The (slightly delayed) Deluxe Writers’ Edition of the first RIVERS OF LONDON:BODY WORK is out today! Published by Titan Comics, it is the first story-arc of Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s comic series (set in the same world as Ben’s novels and novellas). With stunning artwork from Lee Sullivan and colours by Luis Guerrero, here’s the synopsis…
CSI meets Harry Potter in this fantastic SPECIAL EDITION graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch, writer of the bestselling Rivers of London supernatural police procedural crime novel series! This Deluxe Writers’ Edition presents the full script of the graphic novel along with the unlettered, full-color artwork, allowing the reader to read the original script and see the artwork side-by-side.
Grant is part of a very special London police unit. Full-time cop and part time wizard he works on rather unusual crimes – those that involve magic and the general weirdness that permeates London’s dark underbelly.
His latest case begins with a perfectly innocent car on a homicidal killing spree – without a driver. But, before you know it, there’s a Bosnian refugee, the Most Haunted Car in England, a bunch of teenagers loaded on Ketamine and seemingly-harmless wooden bench with the darkest of pasts…
The comic series is still on-going: the eighth story-arc, THE FEY AND THE FURIOUS was recently completed.
The next story-arc in the series — MONDAY, MONDAY — starts tomorrow!
As mentioned at the top, the Rivers of London comic series is based on the characters and world of Ben’s critically-acclaimed, internationally bestselling Peter Grant series of novels and novellas — at the time of writing, there are eight novels and three novellas available.
If you’d like to learn a bit more about the new Deluxe Writers’ Edition of BODY WORK, check out this interview with the authors…
In case you missed it, we wanted to raise awareness that Ben Aaronovitch‘s best-selling, critically-acclaimed Peter Grant series of novels and novellas are available in Germany as audiobooks. This includes the latest novel, FALSE VALUE, which is published in Germany as an audiobook by Jumbo Verlag. Narrated by Dietmar Wunder, here’s the synopsis for EIN WEISSER SCHWAN IN TABERNACLE STREET…
Peter Grant, unser Lieblings-Bobby und Zauberlehrling, ist suspendiert und zumindest für eine Weile kein Bobby mehr. Dafür wird er in Zukunft im Privatleben umso mehr gefordert sein, was ihn zu gleichen Teilen mit Panik und Begeisterung erfüllt. Um nicht untätig herumzusitzen und Nägel zu kaufen, heuert er bei der Serious Cybernetics Company an, dem neuesten Projekt des Internet-Genies Terrence Skinner. Und prompt holt die Magie ihn wieder ein. Denn in den Tiefen der SCC ist ein Geheimnis verborgen, eine geheime magische Technologie, die zurückreicht bis weit ins 19. Jahrhundert, das Zeitalter von Ada Lovelace und Charles Babbage. Und die brandgefährlich ist für die Welt.
Jumbo Verlag has published the audiobooks for all of Ben’s Peter Grant/Rivers of London books in Germany, to date. The German print and eBook editions are published by DTV.
Audible Germany has also been producing some full-cast audio dramas, the first four of which are out now: DIE FLÜSSE VON LONDON, SCHWARZER MOND ÜBER SOHO, EIN WISPERN UNTER BAKER STREET, and DER BÖSE ORT.
A new edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s acclaimed, Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award-winning novel, A MAN LIES DREAMING is out now in the UK! Published by Head of Zeus (via the AdAstra imprint), here’s the synopsis…
1939. In a grotty corner of London, in a flat above a shop, a private eye known as Wolf keeps his office. The city is in the throes of a very British Fascism, and Wolf is far from the life he left behind in Germany, before the Fall. Business hasn’t been good, so when a glamorous Jewish heiress comes through his door, he has no choice but to take on her case.
It’s a decision Wolf will soon regret.
For in another time and place, a man lies dreaming. Once a Yiddish pulp writer, but now imprisoned in a hell of humanity’s making, Shomer creates lurid tales of revenge in his sleep…
Prescient, darkly funny and wholly original, the award-winning A Man Lies Dreaming is a modern fable for our time.
