail on Sunday

Visit Sheila’s website.

Follow Sheila on Twitter.

FIND THEM DEAD BY PETER JAMES STRAIGHT TO NUMBER 1 ON THE HARDBACK BESTSELLER LISTS

Peter James’ new Detective Superintendent Roy Grace novel, FIND THEM DEAD, has flown straight to the Number 1 spot in the Sunday Times hardback bestseller chart after only three days on sale. FIND THEM DEAD’s chart-topping success gives James his sixteenth Number 1 on the British charts this coming Sunday.

In FIND THEM DEAD, Roy Grace gets a tip-off about a county lines drugs mastermind operating out of Brighton. On his first day back in his old job in Sussex, he is called to a seemingly senseless murder.

Separately, Meg Magellan finally has her life back together, five years after the car crash that killed her husband and their son. Her daughter, Laura, now 18, is on her gap year travelling in South America with a friend, and Meg misses her badly. Laura is all she has in the world. In between jobs, Meg receives a summons for jury service. She’s excited – it might be interesting and will help distract her from constantly worrying about Laura. But when she is selected for the trial of a major Brighton drugs overlord, everything changes.

Gradually, Grace’s investigation draws him increasingly into the sinister sphere of influence of the drug dealer on trial. A man utterly ruthless and evil, prepared to order the death of anyone it takes to enable him to walk free. Just a few days into jury service, Meg arrives home to find a photograph of Laura, in Ecuador, lying on her kitchen table. Then her phone rings.

A sinister, threatening stranger is on the line. He tells her that if she ever wants to see Laura alive again, it is very simple. At the end of the trial, all she has to do is make sure the jury says just two words… Not guilty.

Peter James’ Roy Grace series has been translated into thirty-seven languages with worldwide sales of over twenty million copies. Earlier this month THE SECRET OF COLD HILL, the ghostly follow-up to THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL, was at Number 4 in the UK paperback charts. Later this year, readers can look forward to an exciting Autumn standalone, I FOLLOW YOU.

The first two Roy Grace novels, DEAD SIMPLE and LOOKING GOOD DEAD have been adapted for ITV by screenwriter and Endeavour creator, Russell Lewis, with John Simm set to star as the tenacious detective. Filming begins in Brighton in late 2020.

Read Peter James’ 'Author's Tale' interview with the Independent.

Listen to Peter James’ interviews with the Mail Arts+ and Writer's Routine podcasts.

Praise for Peter James:
‘Sinister and riveting… Peter James is one of the best British crime writers, and therefore one of the best in the world.’ — Lee Child

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

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

‘In my thirty-four years of policing, never have I come across a writer who so accurately depicts “The Job “’ —Detective Investigator Pat Lanigan, Office of the District Attorney, NYPD

About the Author:
Peter James is an international bestselling crime and thriller writer. In 2015 WHSmith 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.

Successful nationwide tours of the stage plays of THE PERFECT MURDER (2014), DEAD SIMPLE (2015), NOT DEAD ENOUGH (2017) and THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL (2019) have played to packed theatres in dozens of British cities, and garnered magnificent reviews. The newest Roy Grace theatre production, LOOKING GOOD DEAD, will tour in 2021.

Visit Peter’s website

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THE SECRET OF COLD HILL BY PETER JAMES HITS NUMBER 4 AS THE NEW ROY GRACE IS PUBLISHED!

Master of suspense Peter James does it again, pleasing fans with his bestselling police procedural series and his chilling supernatural standalones.

THE SECRET OF COLD HILL, chilling sequel to THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL, has shot straight to the Number 4 spot in the Sunday Times paperback bestseller chart, topping the success of the earlier hardback edition which went straight to number 6 in the hardback charts.

This paperback success coincides with the hotly anticipated publication in hardback of FIND THEM DEAD, the 16th title in the Roy Grace series – which has already made it to the Top 5 on the Australian bestseller charts!

In FIND THEM DEAD, ending his secondment to London’s Met Police, Roy Grace returns to his old job in Brighton, and is drawn into the sinister sphere of influence of a drug dealer on trial. Roy Grace begins to unearth a powerful criminal network, but a mother, called to jury service, fears for her daughter’s life …

The first two Roy Grace novels, DEAD SIMPLE and LOOKING GOOD DEAD have been adapted for ITV by screenwriter and Endeavour creator, Russell Lewis, with John Simm set to star as the tenacious detective. Filming begins in Brighton in late 2020.

Praise for Peter James:
‘Sinister and riveting… Peter James is one of the best British crime writers, and therefore one of the best in the world.’ — Lee Child

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

‘Peter James has penetrated the inner workings of police procedures, and the inner thoughts and attitudes of real detectives, as no English crime writer before him.’ – The Times

‘A riveting sequel to THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL… This follow-up has already received rave reviews since its release in early October, with many noting the shift in James’s style toward chilly, murder-mystery lore…’ — Best Crime Fiction Books Out in 2019, The Week

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

About the Author:
Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels. His books have been translated into thirty-seven languages, with worldwide sales of over twenty million copies and his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has given him fifteen consecutive Sunday Times Number Ones. 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.

