Thriller - Zeno Agency Ltd.

Next month: William Gibson’s highly-anticipated AGENCY!

Posted on Thursday, December 5th, 2019

Next month, William Gibson‘s new masterpiece, AGENCY is due to be published! The follow-up to the acclaimed THE PERIPHERAL, it is a gripping thriller set in an alternate present. Publishers Weekly has already said that, ‘Cyberpunk fans looking to dive into the “what-if’s” of an alternate timeline will be as enraptured as ever by Gibson’s imagination’.

Published in the UK by Viking, on January 23rd, here’s the synopsis…

San Francisco, 2017. Clinton’s in the White House, Brexit never happened — and Verity Jane’s got herself a new job.

They call Verity ‘the app-whisperer’, and she’s just been hired by a shadowy start-up to evaluate a pair-of-glasses-cum-digital-assistant called Eunice. Only Eunice has other ideas.

Pretty soon, Verity knows that Eunice is smarter than anyone she’s ever met, conceals some serious capabilities and is profoundly paranoid – which is just as well since suddenly some bad people are after Verity.

Meanwhile, in a post-apocalyptic London a century from now, PR fixer Wilf Netherton is tasked by all-seeing policewoman Ainsley Lowbeer with interfering in the alternative past in which Verity and Eunice exist. It appears something nasty is about to happen there – and fixing it will require not only Eunice’s unique human-AI skillset but also a little help from the future.

A future which Verity soon fears may never be…

Sure to be one of the biggest releases of the year, we can’t wait for you to read this one! For more insight into this novel, check out this interview with the author over at Locus Magazine. If you can’t wait, be sure to read THE PERIPHERAL before AGENCY arrives — it is out now, published by Penguin.

Of course, we also recommend you check out Gibson’s classic Neuromancer series, published in the UK by Gollancz. The first in that series is also available as a SF Masterworks special edition.

Zeno represents William Gibson in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of Nell Pierce at Sterling Lord Literistic.

UK Cover & Details: KILL ALL ANGELS by Robert Brockway

Posted on Monday, September 11th, 2017

This December, Titan Books are due to publish the third novel in Robert Brockway‘s critically-acclaimed Unnoticeables series, KILL ALL ANGELS! Here’s the synopsis…

After the events of the first two books of the Unnoticeables series, Carey and Randall reached LA during the early ’80s punk scene, which was heavily mixed up with Chinatown. A young Chinese girl with silver hair is the Empty One that seems to run things there, and her ex-lover, an Empty One named Zang, has apparently turned against them and may or may not be on Carey’s side.

In modern times, Kaitlyn and company have also returned to LA, because her powers have been growing, and she has been having visions that may be telling her how to kill all of the angels. The downside being that they have to find a new one, first—and LA is the only place they know where to do that.

Titan have already published the first two novels, THE UNNOTICEABLES and THE EMPTY ONES.

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

‘This is an off-kilter, offbeat piece of work…[The characters’] threads finally come together in an adrenaline-fuelled climax that reads like Hunter S. Thompson went drinking with Stephen King. Brockway’s style is raw and over the top, at times too clever and convoluted for its own good, but strangely readable, with unexpected depths.’ — Publishers Weekly on THE UNNOTICEABLES

‘Raucous, highly entertaining slice of madness, which cuts between the New York punk scene in 1970s New York City and present day Hollywood and offers plenty of chills and a lot of laughs… It’s fast, funny and creepy, with two hugely likeable central characters. Roll on book two.’ — SciFi Now on THE UNNOTICEABLES

‘Whatever those guys are smoking over at Cracked.com is working… Just kick back and enjoy the wild ride. [THE UNNOTICEABLES is a] nasty, freaky, and haphazardly funny horror story.’ — Kirkus

‘THE EMPTY ONES is a fever dream of horror and fantasy infused with punk rock, blood and guts, and humor. Its atypical heroes will keep you enthralled, wincing and cheering.’ — The Qwillery

‘Brockway refuses to slow down for an instant, and the result is a wild ride from start to finish.’ — B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog on THE EMPTY ONES

‘In THE EMPTY ONES, Brockway turns the weird and crazy dials up to eleven and manages to pull off a novel that’s both hilarious and horrifying.’ — Kirkus