Here are just a few of the great reviews the novel has received since it was first published…
‘The best book I read last year is A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar, a form of fictional historiography based on a’ what if ‘principle. I love that, if it is done well and intelligently… It sounds ridiculous and it has certainly been written down with a great sense of irony, but at the same time it is so cleverly constructed and such a spectacular conclusion unfolds that you are going to take it all very seriously.’ — Sting (yes, that one) to Volksrant
‘…savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph
‘Comes crashing through the door of literature like Sam Spade with a .38 in his hand. This is a shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one, and it treats the topic of genocide with a kind of energetic unseriousness… Tidhar’s novel treats its grim theme not as a comedy, although there is plenty of caustic humour, but instead as a pulp-noir tale of seamy city streets, gumshoes and lowlifes… Tidhar gets the outre tone just right: outrageous sex and violence related in a briskly workmanlike style. And Tidhar’s Hitler is a striking reimagination of that endlessly reimagined individual: twisted with hatred, doing good almost by accident… Tidhar, who cut his teeth in the world of genre SF, understands how eloquent pulp can be… [OSAMA] won the World Fantasy award. I wouldn’t be surprised to see A MAN LIES DREAMING repeat that achievement… Like Tarantino, Tidhar may find that some people don’t take him seriously. But the joke’s on them. Seriousness is the least of it: A MAN LIES DREAMING is a twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian
‘Wild, noir-infused alternative history from genre-bender Tidhar… A wholly original Holocaust story: as outlandish as it is poignant.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)
‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… Tidhar reveals – as he did earlier in OSAMA and to some extent in THE VIOLENT CENTURY – that he’s really less interested in the mechanistic ‘‘what-ifs’’ of conventional alternate history than he is in the interpenetration of real and invented histories, or perhaps more grandiosely in the interpenetration of art and life – even the often-demeaned art of sensational fiction or (as in the case of THE VIOLENT CENTURY) comic books. This is what makes him such an interesting writer, and what makes A MAN LIES DREAMING quite a bit more complex than it at first appears… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus
‘How does one write the Holocaust? This high-wire act of a book is his attempt. Does it work as pulp? Yes. It’s nasty, clever, waspish and witty. It finds room for guest appearances from Leni Riefenstahl, Ian Fleming and Evelyn Waugh and quotations from everyone from Chandler to Ukip… You turn the pages avidly. You read it for the pulp story. And you read it for the frame that surrounds it. And you can’t stop reading.‘ — Herald Scotland
We’re very happy to report that a new UK edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award-winning novel, A MAN LIES DREAMING is due out next week! To be published by Head of Zeus on April 15th, here’s the synopsis…
1939. In a grotty corner of London, in a flat above a shop, a private eye known as Wolf keeps his office. The city is in the throes of a very British Fascism, and Wolf is far from the life he left behind in Germany, before the Fall. Business hasn’t been good, so when a glamorous Jewish heiress comes through his door, he has no choice but to take on her case.
It’s a decision Wolf will soon regret.
For in another time and place, a man lies dreaming. Once a Yiddish pulp writer, but now imprisoned in a hell of humanity’s making, Shomer creates lurid tales of revenge in his sleep…
Prescient, darkly funny and wholly original, the award-winning A Man Lies Dreaming is a modern fable for our time.
Here are just a few of the great reviews the novel has received since it was first published…
‘Wild, noir-infused alternative history from genre-bender Tidhar… A wholly original Holocaust story: as outlandish as it is poignant.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)
‘…savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph
‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… Tidhar reveals – as he did earlier in OSAMA and to some extent in THE VIOLENT CENTURY – that he’s really less interested in the mechanistic ‘‘what-ifs’’ of conventional alternate history than he is in the interpenetration of real and invented histories, or perhaps more grandiosely in the interpenetration of art and life – even the often-demeaned art of sensational fiction or (as in the case of THE VIOLENT CENTURY) comic books. This is what makes him such an interesting writer, and what makes A MAN LIES DREAMING quite a bit more complex than it at first appears… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus
‘The best book I read last year is A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar, a form of fictional historiography based on a’ what if ‘principle. I love that, if it is done well and intelligently… It sounds ridiculous and it has certainly been written down with a great sense of irony, but at the same time it is so cleverly constructed and such a spectacular conclusion unfolds that you are going to take it all very seriously.’ — Sting (yes, that one) to Volksrant
‘How does one write the Holocaust? This high-wire act of a book is his attempt. Does it work as pulp? Yes. It’s nasty, clever, waspish and witty. It finds room for guest appearances from Leni Riefenstahl, Ian Fleming and Evelyn Waugh and quotations from everyone from Chandler to Ukip… You turn the pages avidly. You read it for the pulp story. And you read it for the frame that surrounds it. And you can’t stop reading.‘ — Herald Scotland
Simon R. Green‘s THE BEST THING YOU CAN STEAL is out tomorrow in North America, published by Severn House! Released in the UK back in January, it’s the first novel in the author’s new Gideon Sable series. Here’s the synopsis…
Welcome to London, but not as you know it. A place where magics and horror run free, wonders and miracles are everyday things, and the dark streets are full of very shadowy people…
Gideon Sable is a thief and a con man. He specializes in stealing the kind of things that can’t normally be stolen. Like a ghost’s clothes, or a photo from a country that never existed. Now, Gideon’s planning a heist, to steal the only thing that matters from the worst man in the world. So he’s going to need a crew who can do the impossible…
Severn House also publishes Green’s acclaimed Ishmael Jones Mysteries in the UK and North America. All nine novels are out now!
