Forthcoming books from Headline Publishing

 

July 2026

The Violent Hour is by James Oswald. The victim of the murder cannot be identified, its brutal nature of the shocking both the public and the police. What could possibly have inflicted such gruesome injuries? Was it a wild animal on the loose, or the beginning of some horrific gang warfare? Another body is found on Musselburgh Beach: naked, comatose, but this time still alive. DI Tony McLean can't shake the feeling that there is a connection to the killing - but there are few leads for him and the team to go by. The police are at a loss, and the city is on edge - will the killer strike again?

Rachel Cartwright has a terrifying condition. Every 48 hours, her eyes shut tight - and stay that way for two long days. She can't work, can't go out. And, worse, when the world goes dark, she's certain someone is watching her. She can't prove it - but I believe her. And, as her doctor, I owe it to Rachel to help. I may not understand what's happening to her, but I've made it my job to protect her. To keep watch when she can't. But I can't help but feel there's something Rachel's not telling me. A shadow in her past she won't talk about. And now... I'm starting to feel it too. Like someone's watching me. The Eyewitness is by Naomi Williams

The Madman is by Henning Mankell. One day in 1947, Bertil Kras decides to leave his modest life in Stockholm and begin again - swapping his work at a bicycle courier firm for a job at a sawmill. He moves to a small market town in the north, where the locals are wary and divided, haunted by the memory of the internment camp that recently stood on the other side of the forest. Branded as a communist and an outsider, Bertil struggles to integrate. The winters are cruel, and his neighbours more so. One cold January night, the sawmill burns down. All eyes turn to Bertil: the perfect scapegoat. And with the weight of the town's judgement upon him, what is there left for him to become, but the man they have always expected him to be?

If you could change the past… What would it cost you? As teenagers, Laura and Freya were inseparable. Until the night Freya disappeared at a New Year's Eve party. Ever since, Laura has tried to bury the past. But exactly two decades after Freya vanished, Laura wakes in her childhood bedroom. She is back in the body of her seventeen-year-old self. And it's the day of the disappearance again. The only way back to the present is to uncover the truth. As Laura replays the past, can she find Freya? Will she ever return to her own life - or has she twisted the future beyond recognition? Before She Vanishes is by Rachel Louise Adams.

The Pandora Conspiracy is by Andy McDermott. Pandora's Box has long been thought a myth. But when archaeologist Nina Wilde and her husband, former SAS soldier Eddie Chase, are summoned to the White House for a secret meeting, it appears the legendary artefact is real, with the potential to bring great benefits to humanity - or unimaginable harm. Mistrustful of the motives of those who want to find it, Nina sets out with Eddie on a mission that is the opposite of her usual goal: to ensure the ancient treasure remains undiscovered for ever.  But as more groups join the hunt - including one led by her own daughter Macy - Nina finds herself trapped in an ever more deadly race which, if she loses, could destroy the world as we know it - and if she wins will tear her family apart...

There is also a new Eddie Flynn book due from Steve Cavanagh entitled One of Us is Guilty.

August 2026

The One Who Walked Away is by Karen Rose. Bounty hunter Elle Randolph is on the hunt for a fugitive in the wilderness of Mendocino County. She's also on the run from her past, and the accident she walked away from - but that killed her abusive husband. When the manager of the inn Elle is staying in is murdered, she and her boss Sara become people of interest to local detective Ronan Clarke. He needs to know exactly what placed these strangers at the scene of the crime. As Ronan questions Elle and Sara, he realises the fugitive they are tracking could be a suspect for the local murder. But to share information there needs to be trust. And, right now, is Ronan in a position to drop the bounty hunters from his enquiries? When another person turns up dead, Ronan sees there could be more to this investigation than he could have imagined. And that Elle Randolph isn't telling him everything . . .

