Forthcoming books from Bonnier Zaffre

 May 2026

House of Two Pharaohs is by Wilbur Smith. Hidden in the shadows, an evil will rise . . .Piay, appointed Nomarch of Memphis by the God-Pharoah Rameses, has transformed his city, rebuilding the famous white walls, feeding the once starving citizens and returning the wealth plundered by the barbarian Hyksos. But when a murdered scribe is found sealed inside the city's newly-constructed vault - with the mark of Anubis, god of death, scrawled next to him in blood - panic tears through the people. Piay calls on the only man in Egypt he knows can discover the truth: his mentor, the great sage Taita. But soon after Taita's arrival in Memphis, the bloody mark of Anubis appears again.Taita and Piay are pitted against a criminal mastermind turned warlord. The pair's adversary has a simple, brutal aim: restore the Red Pretender's kingdom - and obliterate Rameses's forces. Drawn into a desperate battle of wits, can Taita and Piay finally reunite the two kingdoms? Or will the shadow of the Red Pretender tear Egypt apart once again? Who will survive the battle in the house of the two pharaohs?

Dark Horse is by Felix Francis. Imogen Duffy is a young Irish jockey, whose fledgling career is given a huge boost when she wins a prestigious horse race at the Cheltenham Steeplechasing Festival. But all is not well in her life. She has a violent and controlling boyfriend, also a jockey, and he becomes increasingly jealous of her success. As a result, she tries to break off their relationship, but he won't take 'no' for an answer. He attacks her, and claims that he'd rather kill her than allow her to leave him. Imogen flees her home in Ireland, coming to England to get away from him, and to continue her riding career at a racing stable in Lambourn, where she finds increasing success. But the abusive boyfriend follows her across the Irish Sea, stalks her, steals from her, attacks her again, and then tries to ruin both her career and her reputation. Imogen's desperate father turns to Sid Halley for help, and Sid reluctantly agrees to investigate, but then finds that he is also being stalked and threatened. Can Sid find out what the hell is going on, and before it is too late?

1829. Mahikeng Mission Station. Highveld, Southern Africa. The warrior king is dead. Ralph Courtney and Ann Waite have escaped. From the chaos and bloodshed that consumed the Zulu nation after the murder of King Shaka. From Ralph's enemies. From the man who would have enslaved Ann and sold her to the highest bidder. Now Ralph and Ann, and their son Harry, are safe. Rescued by the missionaries at Mahikeng, they can finally dream of a new life. Or can they . . . ? For what awaits them is a journey of unimaginable horrors, that will take Ralph from the bandit outposts on the border of Cape Colony, across oceans, and into the dark heart of the brutal system by which the British Crown imposes obedience on its subjects, while Ann is drawn inexorably back into her old life in Zululand. Can Ralph finally lay to rest the ghosts that haunt him? Can Ann overcome the enemy she believed they'd escaped forever? Can Harry make his peace with the secrets and lies that have shaped his life? On a blood-soaked battlefield, as a new nation is forged in violence and slaughter, all three will be given a choice - to succumb to the past, or to stand and fight for their family's future. Vengeance is by Wilbur Smith and Tom Harper.

June 2026

Never Be Found is by Jo Spain. She helped him disappear. She'll wish she hadn't . . .  There is a chilling phenomenon in Japan known as Johatsu - people who vanish voluntarily from their lives. It's said 100,000 people per year are Johatsu, and an entire industry has sprung up to support those who choose to. Life is hard. For some people, it's just too much. That's what I thought when I brought the concept to England. People will disappear anyway. What if I could help them? So I pack their belongings discreetly, create new identities, forge documents, give directions to the cities and towns where the 'night-mover' can live anonymously. It's just a business. I never saw it as a shameful act. I've helped people flee from abusive relationships, from work pressure, from debt, from unfulfilled lives. People in need. I consider what I do to be honourable. Until now that is. Because I've just learned that I'm not absent of responsibility. That I am capable of doing a terrible thing. That it's not just a business. I helped somebody flee from a crime. From the police. I evaporated a murderer. And if I don't find him, I can't live with what he might do next.