Zeno represents Simon R. Green in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
The second novel in Andrew Cartmel‘s acclaimed Vinyl Detective series, is available in Czechia! Published by Kalibr/Euromedia as VŠECHNY KOČKY MILUJÍ VALERIANU, here’s the synopsis…
Bydlí se dvěma kočkami, prvotřídním gramofonem, velkou sbírkou jazzových nahrávek a na živobytí pro sebe i obě ochočené šelmy si vydělává jako „vinylový detektiv“. Nenechte se zmýlit, o vzrušení a nebezpečí není v jeho profesi nouze! Občas jde i o život…
Když se mu na prahu objeví nesourodá dvojice v podobě bratra tragicky zesnulé zpěvačky Valeriany a mladé senzacechtivé novinářky, roztáčí se kolotoč intrik, poštovních koček, podezřelých úmrtí včetně jedné hlídací husy a život ohrožujících halucinogenních zážitků. Zemřela Valeriana skutečně přirozenou smrtí rockových muzikantů, tedy sebevraždou po požití štědré dávky drog? A nahrála na svůj ztracený poslední singl tajný vzkaz nebo temnou mši, jak se šeptá v kruzích milovníků vinylu? Odhalí jeho nalezení, co se stalo se zmizelým zpěvaččiným synem?
Ocitli se snad náš hrdina se svou vynalézavou přítelkyní Nevadou opět přímo v hledáčku zločinců, kteří se nezastaví před ničím?
Euromedia has also published the first book in the series, as POSLEDNÍ DESKA.
The Vinyl Detective series is published in the UK and North America by Titan Books: WRITTEN IN DEAD WAX, THE RUN-OUT GROOVE, VICTORY DISC, FLIP BACK, and LOW ACTION. The first two books in the series have also been published in Germany, by Suhrkamp.
Here’s the English-language synopsis for THE RUN-OUT GROOVE…
His first adventure consisted of the search for a rare record; his second begins with the discovery of one. When a mint copy of the final album by “Valerian” — England’s great lost rock band of the 1960s — surfaces in a charity shop, all hell breaks loose.
Finding this record triggers a chain of events culminating in our hero learning the true fate of the singer Valerian, who died under equivocal circumstances just after — or was it just before? — the abduction of her two-year-old son.
Along the way, the Vinyl Detective finds himself marked for death, at the wrong end of a shotgun, and unknowingly dosed with LSD as a prelude to being burned alive. And then there’s the grave robbing…
But he does find out what happened to the missing child, and it wasn’t what anyone expected — or wanted — to hear.
