Crime - Zeno Agency Ltd.

Charlaine Harris’s SLEEP LIKE A BABY out next month in the UK!

Posted on Tuesday, March 14th, 2017

Next month, Piatkus will published Charlaine Harris‘s latest, tenth Aurora Teagarden novel, SLEEP LIKE A BABY. Here’s the synopsis…

Robin and Aurora have finally begun their adventure in parenting. With newborn Sophie proving to be quite a handful, Roe’s mother pays for a partially trained nurse, Virginia Mitchell, to come help the new parents for a few weeks. Virginia proves to be especially helpful when Robin has to leave town for work and Roe is struck with a bad case of the flu.

One particularly stormy night, Roe wakes to hear her daughter crying and Virginia nowhere to be found. Roe’s brother Philip helps her search the house and they happen upon a body outside… but it isn’t Virginia’s. Now, not only does she have a newborn to care for and a vulnerable new marriage to nurture, Roe also has to contend with a new puzzle — who is this mystery woman dead in their backyard, and what happened to Virginia? This heart-pounding and exciting next installment of the Aurora Teagarden series will leave fans happy and hungry for more.

Last week, Piatkus published the ninth novel in the series, ALL THE LITTLE LIARS. The first eight novels in the series are published in the UK by Gollancz.

Zeno represents Charlaine Harris in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

VERY IMPORTANT CORPSES now available in the US…

Posted on Tuesday, February 28th, 2017

Simon R. Green‘s third Ishmael Jones novel, VERY IMPORTANT CORPSES is out now in the US! Published by Severn House, here’s the synopsis…

The Organisation has despatched Ishmael and his partner Penny to the shores of Loch Ness where the secretive Baphamet Group are holding their annual meeting. It’s believed an imposter has infiltrated the Group and Ishmael must find out who it is, and also discover who killed his fellow agent and why.

Severn House has also published all of the novels in the series, in the UK and US: THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD and DEAD MAN WALKING.

Here are just a few of the great reviews the series has received so far…

‘Ishmael is a wonderful character, an extraterrestrial living among humans, and the series (this is the third installment) is a clever mixture of thriller and SF-horror genres. Green is best known for the Deathstalker space operas, but give this one a few more installments to develop, and it could well become Green’s masterwork.’ — Booklist (Starred Review) on VERY IMPORTANT CORPSES

‘I recommend VERY IMPORTANT CORPSES if you are looking for a fun, scary, and entertaining read before bedtime.’ — Fantasy Book Review

‘[A] brisk, breezy first in a new mystery series… Convincing supernatural twists [and] witty chapter titles… readers will be anxious for a sequel.’ — Publishers Weekly on THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD

‘I really enjoyed the book. If anything it was over too soon. The author captures the English Country Manor Murder Mystery feel very well, as he sets up pretty much everybody as a suspect…I look forward to finding out more in future volumes.’ — British Fantasy Society on THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD

‘Not to be taken too seriously, this meld of SF and traditional hard-boiled spy fiction hints at plenty of further adventures.’ — Publishers Weekly on DEAD MAN WALKING

‘This sequel to the wonderful THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD takes the basic structure of a traditional English country house mystery and mixes it with a bit of supernatural horror and suspense. Richard Kadrey and E.E. Knight fans will particularly relish Green’s genre-blending novel.’ — Library Journal on DEAD MAN WALKING

Zeno represents Simon R. Green in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

Charlaine Harris’s ALL THE LITTLE LIARS out today in UK eBook!

Posted on Thursday, October 13th, 2016

The long-awaited ninth novel in Charlaine Harris‘s Aurora Teagarden Mysteries series is out today in eBook in the UK! Published by Piatkus, here’s the synopsis…

Aurora Teagarden is basking in the news of her pregnancy when disaster strikes her small Georgia town: four kids vanish from the school soccer field in an afternoon. Aurora’s 15-year-old brother Phillip is one of them. Also gone are two of his friends, and an 11-year-old girl who was just hoping to get a ride home from soccer practice. And then there’s an even worse discovery at the kids’ last known destination, a dead body.