You witnessed a murder. But no one believes you. When Ria moves with her husband to Silverleaf Heights, a lavish gated community, she tries to settle in and recover from the accident that nearly took her life. On the surface, everything is perfect; the neighbours welcome her with open arms, even though she doesn't feel she belongs, and she is safe and secure with all the security cameras and the locked gate. Or is she? Late one night, Ria witnesses a woman being murdered in the communal garden. When the police go to investigate, they find the neighbours away and no sign of disturbance. But Ria knows what she saw and is determined to find out who the woman was - even if no one else believes her. Then an anonymous WhatsApp appears on her phone - a video of another woman being murdered. When she looks closely, she quickly realises the woman is her. The message disappears, as if it never existed, but the meaning is clear: stop looking for the dead woman, or you'll be next. I Know What I saw is by Kathryn Croft

September 2026

1923. Diana Gold, owner and impresario, throws open the doors to the most opulent new hotel in London. As the champagne flows and the chandeliers shimmer, millionaires and gamblers rub shoulders with film stars and royalty. Everyone who's anyone is here. Everyone, that is, except two guests due at midnight. Powerful and dangerous, they've dragged Diana from the gutter and taught her all she knows. Her fate rests in their hands. If everything goes right, a whole new life awaits. One mistake will cost her everything. For this is much more than a hotel - it's the heart of Diana's intricate masterplan. Over twenty-four fateful hours, her guests will learn why they're really here. And Diana will take perfect care of them - unless they take care of her first. But when a body is found in the depths of the hotel, Diana's lavish opening night suddenly spirals out of control. . . The Midnight Guests is by Alex Hay.

Music to Die for at the Seaview Hotel is by Glenda Young. Eighties pop band The A64 are reuniting for the gig of a lifetime at Scarborough's Open-Air Theatre, and Helen Dexter is overjoyed when they book into her Seaview Hotel. However, as old tensions rise within the band, it's clear each musician has something to hide. Why is lead singer Starr running away from her past? Why is Pete the drummer secretive about where he's been for the last forty years? And when guitarist Dave breaks his legs in a freak window-cleaning accident, a new guitarist arrives, causing even more discord for all. Then, as the band rehearse for their comeback gig, a dead body is found. Can Seaview Hotel landlady Helen Dexter and her rescue greyhound Suki hit the right note and solve the crime?

October 2026

The Stretch is by Martina Cole. When Johnny Raglan is sentenced to life imprisonment, his past catches up with him. Doing time runs in the family, and everyone knows the score. But prison life isn't easy and Johnny's wife Janey and their two young sons are about to learn the hard way what it takes to survive . . .

How far would you go to save your family? Luke Jones, his wife Sofia and beloved son Max are hiking in a remote Scottish forest when they stumble across the body of a murdered woman. They're even more terrified when the killers reappear, guns in hand. Managing to flee, they each get separated in the dense woods - with Luke stumbling and knocking himself unconscious. When he wakes, there's no sign of Sofia and Max. But when his phone starts ringing, the nightmare really begins... Luke will do anything to save his wife and son. But, as a pawn in a deadly game which drags up his buried past, can he even save himself? No One is Safe is by Simon Kernick

 

Clare Mackay’s starter for ten

Seven years ago, I found myself on submission, the phrase that strikes fear into every writer’s heart. I had written a crime novel with a detective called Clare Mackay and had managed to secure an agent who was busy sending my book to prospective publishers. It was an exciting but anxious time as I waited for news, so I distracted myself by writing a second book with the same detective, handy to have if a publisher asked, ‘have you written anything else?’ At the time I hoped these books might become a two, or even a three-book series. 

Fast forward seven years and the tenth book, Watch Them Fall, is about to be published. How on earth did that happen? If I’d hoped for overnight success, I would be disappointed. I’d read stories of writers who’d had enthusiastic replies from publishers within an hour of reading their submission, making me believe it could happen to me. (Reader: it did not!) But I was thrilled to be offered a contract with digital first publisher, Canelo and my first book, See Them Run, came out in October 2019. There were no fireworks, no best seller chart appearances but slowly it gained traction.

As the months went on, I dreamed of bookshop and library appearances, of signing events and of, one day, seeing people read my book on trains and planes (still waiting for that one!) In February 2020 I made a trip to London to meet with my agent and publisher where I signed copies of my soon-to-be- published second book. Little did I know that was the last time I’d be promoting my books in person for quite some time. One month later we were in lockdown. Being shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2020 was both a thrill and a let-down. I was so happy that See Them Run had been shortlisted for a major prize but sad that the festival was unlikely to take place, in person, at least. I would miss the awards ceremony and the chance to meet so many writers who, over the years, had inspired me. The festival team did everything they could to make up for this with online activities, a short story jointly written by the shortlisted authors and festival appearances the following year, by which stage my third book, Lies to Tell, had also been published.