Here are just a few of the reviews THE RUN-OUT GROOVE has received…
‘Part of the fun of the series is the obsessiveness of record collectors, the contradictions between the mundane places in which they hunt their treasures — charity shops, church bazaars — and the sophisticated sound systems they have set up to play what they find… the Vinyl Detective is proving to be a very amenable companion to have on a treasure hunt. This is one vinyl nerd you won’t mind spending time with.’ — Kirkus
‘… entertaining second record-spinning mystery… Cartmel treats music and records seriously, plays his strange characters for laughs, and provides a bit of danger and some unexpected twists in this affectionate nod to the vagaries of rock stardom.’ — Publishers Weekly
‘THE RUN-OUT GROOVE does a fantastic job of making its fictional history of music so fascinating and authentic that you’ll forget it isn’t all true… This a follow-up every bit the equal of its highly memorable predecessor, presenting a mystery you’ll be eager to solve and characters whose company you won’t want to leave. Written with infectious charm, the Vinyl Detective has more than proven he’s no one-hit-wonder.’ (9/10) — Alternative Magazine Online
‘Polished, fast-paced and a ton of fun, this is a fantastic read that is easy to get lost in… more polished… keeps the story rolling forward at an incredible speed – and also makes it very hard to put down… Cartmel has created an intoxicating mix of adventure, humour and mystery to lose yourself in… a truly engaging and enjoyable read. THE RUN-OUT GROOVE surpasses even the opening novel in the series for polish and fun.’ — The Crime Review
In related news, Andrew was recently interviewed for The Eternal Village-Cast. You can listen to that, below…
Today, we have great news for fans of the Peter Grant novels and Rivers of London comics: a Deluxe Writers’ Edition of the first story-arc, BODY WORK is due to be published by Titan Comics in June! The comic series — written by Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel — has been extremely popular with fans of the novels and comics generally. Here’s the synopsis…
CSI meets Harry Potter in this fantastic SPECIAL EDITION graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch, writer of the bestselling Rivers of London supernatural police procedural crime novel series! This Deluxe Writers’ Edition presents the full script of the graphic novel along with the unlettered, full-color artwork, allowing the reader to read the original script and see the artwork side-by-side.
Grant is part of a very special London police unit. Full-time cop and part time wizard he works on rather unusual crimes – those that involve magic and the general weirdness that permeates London’s dark underbelly.
His latest case begins with a perfectly innocent car on a homicidal killing spree – without a driver. But, before you know it, there’s a Bosnian refugee, the Most Haunted Car in England, a bunch of teenagers loaded on Ketamine and seemingly-harmless wooden bench with the darkest of pasts…
The story is rendered beautifully with art by Lee Sullivan and colours by Luis Guerrero. The comic series is still on-going: the eighth story-arc, THE FEY AND THE FURIOUS was recently completed.
The Rivers of London comic series is based on characters and the world of Ben’s critically-acclaimed, internationally bestselling Peter Grant series of novels and novellas.
At the end of February, Andrew Cartmel was interviewed for Kingston Libraries. In case you missed the event, the video has now been made available online. You can watch it below.
Andrew is the author of the Vinyl Detective mystery series (Titan Books), co-author of the Rivers of London comic series (Titan Comics), and more!
Simon R. Green‘s THE BEST THING YOU CAN STEAL is out today in the UK! The first novel in the author’s new Gideon Sable series, it’s published by Severn House. Here’s the synopsis…
Welcome to London, but not as you know it. A place where magics and horror run free, wonders and miracles are everyday things, and the dark streets are full of very shadowy people…
Gideon Sable is a thief and a con man. He specializes in stealing the kind of things that can’t normally be stolen. Like a ghost’s clothes, or a photo from a country that never existed. Now, Gideon’s planning a heist, to steal the only thing that matters from the worst man in the world. So he’s going to need a crew who can do the impossible…
The novel is also due to be published in North America by Severn House, on April 6th. Severn House also publishes Green’s acclaimed Ishmael Jones Mysteries in the UK and North America.
Zeno represents Simon R. Green in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
Next year, Severn House are due to publish Simon R. Green‘s THE BEST THING YOU CAN STEAL! The first novel in the Gideon Sable series, it’s due to be published on January 29th (UK) and April 6th (North America). Here’s the synopsis…
Welcome to London, but not as you know it. A place where magics and horror run free, wonders and miracles are everyday things, and the dark streets are full of very shadowy people…
Gideon Sable is a thief and a con man. He specializes in stealing the kind of things that can’t normally be stolen. Like a ghost’s clothes, or a photo from a country that never existed. Now, Gideon’s planning a heist, to steal the only thing that matters from the worst man in the world. So he’s going to need a crew who can do the impossible…
Severn House also publishes Green’s acclaimed Ishmael Jones Mysteries in the UK and North America.
Zeno represents Simon R. Green in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
THE HOUSE ON WIDOWS HILL, Simon R. Green‘s ninth Ishmael Jones novel is out in two weeks in North America! Already available in the UK, it will be published by Severn House, on October 6th. Here’s the synopsis…
Ishmael Jones investigates a haunted house… but is haunted by his own past in the latest of this quirky paranormal mystery series.
Harrow House has remained empty for years. Now, on behalf of an anonymous prospective buyer, Ishmael and Penny are spending a night there in order to investigate the rumours of strange lights, mysterious voices, unexplained disappearances, and establish whether the house is really haunted. What really happened at Harrow House all those years ago?