While the local police and sheriff’s department comb the county for the missing kids and interview everyone even remotely involved, Aurora and her new husband, true crime writer Robin Crusoe, begin their own investigation. Could the death and kidnappings have anything to do with a group of bullies at the middle school? Is Phillip’s disappearance related to Aurora’s father’s gambling debts? Or is Phillip himself, new to town and an unknown quantity, responsible for taking the other children? But regardless of the reason, as the days go by, the most important questions remain. Are the kids still alive? Who could be concealing them? Where could they be?

With Christmas approaching, Aurora is determined to find her brother… if he’s still alive.

The print edition of the novel is due to hit shelves on December 1st, 2016. (Just in time for Christmas! In case you needed inspiration…)

The first eight books in the series are published in the UK by Gollancz:

Zeno represents Charlaine Harris in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

Simon Unsworth’s THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE eBook is on sale!

Posted on Friday, June 3rd, 2016

THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE, Simon Kurt Unsworth‘s critically-acclaimed latest novel, is currently on sale as an eBook in the US. The book is priced at only $1.99, from multiple e-retailers until the end of the weekend. Here’s the synopsis…

A sea change is coming to Hell… and a man named Thomas Fool is caught in the middle.

Thomas Fool is an Information Man, an investigator tasked with cataloging and filing reports on the endless stream of violence and brutality that flows through Hell. His job holds no reward or satisfaction, because Hell has rules but no justice. Each new crime is stamped “Do Not Investigate” and dutifully filed away in the depths of the Bureaucracy. But when an important political delegation arrives and a human is found murdered in a horrific manner — extravagant even by Hell’s standards — everything changes. The murders escalate, and their severity points to the kind of killer not seen for many generations. Something is challenging the rules and order of Hell, so the Bureaucracy sends Fool to identify and track down the killer… But how do you investigate murder in a place where death is common currency? Or when your main suspect pool is a legion of demons? With no memory of his past and only an irresistible need for justice, Fool will piece together clues and follow a trail that leads directly into the heart of a dark and chaotic conspiracy. A revolution is brewing in Hell… and nothing is what it seems.

The Devil’s Detective is an audacious, highly suspenseful thriller set against a nightmarish and wildly vivid world. Simon Kurt Unsworth has created a phantasmagoric thrill ride filled with stunning set pieces and characters that spring from our deepest nightmares. It will have readers of both thrillers and horror hanging on by their fingernails until the final word. In Hell, hope is your worst enemy.

THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE is published in the US by Doubleday/Anchor, and in the UK by Del Rey. The sequel, THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE, is due to be published in July in the US, and October in the UK.

Here is just a small sample of the aforementioned critical acclaim the novel has received…

‘Unsworth’s care in constructing an imaginary world enables him to make the most of his debut’s challenging concept: a hard-boiled detective novel set in Hell itself… Unsworth offers intriguing variations on traditional themes and some memorably hair-raising prose…’ — Publishers Weekly

‘With wit, ingenuity and prodigious timing, first-time British novelist Unsworth imagines an unsettling afterlife that at times feels uncomfortably close to some of the more unbearable regions of our waking dreams. The whodunit aspects of this novel may, in the end, be less interesting than the phantasmagorical details surrounding it. But that’s far less a complaint than a compliment of the author’s visionary gifts. A grand, nightmarish page-turner that will have you riveted.’ — Kirkus

‘Hell as the setting for a noir investigation turns out to be as fun as it sounds in THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. Inventive and pacy, Simon Kurt Unsworth has created a world – underworld? – distinctly his own.’ — Andrew Pyper

‘There is much to love with THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. The depiction of Hell is original, with it being less of a torture chamber and more of a place for continued hard work for the unworthy, and the world building is great… The novel is dark and full of twists and originality, and it’s suitable for anyone wanting to get into fantasy with a supernatural element.’ — Starburst

Cover & Details: DEAD MAN WALKING by Simon R. Green

Posted on Wednesday, May 11th, 2016

Later this month, Severn House is due to published the next novel in Simon R. Green‘s new supernatural mystery series, DEAD MAN WALKING. The follow-up to THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD, the first novel featuring Ishmael Jones

“Call me Ishmael. Ishmael Jones. I am the man in the shadows, that even the shadows are afraid of. The secret agent whose life is the greatest secret of all. And some of the cases I work are trickier than others.”

