DHH News Roundup 23rd - 29th October 2023
We've got the first of three cover reveals for you, to kick things off this week!
The Darkest Night (Quercus, April 2024) is the stunning new gothic mystery from Victoria Hawthorne (aka Vikki Patis), of family secrets - and the lengths some will go to protect them...
A MISSING WOMAN
When Ailsa Reid becomes the subject of a trial by media after an incident at the school where she works, she escapes to the comfort of her grandparents' house in Fife. But she arrives to find her grandmother, Moira - recently diagnosed with dementia - has gone missing, and her grandfather, Rupert, gravely injured.
AN ABANDONED CHILD
Desperate to ensure Moira's safe return, Ailsa must rely on the help of her estranged mother, Rowan, who abandoned her at birth. Tensions simmer between the two women as they attempt to piece together the lead-up to Moira's disappearance.
A TERRIBLE CURSE
But in order to move forward and find Moira, both Ailsa and Rowan must go back to the beginning; to a story about witches burned on the hill above the Reid house centuries ago, and the curse laid upon the women that came after. Can they break the bonds of history in time to save their family? Or will the Reid curse be their undoing?
Eleanor Owen
A huge welcome to new client Eleanor Owen, who joins Harry Illingworth's list.
Eleanor, who hails from York, will be working with Harry on her debut fantasy horror novel.
Frances White
The forthcoming debut novel from Frances White, Voyage of the Damned, has picked up a fantastic quote from A. S. Webb, author of Daughter of Chaos:
"Voyage of the Damned is hilarious and full of heart. The twists and turns in this novel had me genuinely gasping with surprise. I had to pace myself as I really didn't want it to end."
In other Voyage news, Frances will be holding her launch party at Waterstones Nottingham on 18th January 2024, in a conversation with A. Y. Chao. Get your tickets now!
Anna Jacobs
The paperback for the second in Anna Jacobs' 'Jubilee Lake' series, Golden Dreams was released last week.
Lancashire, 1895. Lillian Hesketh has taken a new name, and a brave step towards a happier life. Suddenly widowed after an unhappy marriage, and pursued by her unscrupulous in-laws, Lillian finds a fresh start in the beautiful Ollindale valley. Thanks to the kindness of her new neighbours, Walter Crossley and his family, she finally has a home to call her own - but the threat of discovery by her husband's family still casts a shadow over her new life.
Meanwhile, Edward Ollerton has returned to the valley to rebuild his ancestral home. Hoping to one day to marry and start a family, Edward finds himself drawn to the shy, attractive widow - but not everyone is happy to see him reclaim his estate . . .
Will their dreams fade to dust, or can a golden future blossom on the shores of Jubilee Lake?
Our next cover reveal comes in the form of the debut novel from husband and wife team, Chris and Jen Sugden, creators of the immensely popular Victoriocity podcast.
High Vaultage is a humourous sci-fi mystery set in London, but not as you know it...
1887. The Industrial Revolution went further than anyone could have imagined, and the sprawling, chaotic metropolis of Even Greater London spreads across the southern half of England. The immense Tower casts electricity through the sky, powering the mind-boggling mechanisms of the city. The engineer-army of Isambard Kingdom Brunel swarms across the capital, building, demolishing, and rebuilding whatever they see fit. Queen Victoria is recovering nicely from her eleventh assassination, ruling with the dignity that comes from striking terror into anyone who sees the unholy union of human and machine that one has become. And at the heart of all this sits the country's first Private Investigation Agency.
Archibald Fleet (formerly of Scotland Yard, currently administratively deceased) and Clara Entwhistle (formerly of Harrogate, currently intermittent crime journalist) hoped things would pick up quickly for their new enterprise. No-one is taking them seriously, but their break will come soon. Definitely. Probably.
Meanwhile, police are baffled by a series of impossible bank robberies. With no trace left of the thieves, and nothing to connect each break-in to the next, their resources are absorbed by the case. Which means that when a woman witnesses a kidnapping, Fleet-Entwhistle Private Investigations is the only place she can turn for help. They're more than happy to oblige!
But why would this man be a target for kidnappers? As Clara and Fleet dig into the mystery, things go deeper than they could ever have anticipated . . .
Congratulations to both Thomas Leeds and Femi Kayode, both of whom saw their books included in Waterstones' 'Best Books of 2023', in the Children's Books (Jayben and the Golden Torch)* and Crime & Thriller (Gaslight) categories, respectively.
The list is curated by the team themselves, from the most talked-about bestsellers to exceptional award-winners, and from spellbinding novels and unputdownable thrillers to the finest non-fiction from throughout the year.
*The deal for Jayben & the Golden Torch was negotiated by Abi Fellows while she was at The Good Literary Agency
Noel O’Reilly
Also published last week was the paperback for Noel O'Reilly's utterly gripping and dark historical fiction novel, The Darlings of the Asylum.
In 1886, a respectable young woman must acquire a husband. But Violet Pring does not want to marry. She longs to be a professional artist and live on her own terms.
When her scheming mother secures a desirable marriage proposal from an eligible Brighton gentleman for her daughter, Violet protests. Her family believes she is deranged and deluded, so she is locked away in Hillwood Grange against her will.
In her new cage, Violet faces an even greater challenge: she must escape the clutches of a sinister and formidable doctor and set herself free.
This is a thrilling story of duty and desire, madness and sanity, truth and delusion, told from within a Victorian asylum.
Our final cover reveal this week comes in the form of Joanna Toye's uplifting wartime saga, (Century PRH, April 2024).
It's 1939 and when war breaks out, Carrie Anderson hopes to join the Forces alongside her twin brother Johnnie. But family duty means she must stay at home - and so she takes over a bookstall at her local railway station.
She may not be on the front line but, in recommending books to individuals on the platform, she meets people from all walks of life and feels buoyed that the books she is selling are providing education and escapism for travellers, troops, refugees and evacuees.
But when she gifts a book to a soldier, this act of kindness will have repercussions she could never have anticipated. It's the start of a great love story for Carrie - but with war raging, how will it end?
Robert Rutherford
The forthcoming book from Robert Rutherford, Seven Days (Hodder & Stoughton, April 2024), has picked up some truly incredible endorsements within the last week"
"Robert Rutherford hasn’t just dipped his toes into the thriller genre; he’s dived in headfirst. And the result is spectacular — a genuine edge-of-your-seat, thrill-a-minute adrenaline rush. Highly recommended."
M.W. Craven
"Loved Seven Days. With a father on death row Alice is tight on time. This was as pacy as it gets, racing through the North East, Paris and New York. Tightly plotted, sharp on character, and huge in scale."
Rachel Blok
"I absolutely rattled through this impressive, polished thriller from Robert Rutherford. One thing I can promise you: it won’t take you seven days to read it! Seven hours, more like!"
Trevor Wood
"A breathless race across continents, an emotional battle, a shadowy killer: this thriller has it all. If you like your mysteries intriguing and twisting, this one’s for you."
Sam Holland
Finally, congratulations to Stefan Arestis and Sebastien Chaneac aka the Nomadic Boys!
Kiron Gill, commissioning editor at Pavilion (HarperCollins), has signed their debut, Out in the World: The Gay Guide to Travelling With Pride. Pavilion bought world rights in a deal negotiated by David Headley.
In spite of attitudes to homosexuality in certain countries, Arestis and Chaneac have explored nearly every corner of the globe since giving up their comfortable London lives over ten years ago.
Out in the World (May 2024) aims to show the LGBTQ+ community that they can visit more places than they thought possible.
To read the full press release, click here.