More contracts followed and this week I finished the first draft of book 11, to be published in 2027. It’s a privilege and a joy to be able to write what is becoming a long-running series. But let’s be honest here. There are days when the joy can be in short supply. Let me explain.

St Andrews, the setting for my books, is a beautiful university town that plays host to some ten thousand students, plus a large influx of tourists and golfers all year round. It’s a diverse population with the potential for a variety of crimes. So far, so good. But it’s also a fairly small town, geographically. Putting it frankly, I’m running out of places to leave bodies!

For the planned three-book series, this wouldn’t have been a problem. But as I wrap up book eleven and my thoughts turn to book twelve, I start to wonder where the next lot of crimes could take place. Where will my victims live? Where will the clues be found? And then there's the murders themselves. When you’ve shot, stabbed, garrotted, poisoned and bludgeoned victims to death, there’s little left in a murderer’s armoury.

The starting point is usually what do I want to write about? When I was planning Watch Them Fall, I knew I wanted to explore the problem of housing in an expensive town like St Andrews. Sound riveting, eh?! But throw in a body floating in the harbour, a protest march that threatens to get out of hand and a burglary where nothing is taken, and Clare is pushed to the very limit of her powers. 

And what of Clare? And Chris, her Wagon Wheel-loving sergeant? Over the course of ten books, they’ve become old friends to me as they progress in their personal and professional lives. Clare has acquired one dog, given two boyfriends the boot and (so far) has settled happily with the third. She continues to drink too much red wine, is domestically challenged (putting it politely) but remains fiercely loyal to her team and to the town that has become her adopted home. My affection for the detectives is undimmed but my favourite character – the only one I guarantee never to kill – is Clare’s badly-behaved dog, Benjy. He even has his own page on my website where you can see what he’s been up to. For the record, many of Benjy’s exploits are based on those of our family dog who takes ‘interesting behaviour’ to a whole new level.

What I love most of all is the way readers have taken Clare & co to their hearts. Last week a lady told me she’d made a traybake mentioned in one of the books and it’s now her favourite thing to bake. Some tell me they know exactly where Clare lives, what she looks like while others speculate about her having a baby. For readers to be so engaged, ten books on, is all the thanks I need to keep writing the series, and I hope to keep Clare busy with murder and mayhem for many years to come.

Watch Them Fall by Marion Todd (Canelo) Out Now

DI Clare Mackay is looking for danger in the wrong places. A body is hauled out of St Andrews harbour. This was no accident – DI Clare Mackay and her team have a murder investigation on their hands. Superintendent Penny Meakin is more focused on a break in at the salubrious home of local property developers. Many residents of the town oppose their plans for a new housing estate, and Penny insists that this controversy was a motive for the crime. Clare sees no evidence of this, but what is she overlooking? When another death occurs and links are found to the first victim, the intensity on all sides ramps up. Stretched to the absolute limit, how much strain can Clare’s officers take before something breaks, never to be repaired…

More information on Marion Todd and her books can e found on her website. She can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and TikTok @mariontoddwriter and on X @MarionETodd

Sykehouse Film and Writer’s Festival 2026

 

2026 Sykehouse Film and Writer’s Festival Returns Bigger and Better

Doncaster, UK – The 2026 Sykehouse Film and Writer’s Festival returns for its third year on 16–17 May 2026 at the Holiday Inn Doncaster A1, expanding to two full days of film screenings, author events, workshops, pitching sessions and networking opportunities. This is the only festival of its kind which brings authors and filmmakers together.

This year’s programme features a packed schedule of selected films, filmmaker Q&As, and exclusive interviews with acclaimed director Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent, Doomsday), actress/producer Terri Dwyer, and producer William Prince. A special Saturday screening of The Mystery of Mr ‘E’ will be followed by a Q&A with bestselling author Sophie Hannah, director Martyn Tott and cast.