A rogue agent has come in from the cold and wants to spill his secrets. The Organisation wants Ishmael Jones to find out if Frank Parker is who he says he is, and why he has emerged from the shadows after all this time. But when Ishmael reaches Ringstone Lodge where Parker is being held, he is menaced by a series of alarming incidents.

Severn House are also due to publish DEAD MAN WALKING in the US on September 1st, 2016.

The first in the series was well-received. Here’s just a small sample taken from the reviews…

‘[A] brisk, breezy first in a new mystery series… Convincing supernatural twists [and] witty chapter titles… readers will be anxious for a sequel.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘I really enjoyed the book. If anything it was over too soon. The author captures the English Country Manor Murder Mystery feel very well, as he sets up pretty much everybody as a suspect… I look forward to finding out more in future volumes.’ — British Fantasy Society

‘Genre-blending author Green introduces another wisecracking protagonist, Ishmael Jones…Fans of the British TV series Torchwood will enjoy the irreverent, otherworldly protagonist.’ — Booklist

Simon R. Green is also the best-selling author of the Nightside, Secret Histories and Ghost Finders series, all published as eBooks in the UK by Jo Fletcher Books.

Zeno represents Simon R. Green in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE Out Now in Paperback

Posted on Thursday, February 25th, 2016

Simon Kurt Unsworth‘s critically-acclaimed horror novel debut, THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE, is out today in paperback in the UK! Published by Del Rey, here’s the synopsis…

Welcome to Hell

Solving crimes was the purpose of the Information Men, yet they almost never achieved it, and even when they did, the facts they scraped free were lost, buried again in the labyrinthine mess of the Bureaucracy.

When an unidentified, brutalised body is discovered, the case is assigned to Thomas Fool. But how do you investigate a murder where death is commonplace and everyone is guilty of something?

Del Rey will also publish the sequel, THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE, on October 6th, 2016. Here’s the cover…

Here’s a selection from the great reviews Simon’s novel has enjoyed…

‘Unsworth’s care in constructing an imaginary world enables him to make the most of his debut’s challenging concept: a hard-boiled detective novel set in Hell itself… Unsworth offers intriguing variations on traditional themes and some memorably hair-raising prose…’ — Publishers Weekly

‘With wit, ingenuity and prodigious timing, first-time British novelist Unsworth imagines an unsettling afterlife that at times feels uncomfortably close to some of the more unbearable regions of our waking dreams… A grand, nightmarish page-turner that will have you riveted.’ — Kirkus

‘The debut novel from prolific short story writer Simon Kurt Unsworth depicts a very modern hell. There’s still suffering but it’s mostly to be found in the drudgery of the daily grind. Gruesome medieval tortures have given way to endless toil, confounding bureaucracy and arbitrary cruelty. Once you accept the logic of this underworld, what follows is an entertaining Dantean spin on the police procedural… Appropriately awash with gore and bodily fluids, THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE is damned good.’ — Financial Times

‘There is much to love with THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. The depiction of Hell is original, with it being less of a torture chamber and more of a place for continued hard work for the unworthy, and the world building is great… The novel is dark and full of twists and originality, and it’s suitable for anyone wanting to get into fantasy with a supernatural element.’ — Starburst

Both THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE and THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE are published in the US by Doubleday: the former is out now in paperback, the latter is due to be published in hardcover on July 5th, 2016.

UK Cover: THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE by Simon Kurt Unsworth

Posted on Thursday, February 4th, 2016

Above you can see the striking UK cover for Simon Kurt Unsworth‘s upcoming THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE. The sequel to Simon’s critically-acclaimed THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE, it’s due to be published in the UK by Del Rey in October 2016. Here’s the synopsis…

Thomas Fool, now the head of Hell’s Information Men, must solve a new mystery that crosses the divide between Heaven and Hell.

THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE and THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE are both published in the US by Doubleday — the latter on July 5th, 2016. Here’s the US synopsis for THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE, which is more substantial…

A new case of unsolvable murders brings Hell to Heaven in the explosive sequel to The Devil’s Detective.

Hell is burning out of control. Thomas Fool, Hell’s first Information Man tasked with investigating the endless stream of violence in Hell, has been promoted to the head of the newly expanded Information Office. Now in command of a legion of Information Men, his new position finds him hated by demons and almost revered by humans. He alone has survived the wrath of demon and angel alike, but he stands alone and at the center of a brewing crisis. New on the scene is the Evidence, a shadowy department whose officers do not investigate; they punish and spread fear. And its leader, Mr. Tap, is gunning for Fool.

Fool is ordered to accompany a political delegation to Heaven, and his arrival coincides with an impossible—and sinister—discovery. A dead body. Murder in Heaven. Violence, corruption, and fear are the currency of Hell, and how does one investigate a crime where these concepts are paradoxes? As the bodies pile up, Fool sees disturbing connections between Heaven and Hell. He must follow clues in a strange land where nothing is as it seems and danger can present itself in any form.

What follows is a phantasmagoric, mind-bending thriller as exciting and unsettling as anything in recent fiction. The Devil’s Evidence is an electrifying, provocative novel filled with stunning set pieces and characters who will live on in your deepest nightmares.

New US Covers for Unsworth’s DEVIL’S EVIDENCE and DEVIL’S DETECTIVE

Posted on Monday, December 28th, 2015

Above you can see the striking cover for Simon Kurt Unsworth‘s second novel, THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE. Published in the US by Doubleday, on July 5th, it is the sequel to last year’s critically-acclaimed THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. Here’s the synopsis…

A new case of unsolvable murders brings Hell to Heaven in the explosive sequel to The Devil’s Detective.

Hell is burning out of control. Thomas Fool, Hell’s first Information Man tasked with investigating the endless stream of violence in Hell, has been promoted to the head of the newly expanded Information Office. Now in command of a legion of Information Men, his new position finds him hated by demons and almost revered by humans. He alone has survived the wrath of demon and angel alike, but he stands alone and at the center of a brewing crisis. New on the scene is the Evidence, a shadowy department whose officers do not investigate; they punish and spread fear. And its leader, Mr. Tap, is gunning for Fool.

Fool is ordered to accompany a political delegation to Heaven, and his arrival coincides with an impossible—and sinister—discovery. A dead body. Murder in Heaven. Violence, corruption, and fear are the currency of Hell, and how does one investigate a crime where these concepts are paradoxes? As the bodies pile up, Fool sees disturbing connections between Heaven and Hell. He must follow clues in a strange land where nothing is as it seems and danger can present itself in any form.

What follows is a phantasmagoric, mind-bending thriller as exciting and unsettling as anything in recent fiction. The Devil’s Evidence is an electrifying, provocative novel filled with stunning set pieces and characters who will live on in your deepest nightmares.

In addition, the paperback edition of THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE — published February 9th — has a slightly different, updated cover…

Both THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE and THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE are published in the UK by Del Rey. The latter is due out in March 2016 — there has not been an official cover reveal, yet, but we’ll be sure to share the new artwork as soon as we are able. In the meantime, here are just a few of the great reviews the first novel in Simon’s series has received…

‘Unsworth’s care in constructing an imaginary world enables him to make the most of his debut’s challenging concept: a hard-boiled detective novel set in Hell itself… Unsworth offers intriguing variations on traditional themes and some memorably hair-raising prose…’ — Publishers Weekly

‘With wit, ingenuity and prodigious timing, first-time British novelist Unsworth imagines an unsettling afterlife that at times feels uncomfortably close to some of the more unbearable regions of our waking dreams… A grand, nightmarish page-turner that will have you riveted.’ — Kirkus