Eight months after helping to prevent a devastating attack on Britain's nuclear deterrent, ex-SAS hero David Hawkins is down on his luck. But when an act of reckless violence costs him his job, Hawkins is recruited by MI6 for a highly sensitive mission. The job: infiltrate a gang of cut-throat mercenaries led by a notorious former Regiment officer. Six believes this team is planning a once-in-a-century heist. Now they want Hawkins to find out who else is involved - and why. But as he gets closer to the target, Hawkins uncovers an even more deadly plot. One that threatens to upend the world order and trigger a terrifying new conflict between East and West . . . Breakout is by Chris Ryan.

Blood Root is by Jill Johnson. Lies are poison . . . but so is the truth. Professor Eustacia Rose has been arrested. Her charge: possession of poisonous plants without the appropriate licence. But behind the scenes, ulterior motives are at play... Locked in a windowless cell, Eustacia begins to uncover memories she didn't know she had. Her father's work on a mysterious academic paper. The night he was arrested, accused of murder. And a woman with long black hair that Eustacia does not recognise. Linking all the memories is Marcus Smith, her father's unscrupulous assistant, a man she thought was long dead. Marcus ruined her father's career, stole his research and vanished after a heated confrontation. But the past never stays buried, as Eustacia knows all too well. With the help of DCI Roberts and determined allies, Eustacia races against time to expose the deceptions of the past and solve a fresh murder before it's too late. This is her only chance to clear her father's name and settle a decades-old score, but the truth can be a bitter pill to swallow...

Jane Hepburn is still recovering from solving the murder at last year's Killer Lines festival when she is dragged into another very bookish murder. When a young editorial assistant is found dead at her friend's launch in a famous Cecil Court bookshop, Jane must use all her knowledge and experience as a writer of crime fiction to solve the mystery. A Killer Plot is by E C Nevin.

A Girl's Girl is by Emma Robertson. You've got everything she ever wanted... At school, Darcy Starr was the girl everyone wanted to be - effortlessly beautiful, confident and most importantly, popular. Two decades later, she still appears to have the perfect life: a devoted husband, a beautiful daughter and a picture-perfect suburban home, until her old school friend Alex Rigby reappears. Newly divorced, post-glow-up and harbouring a mysterious vendetta, Alex is about to turn Darcy's world upside down. On a group holiday to celebrate a friend's wedding, secrets, lies and old rivalries bubble to the surface, threatening to change everything Darcy thought she knew about her past. . . and herself.

Emma Sharp knows the rules of survival. From being raised by a doomsday-fearing father and hardened by the startup world, she has learned how to endure - especially in her marriage to Logan Grant, a charismatic tyrant who keeps her under tight control. To Emma, her marriage is a cage: it keeps you in, but it also keeps you safe. Until it doesn't. When Emma forms an unexpected bond with Logan's former girlfriend, the two women form a plan to help Emma reclaim her life. Destination: the punishing final stretch of the Appalachian Trail. After all, bad things happen in the woods all the time. As the three venture deeper into Maine's backcountry, desire and dread curdle into something unpredictable, dark and deadly. Someone is lying. Someone is watching. And in the remote heart of the forest, someone is about to be lost . . . or found. How to Survive in the Woods is by Kat Rosenfield.

July 2026

The Kill Switch is by Robert Peston. Journalist Gil Peck is back; in therapy, married to Jess - now editor of the Financial Chronicle - and still driven by the need to prove a point that he can't quite identify. Yet all is not well at home. Jess is fed up with Gil's obsession with his job, and she's kicked him out of their home.  But Gil has never let anything get in the way of a scoop. He and Jess have landed the interview of a lifetime with the Prime Minister, Stella Barnsbury, for the podcast they co-host, and Gil has no intention of missing it. During the interview, Barnsbury begins to pale, her coughing intensifying before she finally collapses. Within 48 hours, the Prime Minister is dead. Gil is used to landing the biggest stories. But as the last person to see the PM alive, he's now a main character. And when foul play is confirmed, he's also a prime suspect . . .