The author stream includes appearances from award winning writers Antony Johnston, Maxim Jakubowski, and Dacre Stoker, who presents 129 Years of Dracula from Page to Stage to Screen.

Attendees can pitch to industry professionals, including literary agent Camilla Shestopal, join hands-on workshops, and network with leading creatives. Ticket packages range from £10 student passes to £99 VIP experiences, including a red-carpet gala and awards evening.

Tickets are available now via Eventbrite. Visit www.slhfilmfest.com for full details.

The festival proudly supports Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS), a specialist charity supporting survivors of domestic abuse.

 

Jane Gregory Bursaries for under-represented writers to attend 'Creative Thursday' at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival now open

Applications are now open for the Jane Gregory Bursaries, offering three under-represented writers a unique opportunity to attend the Creative Thursday writing day at the 2026 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, the world’s largest and most prestigious celebration of crime fiction, taking place in Harrogate on 23-26 July 2026. 

Creative Thursday is an immersive day of workshops and talks designed to nurture new crime writing talent taking place on 23 July, the opening day of the Festival. Led by bestselling crime writers A.A. Dhand, Becca Day, G.R. Halliday, L C Winter and Edel Coffey with industry experts including Julie Mae Cohen and N J Cooper, the programme also includes a unique chance to pitch to publishing insiders in The Dragon's Pen, hosted by Mark Billingham.

The Jane Gregory Bursaries were created to support the next generation of crime writers and welcome applications before 22nd March from under-represented writers, who may lack opportunities due to disabilities, identity, health or social circumstances.  They represent a fantastic opportunity for aspiring crime writers to attend the Creative Thursday writing day and the Festival itself.

Creative Thursday has proved pivotal in the development of many now successful  crime writers, including Mari Hannah, who went on to become the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Programming Chair in 2019, Suzy Aspley whose thriller Crow Moon was shortlisted for the 2024 McDermid Debut Award, and attendee Rebecca Philipson whose debut novel ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ is published by Transworld this spring.  

 

Ripster Revivals #21

 

Ripster Revivals # 21: An Apology

Actually, two apologies. First to frantic regular readers who have been wondering why this column has not appeared since before Christmas. This is due entirely to modern technology and problems with the website about which I neither know nor care. And secondly, to Ayo Onatade, who has graciously allowed me to impose upon the Shots blog which she curates so magnificently. {Note to Editor: We have told her, haven’t we?}

Happy New Reading Year

Readers of regular crime novels will need an entire suspension bridge of disbelief to cope with Vivian Dies Again by C.E. Hulse [Viper], which could have been called Groundhog Death Day. The titular anti-heroine and victim, Vivian, is a self-confessed ‘manic pixie dream slut in going-out underwear’ who has her drug-dealer on speed dial. 

Vivian’s special skill set of gate-crashing family parties, ravaging the cocktail bar and upsetting (or sleeping with) her relatives results in most of them having a good reason to murder her and the inevitable duly happens – eighty-four times as Vivian is caught in a time-loop which makes her re-live (should that be re-die?) the experience. Naturally (well, you would, wouldn’t you) she uses this supernatural reset button to try and solve her own murder with the help of a grumpy wine waiter.

Also out now is Sounds Like Trouble by American writing duo Pamela Samuels Young and Dwayne Alexander Smith [Faber]. I am not being disingenuous when I say this struck me as a traditional private eye story; there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. It is set, naturally, in California and features a partnership of endearingly flirty detectives, Jackson Jones and Mackenzie Cunningham, who take it in turns to narrate their latest case which they have taken on with some trepidation as their client are the bosses of Los Angeles’ three main crime families. The tone is light, the pace sprightly and overall, great fun.

Coming next month is debut novel The Artful Anna Harris by Tracy Maton [Viper] which possibly falls into the category of ‘domestic noir’ as the predictably unpredictable protagonist Anna leaks details of her London past combined with her present situation in village life in Somerset. The problem for the reader is whether she is a faithful or a traitor as she adapts her own personality and adopts those of others. It’s not long before there’s a death – by herd of cows – and things begin to get rather creepy as Anna perfects her chameleon-like skills, having lost her moral compass somewhere along the way. The Talented Miss Maton is particularly good at depicting the suffocating effects of village life where an incomer is expected to conform to the ideals of the ruling extended families.