Successful nationwide tours of the stage plays of THE PERFECT MURDER (2014), DEAD SIMPLE (2015), NOT DEAD ENOUGH (2017) and THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL (2019) have played to packed theatres in dozens of British cities, and garnered magnificent reviews. The first two Roy Grace novels, DEAD SIMPLE and LOOKING GOOD DEAD have been adapted for ITV by screenwriter and Endeavour creator, Russell Lewis, with John Simm set to star as the tenacious detective. Filming begins in Brighton in late 2020.

Visit Peter’s website

Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter

FLEET ACQUIRE AMITY GAIGE’S NEW NOVEL SEA WIFE

Ursula Doyle of Little, Brown’s Fleet imprint acquired UK and British Commonwealth rights to Amity Gaige’s gripping new novel SEA WIFE in a deal with Isobel Dixon of Blake Friedmann on behalf of Kim Witherspoon of Inkwell Management. Jordan Pavlin of Knopf is publishing in the US and Fleet will publish in hardback in the UK in July 2020.

SEA WIFE is page-turning novel about a marriage on the rocks, and a family literally adrift – as a husband and wife escape suburbia with their young children for a year-long sailing trip that upends all of their lives.

Juliet is failing to juggle motherhood and her stalled dissertation on confessional poetry when her husband, Michael, informs her that he wants to leave his job and buy a sailboat. With their two kids – Sybil, age seven, and George, age two – Juliet and Michael set off for Panama, where their forty-four-foot sailboat awaits them. 

The initial result is transformative; the marriage is given new energy, Juliet emerges from her depression, and the children quickly embrace the joys of being feral children at sea. Despite the stresses of being novice sailors, the family learns to crew the boat together on the ever-changing ocean.  The vast horizons and isolated islands offer Juliet and Michael reprieve – until they are tested by the unforeseen.

SEA WIFE is told in gripping dual perspectives: Juliet’s first person narration, after the journey, as she struggles to come to terms with the life-changing events that unfolded at sea, and Michael’s captain’s log, which provides a riveting, slow-motion account of these same inexorable events, a dialogue that reveals the fault lines created by personal history and political divisions. 

SEA WIFE is a transporting novel about marriage, family and love in a time of unprecedented turmoil. It is unforgettable in its power and astonishingly perceptive in its portrayal of optimism, disillusionment, and survival.

Praise for SEA WIFE

‘Stunning… Gaige tows you to tragedy with the graceful crawl of a poet and the motorboat intensity of a suspense author. And yet, when you find yourself at the deep end of this book, gasping for breath, you will still be shocked by what you find at the bottom.’ — New York Times

‘Profound and universal… SEA WIFE achieves a lovely balance between the real and the metaphoric.’  —  Wall Street Journal

‘Splendid… profound. Every element of this impressive novel clicks into a dazzling, heartbreaking whole.’ — Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

‘Gripping… A powerful take on a marriage on the rocks.’ — Kirkus Reviews

‘SEA WIFE is brilliant, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful.’  — BookPage (starred review)

‘Gaige is a superb maritime writer.’ — Boston Globe

‘Gaige’s razor-sharp novel is wise to marital and broader politics.  But it’s also such gripping escapism that it feels like a lifeboat.’ — People Magazine (Book of the Week)

‘SEA WIFE is a moody and compelling literary novel about the hidden depths of a marriage.  It’s the intricate design of this tale — which Gaige pilots expertly — and its eloquent revelations about the inner workings of the Partlow’s relationship that distinguish Sea Wife.  The final resolution of the Partlow’s differences is achieved in a fashion that even the most sharp-eyed reader won’t be able to spot, looming in the distance.’ — Washington Post

‘In her new novel, Sea Wife, Amity Gaige depicts the journey from a dual point of view, interspersing the wife’s recollection s of how it all went wrong with diary entries from the husband, both of which cut to the heart of mundane marital strife and the legacy of trauma.’ — Elle Magazine, ‘Best Books of 2020 So Far’ (#2)

About Amity Gaige

Amity Gaige is the author of four novels, O MY DARLING, THE FOLDED WORLD, SCHRODER, and SEA WIFE.

She is the winner of a Fulbright Fellowship, and fellowships at the MacDowell and Yaddo colonies. In 2016, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for Fiction. Her previous novel SCHRODER has been translated into eighteen languages, and was shortlisted for The Folio Prize in the UK in 2014 and for L’Express Reader’s Prize in France. It was named one of Best Books of 2013 by The New York Times Book Review, The Huffington Post, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Kirkus, Cosmopolitan, and Publisher’s Weekly, among many others.

The longtime Visiting Writer at Amherst College, she now teaches creative writing at Yale. Her short stories, essays, and book reviews have appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Die Welt, Harper’s Bazaar, The Yale Review, Slate.com, One Story, Ploughshares, and elsewhere. She has appeared at numerous conferences, festivals, and on radio shows such as NPR.

She currently lives with her family in West Hartford, Connecticut. She had to learn to sail in order to write SEA WIFE, but has decided that she will stick to writing about it.

Visit Amity Gaige’s website.