‘Hell as the setting for a noir investigation turns out to be as fun as it sounds in THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. Inventive and pacy, Simon Kurt Unsworth has created a world – underworld? – distinctly his own.’ — Andrew Pyper, author of Demonologist

‘There is much to love with THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. The depiction of Hell is original, with it being less of a torture chamber and more of a place for continued hard work for the unworthy, and the world building is great… The novel is dark and full of twists and originality, and it’s suitable for anyone wanting to get into fantasy with a supernatural element.’ — Starburst

‘THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE grips. Unsworth’s storytelling is taut and lean, avoiding any lapses into potboiler… When he writes about Hell, he makes it downright hellish… The book eventually spins all this admittedly sumptuous horror into thought-provoking notions about salvation, hope and free will’ — NPR

UK Paperback Cover: THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE by Simon Kurt Unsworth

Posted on Friday, September 11th, 2015

Above you can see the rather striking UK paperback cover for THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. The first in a planned duology by Simon Kurt Unsworth, it is published in the UK by Del Rey on February 25th, 2016. Here’s the synopsis…

Welcome to Hell.

Solving crimes was the purpose of the Information Men, yet they almost never achieved it, and even when they did, the facts they scraped free were lost, buried again in the labyrinthine mess of the Bureaucracy.

When an unidentified, brutalised body is discovered, the case is assigned to Thomas Fool. But how do you investigate a murder where death is commonplace and everyone is guilty of something?

The novel is published in the US by Doubleday, and is out now in hardcover — it will be published in paperback in the US on ??, 2016. Below are the UK and US hardback covers…

Here is just a selection of the great reviews the novel has received so far…

‘A grand, nightmarish page-turner that will have you riveted no matter how much you’d prefer to look away.’ — Kirkus

‘An entertaining Dantean spin on the police procedural… Appropriately awash with gore and bodily fluids, THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE is damned good.’ — Financial Times

‘Unsworth’s care in constructing an imaginary world enables him to make the most of his debut’s challenging concept: a hard-boiled detective novel set in Hell itself… Unsworth offers intriguing variations on traditional themes and some memorably hair-raising prose…’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Hell as the setting for a noir investigation turns out to be as fun as it sounds in THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. Inventive and pacy, Simon Kurt Unsworth has created a world – underworld? – distinctly his own.’ — Andrew Pyper

‘There is much to love with THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. The depiction of Hell is original, with it being less of a torture chamber and more of a place for continued hard work for the unworthy, and the world building is great… The novel is dark and full of twists and originality, and it’s suitable for anyone wanting to get into fantasy with a supernatural element.’ — Starburst

US Publication Day: THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD by Simon R. Green

Posted on Friday, May 1st, 2015

Today, Severn House publish Simon R. Green‘s latest novel, THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD, in the US. The novel was published in the UK in January, also by Severn House. Here’s the synopsis…

Introducing Ishmael Jones – a detective with a difference – in this compelling murder mystery.

Ishmael Jones can’t afford to be noticed. He’s employed to search out secrets and shine a light in dark places. Sometimes he kills people. Invited by his employer, the enigmatic Colonel, to join him and his family for Christmas, Ishmael arrives at the grand but isolated manor in the midst of a blizzard to find that the Colonel has disappeared…

Simon R. Green is the New York Times-bestselling author of the Nightside and Secret Histories series — both of which were recently published in the UK as eBooks by Jo Fletcher Books. Green is also the best-selling ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES tie-in novel.

Zeno represents Simon R. Green in the UK and Commonwealth, and negotiated this deal, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency.

Cover: THE UNNOTICEABLES by Robert Brockway

Posted on Monday, April 27th, 2015

Above you can see the striking cover for Robert Brockway‘s latest novel, THE UNNOTICEABLES. The first in a planned trilogy, the novel is due to be published in the UK by Titan Books on July 7th, 2015. Here’s the synopsis…

There are angels, and they are not beneficent or loving. But they do watch over us. They watch our lives unfold, analyzing us for repeating patterns and redundancies. When they find them, the angels simplify those patterns, they remove the redundancies, and the problem that is you gets solved.