Illustrations in crime novels, other than maps, are rare but not unknown (I recall a Minette Walters’ novel from 2000 using the technique) but I have never before come across a book with such atmospheric, and relevant, commissioned artwork. Totem by Matthew Hall [Eye Books], published in May, is part legal, part environmental thriller set in British Columbia which highlights both the threat of ruthless developers to the natural forest and the treatment of Canada’s First Nation’s natives. The illustrations in Totem are by Jeff ‘Red’ George, an Ojibway artist from the Kettle and Stoney Point First Nation.

Remembrances of Readings Past

Readers of this column and many a book dealer will know, I have a weakness for the old A-format paperback (that slides easily into the poacher’s pocket of one’s Barbour waxed jacket), especially Pan or Fontana titles with the price in pre-decimal currency. So I can understand why I was attracted to The Storm Knight (cover price: five shillings) by Frederick E. Smith, whom I knew only as the author of 633 Squadron, the basis of an incredibly popular film in my youth with a theme tune still played to this day by the massed bands of the RAF on royal occasions.

I had honestly no idea that Frederick Escreet Smith (1919-2012) was the author of more than thirty books in various genres in addition to the ten war novels featuring his legendary squadron of WWII Mosquito fighter-bombers.

His 1966 novel The Storm Knight looked like just the sort of thriller I was brought up on, involving a wartime back story, a sunken ferry (containing vital secrets) in a Norwegian fjord and a passing Canadian tourist who just happens to be a skin-diver and underwater salvage expert. Oh, and there’s a girl who has an interest in the wreck and you know what’s going to happen there from the off, despite some cack-handed attempts at seduction by our skin-diving hero.

For a while it reminded me of a tale Hammond Innes might have told, but the geography, sailing and diving scenes are nowhere near what Innes could do. And despite decent baddies, a minefield and the wreck of the ferry lying on a rock shelf, teetering on the brink of an abyss, The Storm Knight does not actually thrill that much. The ‘skin diving’ scenes – an odd expression given the temperature of the water in a Norwegian fjord – are rather laboured and confusing unless you know that a Drager was a German breathing apparatus, as it is not explained, and the cover illustration suggests an aqualung. But I’m being picky. My main complaint was why was it called The Storm Knight? I think I missed that bit.

Thinking of Smith’s best-known work, plus the fact that the 1964 film was on television (again) this month, reminded me that 633 Squadron had been published in Air Ace Picture Library, one of several series of one-shilling comic books (would we call them graphic novels today?) which told stories of derring-do, mostly from WWII. 

Among these 64-page ‘pocket libraries’ produced by competing publishers, were Battle, Combat, Action and Commando, but the first, and my personal addiction, was War Picture Library which began in 1958 and ran through more than 2000 titles up to 1984. The artwork was noted for its precision when it came to uniforms and equipment and the stories for their historical accuracy. While individual authors were never specifically identified, it is safe to assume that many of the stable of writers had first-hand experience of the war and the stories they created were never simply of the gung-ho crash-bash-boom-kapow(!) variety. The storytelling was of the highest quality, and I do not think that is me looking back on a mis-spent youth through a soft-focus lens.

I still remember some of those stories more than fifty years on and one in particular has always stuck in my mind – I even remembered that it was War Picture Library #80 – from 1961, the dramatically titled Banzai! about a small group of Australian soldiers fighting a last-ditch action during the Japanese invasion of New Guinea.

A quick search on Ebay informs me that a reprint was issued in the Battle Picture Library in 1984 and can be bought for about ten quid. Makes me almost wish I’d kept my first edition, but that went – along with my collection of about 200 others – when I started secondary school and discovered my first James Bond book: Dr No in, you’ve guessed it, an A-format Pan paperback (which I still possess).

From the To-Be-Read Pile

I really cannot think why it has taken me so long to get around to reading Eric Ambler’s Send No More Roses as I picked up a 1977 first edition at a very reasonable price about five years ago.