It's 1961 and the Queen is planning her state visit to Italy aboard Britannia. But before she goes, an unreliable witness claims to have seen a brutal murder from the royal train. Did it really happen, and could the victim be a missing friend of Princess Margaret's new husband, Tony Armstrong Jones? The Queen and her assistant private secretary, Joan McGraw, get to work on their second joint investigation, little imagining that this time it will take them all the way to Venice in a tale of spies, lies and Cold War skulduggery. The Queen Who Came in From The Cold is by Sophia Bennett.

The Woman Who Wasn't There is by William Hussey. Bestselling crime author Marian Lane is surrounded by adoring readers when she learns that her husband Dane is dead. Marian returns home in shock to discover a stranger on her doorstep. A woman who not only claims she's Marian's biggest fan but says that she comforted Dane in his final moments. At first, this woman, Mary, is a source of comfort. Until she admits Dane confessed a secret. One she can't quite remember; one Marian is desperate to learn. But Mary is a storyteller too. And though Marian knows every twist in the genre, she won't see this one coming . ..

Their dream holiday is about to turn into a nightmare...When upscale travel agent Allegra is offered a complimentary stay for her extended family at a new, high-end woodland retreat, she's delighted to discover it has everything you could ask for: luxury tree house accommodation, activities for the kids, spa treatments, fine dining - what could be more relaxing? But relationships within the group are fraught, and an impromptu family celebration seems only to worsen matters. Frustrated with her family, and taken for granted by her husband for years, Allegra forms an unexpected bond with someone new, and things begin to go wrong... Resentments grow and tensions rise, it seems the family's problems might run deeper than anyone suspected. When the warning signs become dangerous, the family realise they haven't been asking the right questions: how did they really come to be here? And which of them won't be going home? The Family Break is by Ruth Irons

August 2026

Flashpoint is by Wilbur Smith and David Churchill. 1943, America SOE's Saffron Courtney is back in New York, but even as she recovers from her mission to Washington, events on the other side of the Atlantic are making her return to England inevitable. The War Office need someone to extract an asset - a Jewish scientist, Caleb Ezra, a man vital to the war effort - from his hideaway on the besieged island of Leros. But first there is a debt to settle, and the mob do not wait - even for a decorated war hero . . .  1946, Kenya. Back in her beloved homeland, and reunited with her lover-now-husband Gerhard von Meerbach, Saffron thinks that she might finally have found the peace that she craves. The war is over. But when she's paid a visit by an English operative who blackmails her with accusations of Gerhard's involvement in Nazi atrocities, Saffron has no choice but to return to the US at his bidding. With not only her life, but her family at stake, Saffron must track down Ezra once more - before it's too late . . .

October 2026 

It's 1966 and Queen Elizabeth II is touring the Caribbean aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. Her schedule is measured in ten-minute increments for five weeks, and nothing can afford to go wrong. But something does. Early in the trip, the Queen's new diary secretary, Pamela Sinclair, is found dead in her cabin. Rumours abound about how she died, but the truth is, nobody really knows. However, this time, suspicion falls on the Queen's longstanding confidante, Joan McGraw. The royal yacht is a busy, working ship, from the admiral at the bridge to the chefs in the galleys and the engineers attending to the turbines. It houses a crew of hundreds. Is one of them a murderer? The Queen and Joan must use every skill and trick to solve the mystery while seeming to glide, unflustered, from one be-hatted engagement to the next, as the multi-island visit unfolds with the whole world watching. Death on the Royal Yacht is by S J Bennett.

Crime Events at Huddersfield Literature Festival 2016 -

Saturday 12 March

Christopher Fowler In Conversation with Joanne Harris 1pm

Yorkshire Children’s Centre, Brian Jackson House, New North Parade HD1 5JP

 

The author of the Bryant & May series of detective novels talks to Joanne Harris about his work. Christopher Fowler is the multi-award-winning author of over 30 novels, 12 short story collections and the Bryant & May mystery novels, which record the adventures of two Golden Age detectives investigating impossible London crimes. He is also a journalist, playwright, writer for TV and radio, and the founder of an international film marketing company that created movie posters and trailers for films such as Reservoir Dogs, Trainspotting and Goldeneye. Here, he chats to bestselling local author Joanne Harris about the elements of a crime novel – from well-drawn characters to building suspense.