Carey doesn’t much like that idea. As a punk living in New York City, 1977, Carey is sick and tired of watching the strange kids with the unnoticeable faces abduct his friends. He doesn’t care about the rumors of tarmonsters in the sewers, or unkillable psychopaths invading the punk scene—all he wants is drink cheap beer and dispense asskickings.

Kaitlyn isn’t sure what she’s doing with her life. She came to Hollywood in 2013 to be a stunt woman, but last night a former teen heartthrob tried to eat her, her best friend has just gone missing, and there’s an angel outside her apartment.

Whatever she plans on doing with her life, it should probably happen in the few remaining minutes she has left of it.

There are angels. There are demons. They are the same thing. It’s up to Carey and Kaitlyn to stop them. The survival of the human race is in their hands.

We are, all of us, well and truly screwed.

When he’s not writing gritty, off-beat novels, Brockway is a Senior Editor and columnist for Cracked.com.

‘THE UNNOTICEABLES has phenomenal voice… [it] manages to get in, make its point, and get out. It never bogs down, never slows down, and never fails to be interesting.’ — Staffer’s Book Review

Zeno represents Robert Brockway in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

A Soundtrack for Detecting in Hell…

Posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2015

Today, we want to share a little something from Doubleday Books. Composed and produced to celebrate the release of Simon Kurt Unsworth‘s debut novel, THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE, it’s ‘an absolutely hellish, rather haunting bit of the blues’ — “Playing the Fool”…

In case the plug-in, above, doesn’t work, you can listen to the song over on Soundcloud.

Simon was also recently interviewed by the Qwillery, as part of their series of 2015 Debut Author interviews. In the wide-ranging interview, Simon talks about when he first caught the writing bug…

‘… in school, at 13, I wrote a story for an English class and the teacher gave it a high mark. It was a Stephen King rip-off, but the teacher’s praise made me think I could write and from then on I was hooked.’

… and also his writing processes, influences and inspirations, his favourite moments in the novel, the importance of feathers, and more.

THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE, the first in a two-part series, is published in North America by Doubleday and in the UK by Del Rey.

THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE by Simon K. Unsworth Out Tomorrow in the UK

Posted on Wednesday, March 11th, 2015

Simon Kurt Unsworth‘s debut novel, THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE, is out tomorrow in the UK! The first in a new horror-crime duology set in hell, it is published by Del Rey UK.

Welcome to hell…

… where skinless demons patrol the lakes and the waves of Limbo wash against the outer walls, while the souls of the Damned float on their surface, waiting to be collected.

When an unidentified, brutalised body is discovered, the case is assigned to Thomas Fool, one of Hell’s detectives, known as ‘Information Men’. But how do you investigate a murder where death is commonplace and everyone is guilty of something?

A stunningly original blend of crime, horror and suspense, The Devil’s Detective is a bold new thriller that will shock and amaze.

The novel was published in North America by Doubleday last week. Here is just a selection of the reviews the book has received so far…

‘Hell as the setting for a noir investigation turns out to be as fun as it sounds in THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. Inventive and pacy, Simon Kurt Unsworth has created a world – underworld? – distinctly his own.’ — Andrew Pyper

‘Unsworth’s care in constructing an imaginary world enables him to make the most of his debut’s challenging concept: a hard-boiled detective novel set in Hell itself… Unsworth offers intriguing variations on traditional themes and some memorably hair-raising prose…’ — Publishers Weekly

‘The debut novel from prolific short story writer Simon Kurt Unsworth depicts a very modern hell. There’s still suffering but it’s mostly to be found in the drudgery of the daily grind. Gruesome medieval tortures have given way to endless toil, confounding bureaucracy and arbitrary cruelty. Once you accept the logic of this underworld, what follows is an entertaining Dantean spin on the police procedural… Appropriately awash with gore and bodily fluids, THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE is damned good.’ — Financial Times

‘There is much to love with THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. The depiction of Hell is original, with it being less of a torture chamber and more of a place for continued hard work for the unworthy, and the world building is great… The novel is dark and full of twists and originality, and it’s suitable for anyone wanting to get into fantasy with a supernatural element.’ — Starburst

But wait! There’s more: This Saturday (14th), Forbidden Planet in London will be hosting Simon for a signing from 1pm-2pm. You can find details of the event here.