It is a ‘late’ Ambler (1909-1998) whose personal golden age is usually regarded as the 1930s and early ’40s, though all Amblers are well worth reading even when, as in this case, the elements of suspense, jeopardy and violent action are deliberately toned down. This is a cerebral thriller covering familiar Ambler themes; primarily, the nature of crime – in this case, when does legal tax avoidance become illegal tax evasion – and, as always, who can you trust among your fellow criminals? (Some may be faithfuls but there are always traitors.) There is also the Ambler trademark of having an international cast of characters, several of them deliberately stateless, or at least of convoluted origins, all gathered in a rented villa on the French Riviera, an old Ambler stomping-ground. (As an aside: did Ambler ever set a novel completely in England?)

Published in the US as The Siege of the Villa Lipp, though in my UK edition it is the Villa Esmerelda, the location is seemingly perfect for a bizarre meeting between a shady but successful international money-launderer and a trio of criminologists determined to label him a super-villain and the archetype of a new breed of ‘Able Criminals’. The small main cast of six become embroiled in lengthy debates, with one side blustering and indignant, the other accused and seemingly defensive but definitely not telling all the truth. Interlaced with reports of this distrustful summit, the main protagonist provides flashbacks (honest ones?) to his early career in the British army in Italy during the war and the beginning of what today would be called money-laundering and white-collar crime.

An external but very real threat to the villa and its guests emerges resulting in a rapid and dramatic escape, the threads of the story then being tied up far away from the Riviera, in the Caribbean and on an obscure South Pacific island near Fiji. And once again Ambler demonstrates his long-held theory that the innocent can easily find themselves involved in crime (or espionage) and that there is no such thing as a super-villain, merely greedy and distrustful men.

The central subject matter – tax evasion/avoidance – may not seem to be the usual Ambler fare. Could it be that Ambler had some personal score to settle with the tax authorities? Who knows? The important thing is that in Send No More Roses, Ambler is as damnably readable as he ever was.

Bespoke Problems

The problem with having a bespoke book dealer is that they tantalise me with books which I simply have to have and thus my To-Be-Read continues to increase. Despite my best efforts, its growth seems unstoppable; so much so that I have nick-named my dealer The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

My latest acquisition was Time Right Deadly the 1956 debut novel of ‘Sarah Gainham’ (Rachel Ames, 1915-1999), the edition being a 1957 Dragon paperback, an imprint I was unfamiliar with, but which was an imprint of publisher Arthur Barker which became Weidenfeld & Nicholson and subsequently Orion – publishers I have heard of.

The novels of Sarah Gainham, set mainly in the post-war Austria she knew well, have recently been reappraised as significant contributions to spy fiction. Her debut novel however, although there are hints of possible espionage, is primarily a detective story and the story of two detectives. When charming and rather randy journalist Julian Dryden is shot dead in a dodgy part of the Russian sector of occupied Vienna in 1947, suspicion falls on one of his lovers, Ellen Perrott, who is married to an unbelievably tolerant British diplomat. Ellen is not a sympathetic character, bitchily dismissing one of her rivals for Dryden’s affections as ‘A common little thing ...(with)…her provincial worries about her reputation in the intervals of concupiscence.’

In the first half of the book, the dim and lazy Colonel Thompson leads the British investigation, despite not speaking a word of German, or Russian. He is convinced of Ellen Perrot’s guilt but too worried about upsetting the status quo to take action. Then (for no clear reason I can see), the investigation is taken over by a retired Austrian policeman, Mollner, who chain smokes cigars, re-questions witnesses and uncovers Dryden’s involvement in a people smuggling ring which, for a price, helps people escape from behind the descending Iron Curtain.

It is the grizzled veteran Mollner, who knows the ways of Central Europe, rather than the stiff, humourless Thompson who doesn’t care about them, who brings the case to a conclusion.

True Crime 

I met Patricia Cornwell once. It would have been back in 1990 at a party to mark the UK publication of her ground-breaking debut thriller Postmortem and I was there as the crime fiction critic of the Sunday Telegraph (“an excellent chiller with pace and tension”), very much in the shadow of those far more experienced reviewers Harry Keating and Julian Symons.