 

Saturday 12 March

Dark Imaginations – Rupert Thomson & Ian McGuire 2.30pm

Yorkshire Children’s Centre, Brian Jackson House, New North Parade HD1 5JP

 

How do authors decide what stories to write? Are there any subjects they wouldn’t tackle? How do novelists approach writing characters very different from themselves? Does choosing a dark subject matter or writing a different book each time make it harder to retain your readership? Two critically acclaimed novelists, Rupert Thomson & Ian McGuire, discuss their approach to writing and their latest novels.

 

Rupert Thomson has been compared to writers as various as Dickens, Kafka, Paul Auster, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Elmore Leonard, and the subjects and settings of his novels have ranged from a sculptor in 17th-century Florence (Secrecy) to a policeman guarding Myra Hindley’s body (Death of a Murderer). His 10th novel, Katherine Carlyle, is a profound and moving story about a young woman who sets off on an extraordinary journey in an attempt to deal with her mother’s death and her father’s neglect.

Ian McGuire is the founder of the University of Manchester’s Centre for New Writing. Set on a 19th-century Yorkshire whaling ship bound for the Arctic, his latest novel, The North Water, is a dark and gripping tale that pits an ex-army surgeon against a brutal and bloodthirsty harpooner.

 

Saturday 12 March

Location, Location, Location: The importance of setting in crime novels and thrillers 4pm - Frances Brody, Christopher Fowler and Tom Harper

Yorkshire Children’s Centre, Brian Jackson House, New North Parade HD1 5JP

 

There has been a death in the Yorkshire Dales. A murder on a London street. And deep in the Amazon, a group of explorers keeps getting smaller… In this fascinating panel discussion, three authors talk about the importance of setting in their work. Frances Brody is the author of a series of delightful period mysteries set in 1920s Yorkshire and featuring stylish amateur sleuth, Kate Shackleton, the latest of which is A Death in the Dales. Christopher Fowler is the author of the popular Bryant & May detective series set mostly in London between WWII and the present – contemporary crime fiction’s answer to Holmes & Watson. Tom Harper is a York-based writer who produces dazzling Indian Jones-style thrillers set in exotic locations. In his latest, Black River, a doctor looks for a lost city in the heart of the Amazonian forests.

 

 

More information and booking details can be found at:

www.litfest.org.uk

Tickets: 01484 430528

St Hilda's Crime and Mystery Conference - Saturday 17 August 2013

(L-R) Natasha Cooper, Tom Harper & Penelope Evans © Ayo Onatade

St Hilda’s started properly after breakfast and after a welcome by Kate Charles.  As Kate explained, as the theme was “From Here to Eternity: The Present and Future of Crime Fiction” all those present giving a talk over the weekend had over the last 19 years given a talk at St Hilda’s.  Tom Harper and Penelope Evans were first up.  Tom’s talk had a lot to do with Plato, Aristotle, and philosophy and also Raymond Chandler. It was also slightly disconcerting to hear my self being referenced barely three minutes into his talk in relation to the interview that I did with Margaret Doody whose historical crime series features Aristotle as a detective.  It was extremely interesting.  Penelope Evans held us spellbound when she spoke about two different incidents that tied into her talk.  The first being when she answered her phone to someone that she thought that she knew only to hear a gentleman at the end of the phone claiming that he had been watching and following her.  The second revolved around a teacher who claimed to be ill and soaked up all the support that was erroneously given to the said teacher not only by fellow teachers but also students.  When it became clear that there was nothing wrong with the said teacher the ensuring repercussions had a rippling effect on all concerned.  It was incredibly chilling and telling even more so as one could easily see how the lies being told were effective and disturbing.