‘Brockway, a senior editor at Cracked, throws caution to the wind in this foul-mouthed, hard-drinking adventure, which reads like a collaboration by Hunter S. Thompson, the Sex Pistols, and H.P. Lovecraft.’ — Publishers Weekly on THE EMPTY ONES

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

Backlist Plug: Elizabeth Hand’s CASS NEARY series…

Posted on Friday, June 16th, 2017

Today, we turn back the clock a few years, and spotlight Elizabeth Hand‘s cult-classic, critically-acclaimed Cass Neary duology: GENERATION LOSS and AVAILABLE DARK. The novels are published in the UK by Constable & Robinson. Here’s the synopsis for the first novel…

The secrets of small-town life can be more deadly than fist fights and dead junkies…

Cass Neary is not afraid of living on the edge. A photographer whose shots of New York’s punk scene in the seventies earned her fame, caché, and a cultish kind of cool, Cass has spent much of her life in the dark, watching and waiting. But thirty years later she is alone, adrift and falling rapidly into oblivion. So when an old acquaintance asks her to interview a fellow photographer — a notorious recluse who lives on an island off the Maine coast — she accepts.

There, she learns about a decades-old crime that is still claiming new victims — and comes to realise that her days of living dangerously are not over yet: amid this inhospitable hinterland, Cass comes to realise that her final shot might also be a shot at redemption.

The series has been described as ‘Patricia Highsmith meets Patti Smith’ and as a ‘mesmerizing literary thriller’. Here are some more reviews…

‘Cass Neary… makes Lisbeth Salander seem like a model of mental stability… Stunning.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘In the spirit of Stieg Larsson”s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo… As the dark Nordic forest thickens, so does the plot. Larsson fanatics may be unable to resist.’ — New York Post

‘Pulsing with tension throughout… charged with its own chilling luminosity.’ — Washington Post

‘A brilliant sequel to Hand”s acclaimed literary thriller GENERATION LOST… Stunning.’ — Booklist (Starred Review)

‘Fiercely frightening yet hauntingly beautiful, with a startling heroine you”ll never forget… Shimmers with gorgeous writing even as it scares the dickens out of you.’ — Tess Gerritsen

‘Intense and atmospheric, Generation Loss is an inventive brew of postpunk attitude and dark mystery. Elizabeth Hand writes with craftsmanship and passion.’ — George Pelecanos

‘A skin blistering crime novel as edgy and black as dried blood on a moonlit night.’ — Robert Crais

Elizabeth Hand’s latest novel, WYLDING HALL, was published recently by Open Road Media.

Zeno represents Elizabeth Hand in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of Martha Millard at Sterling Lord Literistic.

Discover THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE in paperback today!

Posted on Tuesday, June 13th, 2017

The US paperback edition of Simon Kurt Unsworth‘s critically-acclaimed THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE is out today in the US! Published by Anchor, here’s the synopsis…

Thomas Fool is a detective from Hell – literally. Having survived the wrath of both angel and demon, and still without memory of his life on earth, Fool is currently spending his damnation as a bureaucrat heading up the Information Office of Hell. But when mysterious fires begin spooking higher-ups in the Bureaucracy – homicidal arson, it’s believed–and a series of unexplained murders plagues Heaven, Fool is dispatched north to investigate.

But Heaven is not what Fool imagines. In fact, it’s not so different from Hell. And friction between the two afterworlds is only beginning to mount as Fool conducts his investigation. The Devil’s Evidence is a thrilling ride through the spiritual realm, and a welcome return for the dead’s most endearing private eye.