Severn House publishes all of Green’s acclaimed Ishmael Jones novels in the North America and in the UK: THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD, DEAD MAN WALKING, VERY IMPORTANT CORPSES, DEATH SHALL COME, INTO THE THINNEST OF AIR, MURDER IN THE DARK, TILL SUDDEN DEATH DO US PART, and NIGHT TRAIN TO MURDER.
Here are just a few of the great reviews the series has received so far…
‘[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
‘Genre-blending author Green introduces another wisecracking protagonist, Ishmael Jones…Fans of the British TV series Torchwood will enjoy the irreverent, otherworldly protagonist.’ — Booklist 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
‘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
‘Fans of the series will be delighted to reconnect with the quick-witted detective and to learn a little bit more about his early days on the planet.’ — Booklist on TILL SUDDEN DEATH DO US PART
‘Fun, fast-paced, light fare that passes almost as quickly as that fatal train ride.’ — Kirkus on NIGHT TRAIN TO MURDER
‘[An] entertaining romp.’ — Publishers Weeklyon NIGHT TRAIN TO MURDER
Zeno represents Simon R. Green in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
THE CANDY MAFIA, Lavie Tidhar‘s first novel for younger readers, is out today in North America! Published by Peachtree and illustrated by Daniel Duncan, here’s the synopsis…
In a city where candy is a crime and sugar is scandalous, Nelle Faulker is a 12-year-old private detective looking for her next client.
When notorious candy gangster Eddie de Menthe asks for her help to find a missing teddy bear, Nelle Faulkner is on the case. But as soon as the teddy turns up, Eddie himself goes missing! As a seemingly innocent investigation unravels into something more sinister, Nelle and her friends quickly find themselves swept up in a shady underworld of sweets smugglers, back alley deals, and storefront firebombs.
If Nelle has any hope of tracking down her missing client, first she’ll have to unmask the true faces behind the smuggling ring. Can Nelle and her friends find a way to take the cake? Or will they come to a sticky end…?
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets Bugsy Malone in this page-turning mystery from World Fantasy Award-winning author Lavie Tidhar. With moody spot illustrations by Daniel Duncan, readers will be sucked into the action-packed narrative as Nelle pulls the curtain back on the black market candy rings.
Back in May, Lavie also recorded a short video introducing THE CANDY MAFIA…
Here are just a few of the reviews the novel has received so far…
‘In his first book for younger readers, he creates perhaps his most chilling vision yet: a city where sweets are forbidden under a prohibition act… The tone is as hard-boiled as a cough drop. The jokes sizzle like Space Dust. CANDY is a treat, the kind of confection Roald Dahl and Raymond Chandler might have come up with after an all-night bonbon bender.’ — Financial Times
‘A perfectly pitched noir take on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory… delightful premise… as with Tidhar’s earlier work, his playful approach to genre is in service to the story’s hidden depths. He uses the trappings of noir detective tales to tell a subversive children’s story about corruption, the exploitation of vulnerable communities, and the limits of justice. The end result is a novel that for all its joyous sense of fun still packs a surprising emotional and philosophical punch… The whole thing is tied together by Tidhar’s wonderful character work and his excellent prose… engages in some beautiful, chocolate and candy themed descriptions which perfectly capture the playground noir aesthetic. Tidhar’s characters are drawn with surprising depth and sympathy, with only a few key scenes and interactions he is able to penetrate to the core of loneliness and desperation for belonging that inspires so many of his candy thugs and bullies, giving them believable humanising moments. Most importantly, we never lose sight of the characters as children, which is necessary for the novel to carry off its conceit.’ — Fantasy Faction
‘Like a mini Miss Marple meets Maynards… this mouthful of mystery will leave every reader feeling like a child in a sweetshop; just craving to read more from Lavie!’ — Reader Teacher
‘Candy is one of those books that do not take children and teenagers for fools. The story is able to change shifts, thanks to lot of humour, to more serious subjects. Of course, we can enjoy it at any age. If possible, the book should be served in place of dessert.’ — Geektest(France)
‘Due to the wonderfully fluent writing style, the pleasantly short chapters and the rousing plot, I devoured the book in record time. For girls and boys from the age of 10, who like to read exciting, funny, imaginative detective stories, “Secret Agent Candy” is just perfect. I really hope that this is a start of a series and we will soon be able to solve their second, tricky case together with Nelle… Exciting, funny, bizarre and just awesome!’ — Die Bücherwelt von CorniHolmes(Germany)
‘CANDY is the case when a children’s book can actually be interesting at any age. Children will appreciate the plot and humour, adults – a lot of references scattered throughout the text and how unexpectedly and funny elements of the classic “cool” and noir detective story are refracted, if you put them in the context of a children’s literature. Fun, playful and exciting.’ — Fantalab (Russia)
‘… a breath of sweet fresh air…superb! Lavie Tidhar has written a detective story in film noir style based around the prohibition of candy. And it’s superb… what makes the book zing is Tidhar’s talent in sustaining his Chandler-esque child-friendly film noir style throughout. But in the end, despite all this fun, this is a children’s book with heart. The book explores doing the right thing, and overcoming bullies, and is engaging, warm and topical.’ — Minerva Reads
‘Witty, amusing and a loving variation on grown-up private eye tropes, this would make the perfect introduction to crime writing for kids and is very much tongue in cheek, and as such even more appealing to adult fans. Delightful.’ — Crime Time
This week, the seventh novel in Simon R. Green‘s acclaimed Ishmael Jones Mystery series is published in paperback in North America! TILL SUDDEN DEATH DO US PART is published by Severn House. Here’s the synopsis…
A wedding. A murder. A 200-year-old curse: Ishmael Jones is plunged into a baffling investigation when he answers an old friend’s call for help.