US Publication Day: THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE by Simon K. Unsworth

Posted on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015

Today, Doubleday publish Simon Kurt Unsworth‘s critically-acclaimed debut novel, THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. The first in a duology of crime novels set in Hell, here’s the synopsis…

A sea change is coming to Hell… and a man named Thomas Fool is caught in the middle.

Thomas Fool is an Information Man, an investigator tasked with cataloging and filing reports on the endless stream of violence and brutality that flows through Hell. His job holds no reward or satisfaction, because Hell has rules but no justice. Each new crime is stamped “Do Not Investigate” and dutifully filed away in the depths of the Bureaucracy. But when an important political delegation arrives and a human is found murdered in a horrific manner—extravagant even by Hell’s standards—everything changes. The murders escalate, and their severity points to the kind of killer not seen for many generations. Something is challenging the rules and order of Hell, so the Bureaucracy sends Fool to identify and track down the killer… But how do you investigate murder in a place where death is common currency? Or when your main suspect pool is a legion of demons? With no memory of his past and only an irresistible need for justice, Fool will piece together clues and follow a trail that leads directly into the heart of a dark and chaotic conspiracy. A revolution is brewing in Hell… and nothing is what it seems.

THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE is an audacious, highly suspenseful thriller set against a nightmarish and wildly vivid world. Simon Kurt Unsworth has created a phantasmagoric thrill ride filled with stunning set pieces and characters that spring from our deepest nightmares. It will have readers of both thrillers and horror hanging on by their fingernails until the final word. In Hell, hope is your worst enemy.

THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE is due to be published in the UK by Del Rey next Thursday, March 12th.

Here’s just a small selection of the aforementioned critical response…

‘Unsworth’s care in constructing an imaginary world enables him to make the most of his debut’s challenging concept: a hard-boiled detective novel set in Hell itself… Unsworth offers intriguing variations on traditional themes and some memorably hair-raising prose…’ — Publishers Weekly

‘A clever spin on the traditional police procedural… a rousing success. The story is well crafted, and the setting is ingeniously conceived… We’ve seen other novels set in Hell, but we haven’t seen a Hell quite like this…’ — Booklist

‘With wit, ingenuity and prodigious timing, first-time British novelist Unsworth imagines an unsettling afterlife that at times feels uncomfortably close to some of the more unbearable regions of our waking dreams… visionary… A grand, nightmarish page-turner that will have you riveted.’ — Kirkus

‘Hell as the setting for a noir investigation turns out to be as fun as it sounds in THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. Inventive and pacy, Simon Kurt Unsworth has created a world – underworld? – distinctly his own.’ — Andrew Pyper

Cover Reveal: THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD by Simon R. Green

Posted on Monday, January 12th, 2015

Above is the rather excellent, atmospheric cover for Simon R. Green‘s next novel, THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD. The first in a new series, the Ishmael Jones Mysteries, the novel is due to be published in the UK by Severn House, on January 29th, 2015. Here is the synopsis…

Introducing Ishmael Jones – a detective with a difference – in this compelling murder mystery.

Ishmael Jones can’t afford to be noticed. He’s employed to search out secrets and shine a light in dark places. Sometimes he kills people.

Invited by his employer, the enigmatic Colonel, to join him and his family for Christmas, Ishmael arrives at the grand but isolated manor in the midst of a blizzard to find that the Colonel has disappeared…

THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD is due to be published in the US, also by Severn House, on May 1st, 2015.

Simon R Green is the New York Times-bestselling author of the Nightside and Secret Histories urban fantasy series, both of which were recently released in eBook format in the UK by Jo Fletcher Books.

Zeno represents Simon R. Green in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.