After a short break the next two authors that we heard from were PD James and Frances Fyfield.  The title of the talk by PD James was Goodbye to Mayhem Parva whilst the one by Frances Fyfield was entitled Comparative Values.  Listening to both authors was amazing.  St Hilda’s always has the most interesting speakers.  P D James in her talk spoke about what the Golden Age of crime fiction had bequeathed to us.  She indicated that there were certain characteristics of the Golden Age mysteries and this included a strong storyline, locked room situations and also the ability to tell a good yarn.  Furthermore the detective was always a man, romantic and upper class. Golden Age writers were also very careful about their writing.  The criticism was that in relation to Dorothy L Sayers and Margery Allingham that they were snobbish.  PD James said that she agreed with that

(L-R) PD James, Frances Fyfield & Natasha Cooper© Ayo Onatade

point of view.  She also felt that Ngaio Marsh was snobbish in her books as well.  They were however good writers, not careless and good with dialogue.  Agatha Christie in particular was very workman like in her writing.  She did not worry too much about description.  All the Golden Age writers had secrets that they did not want to have exposed.  For example, Dorothy Sayers had an illegitimate son but did not tell anyone.  This did not however stop her from writing within the convention and also from obeying the rules of writing.  Dorothy Sayers was an old girl of Somerville College in Oxford.  PD James felt that it was difficult to set a novel in a large institution but Sayers had managed to do it with Gaudy Nights.  According to PD James, this was a very clever thing to do.  Still referencing the element of snobbery in Golden Age novels, PD James reiterated the element of snobbery to be found in these novels by pointing out the fact that Lord Peter Wimsey proposed to Harriet Vane in Latin!  Ronald Knox’s 10 rules of crime writing were also discussed.

Frances Fyfield at the start of her talk stated that she wished that she could write funny crime fiction.  She also said that the future of our crime novels depends on what is going on around us and that crime writers need shocking activities.  Frances Fyfield is a former lawyer and she pointed out that that libel had to be published to ruin someone and that a man’s reputation is worth a lot.  This was part of the storyline in her book The Nature of The Beast.  She also pointed out that one of the greatest changes in crime novels came with the removal of the death penalty.  She also felt that crime novels were about morality and that they (i.e. crime novels) would be around for ages.  Frances also explained that she used to resent the fact that some people considered crime novels to be lowbrow but that crime novels do make people uncomfortable and that crime writers are the best novelists of our age.  She also did not agree with the behaviour of literary writers e.g. John Banville who decided that they should “slum” it by writing a crime novel.

Both Francs Fyfield and PD James answered questions and they included whether or not PD James was conscious of the fact that she changed the face of crime fiction with the introduction of realism.  In her response she indicated that she felt that she contributed towards it. A question was asked about Patricia Highsmith’s contribution.  PD James also stated that whilst the Booker Prize would not nominate a crime novel as they appeared to have a great prejudice against genre fiction that crime writers need not worry about this fact.  She felt that crime writers would survive not being nominated for the Booker Prize.  This then led on to the question as to whether or not a best known Booker Prize winner would be able to write a good crime novel?  It was felt that they might be able to write a good crime novel but not a good detective novel.

PD James also indicated that she disliked any television programme that had too much violence and especially violence against women.  It also led on to the question as to whether or not public morality was becoming the reason for murder.  It was also agreed that writers could get people to re-evaluate their views via their writing and that it said a lot about society by the crimes that were being committed. PD James was asked who would she kill if she had the opportunity and her response to the delight of the audience was those who were selfish to others along with politicians whom she felt would not last very long and dictators.

After lunch it was time for Martin Edwards and Peter Robinson.  Martin was talking about whether or not there was much to care about in the Golden Age and what did the future hold for the Golden Age.  Martin stated that British Golden Age authors were a lot better known than foreign authors of Golden Age stories.  He also felt that unlike what people thought that Golden Age authors were not conservative this was not the case.  In fact, in Golden Age novels bankers and politicians were killed off a lot more than people believed.  Also the view that the novels lacked psychological depth was not in fact true.  An example he mentioned was DL Sayers The Documents in the Case.  However, Martin did believe that whilst Golden Age writers were deeply conventional and were occupied in bringing people to justice it was not always the case.  He felt that readers and commentators should have a less simplistic view of Golden Age writers.

