Forthcoming books from Headline Publishing

 July 2026

Festival season. The streets are filled to bursting with tourists, and Edinburgh is gripped by a stifling heatwave. Not the best time for one of the most violent murders the city has witnessed in years. 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? The Violent Hour is by James Oswald.

The Eyewitness is by Naomi Williams. 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 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...

A perfect couple. But one of them is a killer. Which one? Patrick Vanderpool, son of a billionaire media mogul, is destined for power. But the affair he's having could ruin everything. Vanessa Vanderpool, married to one of America's most influential men, has her own ambitions. But the affair he's having could ruin everything. When the other woman is found brutally murdered, there are only two suspects... One of them is guilty. But which one? Conman-turned-defence lawyer Eddie Flynn must risk his life to find out... One of Us is Guilty is by Steve Cavanagh.

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.

The Midnight Guests is by Alex Hay. 1926. 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. Though, things at the Hotel Artemis aren't quite what they seem - including the two guests Diana expects at midnight. Powerful and dangerous, they've dragged her from the gutter and taught her all she knows. Now Diana must take perfect care of them - unless they take care of her first. But when a body is found in the hotel's finest suite, the lavish opening night begins to spiral out of control. And over twenty-four fateful hours, the staff and guests of the Artemis will find out why they are really there.

September 2026

Music to Die For at the Seaview Hotel is by Glenda Young. 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

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 . .. The Stretch is by Martina Cole.

They have your wife and son, what would you do to save them. 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

Thriller Writing and the Anxious Brain By Naomi Williams

I still remember the moment my agent said she could imagine me writing a thriller. I’d written uplifting book-club fiction and family dramas before, but she was spot on; I did harbour a secret desire to tap into my dark side.

Despite her recognising this, I have never thought of myself as having an easily detectable dark side. I am fortunate to have been born an optimist, but my extroversion and outward confidence belie an anxiety which is sometimes hard to manage. You’d think that would stop me from wanting to explore the more tense and scary aspects of this danger-riddled world, but no. I believe my anxious nature is partly what compels me to write psychological thrillers. Here’s why…

During anxious spells, my mind creates reels of worst case scenarios and plays them like films in my head. I can see terrible things happening on my internal screen and, irrationally, my brain tells me that visualising a nightmare situation will stop it from happening. It’s my way of risk-assessing then trying to account for, and mitigate, all eventualities. A faulty system, I admit, and therapy helps.

My brain creates the scenes I’m writing in the same way. In my working life, I invent a situation I need to happen, then type out what I see unfolding in my head. Recently, I’ve come to realise that these processes go hand in hand. In my worries, I’m telling myself stories of what could happen. In my writing, I’m doing the same.

If I combine the two, bingo, we have a thriller!

Hard as it is to believe, when I’m drafting, the process from internal film to fingers is not an entirely conscious one. I don’t always know what’s about to come out before the words are typed. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a planner (even the idea of pantsing brings me out in hives), so I know where the plot is heading, but what I don’t always know is how it will get there. 

A thriller needs red herrings and misdirection on top of the real signposts. Not knowing what these are until they are on the page can be quite the ride in itself. There are a number of scenes in The Woman in Ward 9 that made me shudder as the words appeared on the screen. One in particular made my scalp prickle with fear. It’s dark, and flowed from my fingers without a filter.

But it’s not real. It’s a figment of my anxious mind. What happens in that room on Ward 9 hasn’t happened to me, but I can imagine it vividly and hope that’s transferred onto the page. This is where I think being plagued with anxious thoughts and feelings plays directly into the writer’s hands. I’m an ex-Drama teacher, and used to teach Stanislavski’s technique of emotional memory. This is where the actor uses their true past experiences, a time when they felt a similar emotion, to find the feelings they need to portray in a scene.

The same technique can be applied to writing. You can’t portray an emotion convincingly, unless you have first experienced it. That’s why an anxious person is very well placed to write scary novels. Those feelings are already so near the surface!

Psychology is endlessly fascinating to someone with an unruly brain, and in my thrillers I have the opportunity to explore big questions that trouble many of us. Who can we really trust? Can we ever truly know another person? Can we ever really recover from our past mistakes? What impact does our upbringing have on us? 

In fiction, as in life, every decision a character makes will inform what comes next for them. I can make terrible things happen to my characters, or I can solve all their problems and set them free.

But why would I do that? If my writing is an extension of my brain’s attempt to make my world safe by playing out all the scenarios so they won’t happen to me or the people I love, then fictional people have to suffer. And I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s better for people in books to go through hell than me… or you.

The Woman in Ward 9 by Naomi Williams (Headline Publishers) Out Now.

Laura Winters doesn't know why she has lost her memory, or why she was found alone, soaked in someone else's blood. The only thing she is certain of is that I am the only psychologist she can - or will - talk to. I have six days to help Laura unlock her memories and find out the truth. But what has she forgotten - and what is she hiding? And how does she know so much about me? With tension you could cut with a knife and twists that will have your head spinning, The Woman in Ward 9 is sure to keep you reading late into the night.

You can find Naomi on X @LTimoneyWrites. You can also find her on Facebook and on Instagram.