Now, thirty-six years and thirty-six(?) best-selling novels on, Ms Cornwell gives us an autobiographical memoir, True Crime, to be published in May by Sphere, which has already been described as ‘achingly honest’ and, according to fellow bestseller James Patterson, ‘could be the best book she’s ever written’.

The Other Cornwell

Nicholas Cornwell, better known by his pen-name Nick Harkaway, has done sterling work continuing the legend of his father’s famous creation George Smiley, but I had no idea he himself must have had an adventurous past, as chronicled by novelist John Harris…

Until normal service is resumed,

The Ripster.

Sounds LIke Trouble Q & A with Pamela Samuels Young and Dwayne Alexander Smith

 Introduction:

Dwayne Alexander Smith is the author of Forty Acres, which is in development at Netflix, with Jay-Z attached to produce. Pamela Samuels Young has been widely published across genres, and Netflix is also developing her work, having optioned the first two books in her Vernette Henderson series. Both authors received NAACP Image Awards, for Forty Acres and Anybody’s Daughter respectively.

AO:     What brought the two of you together?  

PSY & DAS:   We’d known each other for a few years after becoming familiar with each other’s work. We’d see each other at book events from time to time and eventually became friends. Our writing styles are pretty similar, and we had discussed the idea of collaborating on a novel. Dwayne came up with the idea for the first book in the series, Sounds Lika a Plan. He shared it with Pamela and suggested they write it together, and she was all in.

AO:     Not only are you both novelists but you also have other jobs. How do you balance this with your writing.

PSY & DAS:   Pamela retired from the practice of law a few years ago and has been writing full time since then. Dwyane is still a full-time writer, focusing primarily on screenwriting. We both love writing and are luckily enough to be able to do it full time.

AO:     A lot of trust is needed for authors who collaborate, how do the two of you work together not only on the plot but the characters?

PSY & DAS:   We work from a pretty detailed outline. So once the writing process begins, we know exactly where the story is headed. Dwayne wrote the first chapter from Jackson’s POV and sent it to Pamela, who wrote the next chapter from Mackenzie’s POV. We went back and forth with that process until the book was completed. We pretty much stuck to the outline. It was a relatively smooth process, with very few hiccups. Because our writing style is pretty similar and because we both like each other’s solo work, it was a relatively smooth process.

AO:     When I read  Sounds Like Trouble, it brought back memories of other detecting duos for example Dashiell Hammet’s Nick and Nora Charles, Laurie R. King's Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs to name a few. What makes them work so well as a duo and was it intentional that they had to be a male and a female when for example you have duos such as Sherlock Holmes and Watson, Poirot and Hastings.

PSY & DAS:   Thanks for that amazing compliment. From the start we felt that the dynamic between Jackson and Mackenzie would click. Actually, we saw our two protagonists more like Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd in the TV show Moonlighting.  We wanted the same kind of humorous love / hate chemistry.

AO:     Are there any elements of yourselves in your main characters.

PSY & DAS:   We don’t like to admit it, but there are elements of Jackson that are very much like Dwyane and the same for Pamela and Mackenzie. Dwyane can be a little prima donna-like, and Pamela does have her uptight moments.

AO:     What sparked the idea for the current storyline featuring mobsters?

PSY & DAS:   Dwyane has a folder full of story ideas. He came up with the mobster’s storyline and when Pamela heard it, she was hooked. Dwyane is definitely the part of the duo who comes up with the outrageous car chases and action scenes.

AO:     How important is research and do you do a lot of research? In Sounds Like Trouble did you get to hang out with mobsters?

PSY & DAS:   Fortunately, we didn’t have to hang out with mobsters, LOL! We are both long-time fans of crime fiction. We just put our imaginations to work and went for it. We, of course, do research when there’s something we don’t have a lot of familiarity with. For instance, we researched what’s involved in picking a lock. We’ll also make sure the settings for our stories make sense. If we describe a building on a particular street, we make sure the architecture fits.

AO:     How difficult is it then to have storylines to ensure that they are realistic without going overboard.

PSY & DAS:   We work hard to present a realistic story, but as fiction writers, we do take some liberties when it’s necessary. For example, could the two PIs really sneak into a well-guarded cemetery where tons of famous people are buried? Maybe? We try to present each scenario in a way that the reader can at least accept it as a possibility.