Peter Robinson © Ayo Onatade

Peter Robinson in his talk felt that the popularity of cold cases had grown.  Peter also confessed that prior to 1985 he only used to write poetry. He also wondered how many Golden Age writers also actually wrote about the past?  Peter stated that writing about the recent past was not actually new as the recent past has held a fascination throughout the ages.  He also felt that a lot of crime novels depended on keeping secrets.  One of the other things that was discussed was why we have only remembered some Golden Age authors and forgotten some?  It was felt that a consideration might be due to the quality and number of books written.  Peter stated that he would like to write a book set in World War II.  Martin Edwards pointed out that he had in fact written an historical book about Dr Crippen from his point of view.  Peter Robinson was asked if he would write a futuristic crime novel but his response was he was not interested in doing so.  However, he did enjoy reading Paul Johnston’s Quintillian Dalrymple series.  One of the other points that was raised was that if justice was the theme of the Golden Age what did we think the theme of the future would be?

The last two authors that were giving papers on Saturday afternoon were Andrew Taylor and Val McDermid.  Andrew’s talk was on Grandpa Noir: The Crime Fiction of CS Forester.  Andrew stated that the term “Noir” was now elastic but still not that easy to define.  It was however agreed that one of the things that Noir did well was to show how life falls between the cracks.  Andrew also pointed out that Forester’s crime was imperfect and that his characters were ordinary.  All his three crime novels were still readable.

The title of Val McDermid’s talk was Haggis and Haruspications.  She pointed out that

Val McDermid © Ayo Onatade

there was no such thing as Tartan Noir when she first started writing.  She also spoke about Laidlaw and Bloody Scotland, which is now in its second year.  Val also discussed and dismantled Ronald Knox’s 10 rules of crime writing.  She felt that nowadays readers and sleuths are expected to be smart.  She also considered herself to be an ambitious writer and that she sees the next book that she is writing as a challenge.  She also confirmed that she enjoys reading new authors and books for the New Blood Panel at the Harrogate Crime Festival.  Val McDermid also said that in the light of the recent issues surrounding privacy that she anticipated a slew of conspiracy novels being published.  Val also spoke about a number of authors whose novels she had enjoyed and these included SJ Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep, Paula Daly’s What Kind of Mother Are You, Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, and Blacklands by Belinda Bauer.  She also stated that she enjoyed Anne Cleeves series for its sense of place and David Mark’s debut novel, which she felt, had a great sense of place as well. 

Both Andrew and Val like the rest also answered questions after their talk.  Val stated that it was often easier to tell the truth via a novel than in journalism.  With regard to trips to the past readers were clearly more knowledgeable than before.  It was felt that it was hard to think of an historical period that had not been covered.  The rise of Nordic crime writers was also discussed.  It was felt that in fact the number of first class Nordic crime writers were in fact limited. However, Val McDermid felt that we would see more international crime novels on our shelves.  She also stated that the political thrillers were not dead and she mentioned Charles Cumming as being an author that certainly should be read.  One of the issues that that was also discussed was the lack of black and Asian crime writers.  Both Val and Andrew were asked whom would they like to see an undiscovered crime novel by.  Andrew chose Josephine Tey while Val decided that for her it would be Reginald Hill.  Both Val and Andrew were also extolling the virtues of reading crime novels.

Ayo and Peter Robinson © Ayo Onatade

After the final talks given on Saturday afternoon, there was also time for people to get their books signed before drinks in the South Building and then dinner.

The after dinner speech was given by Priscilla Masters which was hilariously funny and she used the reality television programme Come Dance With Me as the basis. In a hilarious take on the different types of dances that the participants undertook she tried (and in my opinion) succeeded in matching a various number of crime fiction characters to the different dances.

After dinner once again we all made our way to the SCR where once again many of us stayed up very late chatting and drinking.  I think I managed to make it to bed after 1:00am on Sunday morning.