Robert Bergin, fearing that his daughter will fall prey to the ancient family curse before her upcoming wedding, calls on his old friend Ishmael Jones for help. On the eve of the wedding the vicar is found dead in the church, and many locals believe the curse is responsible. Ishmael has just a few hours to uncover the truth…
Severn House has published all of Green’s Ishmael Jones mysteries to date. The series currently stands at nine novels: THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD, DEAD MAN WALKING, VERY IMPORTANT CORPSES, DEATH SHALL COME, INTO THE THINNEST OF AIR, MURDER IN THE DARK, TILL SUDDEN DEATH DO US PART, NIGHT TRAIN TO MURDER, and THE HOUSE ON WIDOWS HILL.
Zeno represents Simon R. Green in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
Lavie Tidhar‘s acclaimed first novel for younger readers, CANDY, is due to be published in North America in three weeks! Peachtree Publishing will release the novel as THE CANDY MAFIA, with illustrations by Daniel Duncan, on September 1st. Here’s the synopsis…
In a city where candy is a crime and sugar is scandalous, Nelle Faulker is a 12-year-old private detective looking for her next client.
When notorious candy gangster Eddie de Menthe asks for her help to find a missing teddy bear, Nelle Faulkner is on the case. But as soon as the teddy turns up, Eddie himself goes missing! As a seemingly innocent investigation unravels into something more sinister, Nelle and her friends quickly find themselves swept up in a shady underworld of sweets smugglers, back alley deals, and storefront firebombs.
If Nelle has any hope of tracking down her missing client, first she’ll have to unmask the true faces behind the smuggling ring. Can Nelle and her friends find a way to take the cake? Or will they come to a sticky end…?
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets Bugsy Malone in this page-turning mystery from World Fantasy Award-winning author Lavie Tidhar. With moody spot illustrations by Daniel Duncan, readers will be sucked into the action-packed narrative as Nelle pulls the curtain back on the black market candy rings.