AO:     How important is LA as a location in this series and did you consider setting it elsewhere.

PSY & DAS:   Location is very important for us. Local readers love reading about places they recognize. Hence, we give a great deal of thought to where the scenes take place. We want to make sure our LA-based readers can visualize the scene as they’re reading because they’ve visited that exact location. We’re both from L.A. and know the city well, so we never considered another location. That’s not to say we won’t take the story to another location at some point.

AO:     The book touches on themes of justice, loyalty, and morality when working for criminals. Was there a deliberate message that you were trying to convey about the characters' moral compasses, especially given the "offer they can't refuse”?

PSY & DAS:   We weren’t necessarily trying to make a moral statement. Instead, we wanted to create a story with lots of drama, action and conflict, where the stakes our main characters faced were constantly being raised. If that also encompasses a moral or social issue, so be it.

AO:     There is a lot of banter between your two main characters. How easy or difficult has it been to make sure that their relationship does not overwhelm the story.

PSY & DAS:   The banter was both easy and fun to write. That’s because if you eavesdropped on a conversation between Dwayne and Pamela, it might be much the same as the banter between Jackson and Mackenzie. We never feared their relationship would take over the story. Our major focus was always on the plot and making sure it engaged the reader from chapter to chapter.

AO:     Now that you have written two books in the series is there anything in hindsight you wish you could change about both your characters?

PSY & DAS:   No, not really. We were pretty happy with how we crafted our characters.

 AO:     A lot of action takes place.  Which is more important to you character or plot?

PSY & DAS:   Definitely plot! We both write commercial fiction and love a fast-paced, engaging mystery. That doesn’t mean we don’t want well-developed characters. But our primary focus is on our plot.

AO:     There are two types of crime writers those who meticulously plan before writing and those who jump straight in and find the story along the way. Which do you do?

PSY & DAS:   We are definitely meticulous plotters. Dwayne prepared a very detailed chapter-by-chapter outline of Sounds Like Trouble. Then we discussed it and made a few changes. Along the way, the story changed, but because we wrote this book together, it was crucial to have a well-developed outline from the start.

AO:     One could call this series a cross-genre book as it has not only elements of a thriller but that of a mystery and humour.  Was this intentional?

PSY & DAS:   Yes, all of that was intentional. The interplay between Jackson and Mackenzie was intended to be funny, since they have such different personalities. We had a lot of fun with those chapters. We also wanted to keep the reader guessing. If there’s one thing we both equally hate, it’s a predictable ending.

AO:     I believe that if you would like a good grounding in social history and social policy that one should read a crime novel.  How important was it for you to weave important topics into your books?

PSY & DAS:   While we also think that’s important, we didn’t necessarily start out planning to make any social statements. But when the opportunity presents itself, we’ll take it. For example, in the next book in the series, we’ll be delving into AI and the impact of social media on our lives.

AO:     What next for Jackson Jones and Mackenzie Cunningham.

PSY & DAS:   We truly enjoy breathing life into Mackenzie and Jackson and dreaming up adventures for them. We plan to write many more books in this series and are currently drafting the third book in the series.       

Sounds Like Trouble by Pamela Samuels Young and Dwayne Alexander Smith (Faber & Faber) £9.99 (Out Now)

Three mobsters. Two detectives. A deadly race against time. Jackson Jones and Mackenzie Cunningham – two of the best private investigators in the business – are presented with a case they aren’t allowed to refuse. The heads of L.A.’s three major crime families have tasked them with finding sensitive information hidden by a man in critical condition before he flatlines. Or else.  The pair can’t agree on how to furnish the office of their new joint venture, Safe and Sound Investigations, let alone the nature of their feelings for each other. But with a masked man on their tail, they are going to have to stick together if they are going to have any chance of solving the case.

More information about the authors can be found on their websites - www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com and Dwayne Alexander Smith

Dwayne Alexander Smith can also be found on Instagram @theamazin and on Facebook

Pamela Samuels Young can also be found on  X and Instagram @AuthorPSY and on Facebook