Anchor also published the first in the series, THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE. Both novels are published in the UK by Del Rey. Here are some of the great reviews the series has received so far…

‘Unsworth’s conception of a spiritual universe where deeper understanding may itself be the greatest curse is as nuanced and ingenious as his depiction of “poor little Fool,” perhaps the most oddly endearing sleuth to come along in years. The scales are tipped a tad more toward gaudy savagery and gratuitous cruelty than toward more intellectual digressions and plot twists. Still, one suspects Thomas Fool will return, with more respect from readers than from his spiritual jailers. It’s less a whodunit than a ripsnorter, with an emphasis on the ripping. Or maybe the snorting.’ — Kirkus on THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE

‘Unsworth’s imagination soars! THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE is a twisted journey into the afterlife, a dark labyrinth of mystery, and a brilliant contemplation on identity, transgression, and our struggle to recognize that we each make our own heaven and our own hell. A fresh new voice in dark fiction. Don’t miss this series!’ — Christopher Golden

‘The ultimate solution is a fairly clued surprise, and Unsworth’s creative worldbuilding leaves plenty of room for a sequel.’ — Publishers Weekly on THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE

‘Do you love Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series? How about the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch? Like a bit of John Le Carre intrigue? If so, you will love THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE. A hybrid between horror fantasy and crime procedural, Simon Kurt Unsworth’s novel had this writer hooked from its first opening, fiery lines… Unsworth has built a very horrible, yet believable universe with characters who you can hate as well as root for. While you don’t need to read the first novel to enjoy the second in the series, we really do recommend you start at the beginning. There’s a lot to take in and a great deal of character development to enjoy. A real page turner.‘ 10/10 — Starburst

‘Dark and luminous, compelling and insidious, THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE is a novel that transcends genre.’ — Michael Marshall Smith

‘Inventive and intriguing – Unsworth turns a journey through Hell into a heavenly read.’ — Alison Littlewood

‘I think this might be the most whimsical murder story ever told. THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE is relentlessly creative, fearlessly witty, and completely twisted. Naturally, I loved it.’ — Chelsea Cain

‘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

‘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

‘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

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 US Paperback

Posted on Tuesday, February 9th, 2016

Simon Kurt Unsworth‘s critically-acclaimed debut novel, THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE, is out now in paperback in the US! Published by Doubleday, here’s the synopsis…

Something is changing in Hell.

A man is found dead, murdered in a horrific manner – even by Hell’s standards – and he is merely the first of many. Unfortunately, these deaths coincide with a political visit from a Heavenly delegation, so the pressure is on Thomas Fool, an Information Man, to track down and identify the murderer. It’s critical that Fool solves these crimes, but how can he find a killer in a place where murder is common currency?

With no memory of his past but an irresistible drive to discover the truth, Fool will follow the trail of clues straight into the heart of a dark and chaotic conspiracy. A revolution is brewing in Hell… and nothing is what it seems.

Here’s just a small sample of the aforementioned critical acclaim…

‘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

‘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

The sequel, THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE, is also due to be published by Doubleday, on July 5th, 2016. We shared the US cover a little while ago, but here it is again…

The two novels are published in the UK by Del Rey — the paperback of THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE is due out 0n February 25th, 2016 (it is still available in hardcover), and THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE is due out on October 6th, 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.

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.

A MAN LIES DREAMING in Paperback Today in the UK…

Posted on Thursday, March 12th, 2015

The paperback edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s critically-acclaimed A MAN LIES DREAMING is published today in the UK, by Hodder Books. Here’s the synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world – a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A Man Lies Dreaming is the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.

Lavie is the author of many critically-acclaimed novels and novellas, including The Bookman Histories, published by Angry Robot; the World Fantasy Award-winning OSAMA, published by Solaris; and THE VIOLENT CENTURY published by Hodder in the UK and Thomas Dunne in the US.

‘A twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Savagely funny… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘Tidhar is a masterful writer. More so even than James Smythe and Adam Roberts, he is perhaps the UK’s most literary speculative fiction writer, and we should celebrate A MAN LIES DREAMING as more a masterful work of literary fiction than of speculative fiction. But it is exactly that: masterful.’ — Strange Horizons

‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… 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 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

Simon R. Green’s THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD is Out Tomorrow

Posted on Wednesday, January 28th, 2015

THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD, the latest novel from New York Times-bestselling author Simon R. Green is out tomorrow in the UK. Published by Severn House, the novel is the first in a new mystery series starring Ishmael Jones. 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…

Severn House are also due to publish THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD in the United States, in May 2015.

Simon R. Green is also the author of the best-selling and fan favourite Nightside and Secret Histories series, both of which were recently published in the UK by Jo Fletcher Books as eBooks. He is also the author of the official ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES tie-in novel.

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