The Agency is splitting at the seams with news this week, having seen a rush of publications amongst other amazing announcements.

This week’s featured cover reveal is Ben Creed‘s City of Ghosts (Wellbeck). The novel is the first in a historical trilogy set in post-war Russia, and follows a grizzled policeman unpicking the tightly wound mystery surrounding five anonymous corpses. Judging by the high praise of bestselling author, James Patterson, crime-lovers simply must stay alert for its release on the 15th October.

It has been a week like no other for publications, with an incredible 9 release announcements, including four debut novels!

To begin, Fiona Valpy’s latest historical novel, The Skylark’s Secret (Amazon Publishing / Lake Union), is out now. It’s a tale of love, loss and family that you’ll want to make sure you get a copy of. The book is already receiving buzz, having been selected as one of the ‘Best New Books’ in My Weekly magazine.

Rona Halsall‘s newest title, The Ex-Boyfriend has been published by Bookouture. This thriller promises suspense and intrigue at every turn, as a hassled working mother reaches out to an old flame, causing a chain reaction of chaos and confusion.

C.L. Taylor fans can rejoice, as the paperback edition of her newest title, Strangers (HarperCollins / Avon) – an endlessly engaging, suspenseful story which follows three strangers and the unexpected ties that bind them.

The international hit, Seven Lies by Elizabeth Kay (UK: Little, Brown / Sphere; US: Penguin Random House / Pamela Dorman Books),  is also available in paperback. This is simply a must-read about grief, deceit, and the toxic underbelly of a female friendship.

And we’re thrilled that readers can finally get their hands on a paperback copy at The Wreckage (Trapeze), the phenomenal debut by  Robin Morgan-Bentley which follows a man’s grapples with his mental state, after ending another man’s life in a lethal car accident.

Things have been just as busy for our kid’s authors; Jenni Jennings‘ marvellously mischievous Middle Grade debut,  Malice in Underland (Scholastic) was published this week. It has been a particularly exciting time for Jenni, with not one, but two debuts out in the same week; the UK eBook of  The Twelve Dates of Christmas (Pan Macmillan) – which is the ‘Spotlight Title’ in Netgalley’s ‘Books for Christmas’ newsletter – is now available, giving you plenty of time to get in the festive mood.

Another spooky Middle Grade title,  Jordan Kopy‘s Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters (Walker Books), has been released. This gruesome comedy horror is Jordan’s debut, and to celebrate she released a sneak peek of the book’s prologue, read aloud by her – be sure to give it a watch here.

Kereen Getten’s triumphant debut, When Life Gives You Mangoes, has also been published in the UK  by Pushkin Press, with the US publication (Penguin Random House / Delacorte) to follow on the 20th October.

And in what is truly outstanding news, we were so pleased to announce the acquisition of Charmaine Wilkerson‘s debut novel, Black Cake. The book, which is an exhilarating journey through the life and times of a Caribbean-American family, will be published in the UK by Penguin Random House / Michael Joseph and in the US by Penguin Random House / Ballantine. Read more about the deal here.

We would like to congratulate three of our amazing writers, who have been shortlisted for the 2020 Capital Crime Readers Awards:

C.L. Taylor‘s Strangers has been nominated for ‘E-Book of the Year’, whilst  The Wreckage (Trapeze) by Robin Morgan-Bentley has been nominated for ‘Debut Book of the Year’.  Mark Edwards‘ The House Guest (Amazon Publishing / Thomas & Mercer) has also been nominated for ‘Mystery Book of The Year’. We encourage members to support them by casting your vote here.

Alexandra Wilson opened up on Good Morning Britain about the ongoing injustices she faces as a black barrister in the court system, following the viral incident last week which involved her being mistaken for a defendant three times.  She details more experiences in her recently published memoir, In Black and White (Hachette / Octopus). You can watch the full thread of videos below, and read her interview in The Independent here.

Ashley Audrain was a virtual delight this week, in the online proof party for The Push, (UK: Penguin Random House / Michael Joseph; US: Penguin Random House / Viking / Pamela Dorman Books)  which will hit UK shelves on the 7th January 2021. We’re counting down the days until the release of this suspense-filled thriller.

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder  (UK: Orion / Trapeze; US: HarperCollins / Park Row) by T.A. Willberg, the quirky and immersive tale of a female detective in 1950’s London, continues to garner enthusiastic reviews from bestselling authors. Helene Wecker, phenomenal author of The Golem and The Jinni called the book a “delightfully stylish romp”, whilst Matthew Sullivan, the mind behind Midnight at The Bright Ideas Bookstore , praised the book’s “perfectly puzzling” whodunnit storyline. Make sure you mark your calendars for the book’s UK release, on the 29th December.

If you can’t wait until the publication of Nuala Ellwood‘s next book, The Perfect Life (Penguin Random House / Viking), then you’re in luck – she recently shared an exclusive extract from this gripping tale of a troubled woman who happens upon more than she bargained for during an open house. Read the prologue here.

Abigail Mann‘s rib-tickling debut, The Lonely Fajita (HarperCollins / One More Chapter) is The Bookseller’s featured ‘January Preview’. The paperback edition will be released on the 21st January 2021.

For all our Ireland-based readers, Sadie Pearse’s  One of the Family (Hachette / Sphere) has been reviewed by Woman’s Way magazine, who deemed it a “moving story and an excellent read”.

We love it when our writers team up, which is why it was wonderful to see the lovely Michelle Adams  joined by C.L. Taylor on her podcast, Beyond Words, to discuss Strangers and much more. Be sure to take a listen here.

And if that wasn’t enough, Mel Sharrat featured Tilly Tennant on her website this week to chat about her newest release, Worth Waiting For, amongst other fun topics.

C.J. Tudor was the featured guest on ReadByBeth’s #readbyspookrober live panel. Be sure to watch the conversation back here.

Owen Nicholls also graced The Page One podcast this week, to discuss the duality of being a writer and screenwriter, and his debut title Love, Unscripted (Hachette / Headline), which is very much a merging of the two experience. You can listen in here.

Miranda Malins who, as well as being the author of the spirited historical novel, The Puritan Princess (Orion Fiction / Hachette), is a Trustee of The Cromwell Association, penned an open letter in The Spectator this week to refute a commonly held myth that Oliver Cromwell cancelled Christmas. If you haven’t already read her novel, which fictionally explores the life of his daughter, you might like to give this a read before you start.

Finally, our ever-dynamic International Rights team has made the following deals this week:

Swedish rights to C.J. Tudor‘s The Burning Girls have gone to Jentas.

German rights to Katie Kirby‘s The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks have gone to Atrium, in a two-book deal.

Slovak rights to Abbie Greaves’ The Ends of The Earth have gone to Fortuna.

Russian rights to Soon Wiley‘s The Lost and the Living have gone to AST.