Here are just a few of the reviews the novel has received so far…
‘In his first book for younger readers, he creates perhaps his most chilling vision yet: a city where sweets are forbidden under a prohibition act… The tone is as hard-boiled as a cough drop. The jokes sizzle like Space Dust. CANDY is a treat, the kind of confection Roald Dahl and Raymond Chandler might have come up with after an all-night bonbon bender.’ — Financial Times
‘A perfectly pitched noir take on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory… delightful premise… as with Tidhar’s earlier work, his playful approach to genre is in service to the story’s hidden depths. He uses the trappings of noir detective tales to tell a subversive children’s story about corruption, the exploitation of vulnerable communities, and the limits of justice. The end result is a novel that for all its joyous sense of fun still packs a surprising emotional and philosophical punch… The whole thing is tied together by Tidhar’s wonderful character work and his excellent prose… engages in some beautiful, chocolate and candy themed descriptions which perfectly capture the playground noir aesthetic. Tidhar’s characters are drawn with surprising depth and sympathy, with only a few key scenes and interactions he is able to penetrate to the core of loneliness and desperation for belonging that inspires so many of his candy thugs and bullies, giving them believable humanising moments. Most importantly, we never lose sight of the characters as children, which is necessary for the novel to carry off its conceit.’ — Fantasy Faction
‘Like a mini Miss Marple meets Maynards… this mouthful of mystery will leave every reader feeling like a child in a sweetshop; just craving to read more from Lavie!’ — Reader Teacher
‘Candy is one of those books that do not take children and teenagers for fools. The story is able to change shifts, thanks to lot of humour, to more serious subjects. Of course, we can enjoy it at any age. If possible, the book should be served in place of dessert.’ — Geektest(France)
‘Due to the wonderfully fluent writing style, the pleasantly short chapters and the rousing plot, I devoured the book in record time. For girls and boys from the age of 10, who like to read exciting, funny, imaginative detective stories, “Secret Agent Candy” is just perfect. I really hope that this is a start of a series and we will soon be able to solve their second, tricky case together with Nelle… Exciting, funny, bizarre and just awesome!’ — Die Bücherwelt von CorniHolmes(Germany)
‘CANDY is the case when a children’s book can actually be interesting at any age. Children will appreciate the plot and humour, adults – a lot of references scattered throughout the text and how unexpectedly and funny elements of the classic “cool” and noir detective story are refracted, if you put them in the context of a children’s literature. Fun, playful and exciting.’ — Fantalab (Russia)
Today, Titan Books publishes LOW ACTION, the highly-anticipated fifth novel in Andrew Cartmel‘s acclaimed Vinyl Detective series! Originally slated for a May 2020 release, it was unfortunately delayed until now. But the wait is now over! Here’s the synopsis…
Semi-retired god of rock guitar and local poseur Erik Make Loud has got himself a new girlfriend. Helene Hilditch – formerly known as Howlin’ Hellbitch – of all-girl punk outfit Blue Tits is a mean guitarist, someone is trying to kill her.
With a rare pressing of their first album to find, the Vinyl Detective and Nevada are soon called into to help but this time the question is who isn’t a suspect. With a trail of grudges behind her, the list of people who could want Helene dead includes her ex-bandmates, their former producer turned record label mogul, the TV presenter that Helene got fired – even their old roadie could be in on it. The only person who isn’t a suspect is Delia Lispector, the Blue Tit’s bass player who has already been murdered…
Titan has published all four of the previous novels in the series, in the UK and North America: WRITTEN IN DEAD WAX, THE RUN-OUT GROOVE, VICTORY DISC, and FLIP BACK.
Here are just a few of the reviews the series has received so far…
‘This charming mystery feels as companionable as a leisurely afternoon trawling the vintage shops with a good friend.’ — Kirkus on WRITTEN IN DEAD WAX
‘… fast-paced, lighthearted adventure… marvelously inventive and endlessly fascinating…’ — Publishers Weekly on WRITTEN IN DEAD WAX
‘Part of the fun of the series is the obsessiveness of record collectors, the contradictions between the mundane places in which they hunt their treasures — charity shops, church bazaars — and the sophisticated sound systems they have set up to play what they find… the Vinyl Detective is proving to be a very amenable companion to have on a treasure hunt. This is one vinyl nerd you won’t mind spending time with.’ — Kirkus on THE RUN-OUT GROOVE
‘… entertaining second record-spinning mystery… Cartmel treats music and records seriously, plays his strange characters for laughs, and provides a bit of danger and some unexpected twists in this affectionate nod to the vagaries of rock stardom.’ — Publishers Weekly on THE RUN-OUT GROOVE
‘… effectively integrates the lead’s unusual specialty of searching out rare records into an intricately constructed plot… the clever resolution of the story lines is impressive. Fair-play fans, even those without an interest in music, will be pleased.’ — Publishers Weekly on VICTORY DISC
‘VICTORY DISC works beautifully both as a sequel and as a standalone novel… The story is splendid, continuing the fine tradition of the series to date of weaving fascinating fact with thrilling fiction… Andrew Cartmel is a fine mystery (and comedy) writer, keeping his readers smiling while never letting the elements of humour obfuscate the more serious moments… if you enjoyed the first two books, you’ll undoubtedly enjoy this one too. The unsolved murder mystery is highly intriguing, the characters introduced throughout are fully formed and a delight to uncover more about, and the chemistry between the Vinyl Detective and his friends is absolutely spot on. In short, VICTORY DISC is beautifully orchestrated and well worth taking for a spin this summer.’ — Alternative Magazine Online
