Honoured crime writer headlines second annual event at Ludlow Castle

Andrew Taylor, who has been honoured this year as the recipient of the 2009 Diamond Dagger Award for lifetime achievement, the highest accolade in the crime-writing field, will take part in the second annual ‘Crime at the Castle’ evening on Wednesday 19 August. Andrew’s latest novel, Bleeding Heart Square, was short-listed for Ellis Peters Dagger Award for the best historical crime novel published in 2008.

This year’s line-up of distinguished crime writers balances some favourites from last year (Andrew, as well as organiser Kate Charles, Phil Rickman, and Marcia Talley) with new faces: Natasha Cooper, Martin Edwards, Suzette Hill, and Laura Wilson, recent winner of the Ellis Peter Dagger for her novel Stratton’s War.

Last year’s ‘CrimeFest at the Castle’ was a hugely successful event, in spite of less than optimal weather conditions. All tickets were sold out a week before the event, and those lucky enough to get a ticket were unanimous in demanding a return engagement in 2009.

‘Crime at the Castle’ 2009 will follow a similar format to last year. Ludlow-based Kate Charles, a former Chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association, will moderate a panel of her colleagues. They will discuss their books and answer questions from the audience. There will then be opportunity to meet and mingle with the writers, and have books signed. Hopes are high that this year’s weather will be more clement and that the festivities will spill out into the castle gardens.

Books by all of the participants will be available for purchase and signing. Doors will open at 7.00 to allow browsing and book-buying before the 7.30 start.

Tickets for ‘Crime at the Castle’ are again strictly limited to 100, so early purchase is recommended. They are priced at just £5, to include a glass of wine, and are available at Castle Bookshop, 5 Castle Street, Ludlow (tel: 01584 872562).

PENGUIN AUTHORS ATTENDING CRIMEFEST IN BRISTOL

Meet Caro Ramsay, R.S. Downie and Andrew Taylor at the Bristol CrimeFest during the following panels:

- Out of the Past: The Mystery in the History - Thursday, 14th May - 3.00pm (Ruth Downie is interviewed by Edward Marston together with fellow crime writers Cassandra Clark, Jane Finnis and Roger Hudson)
- Andrew Taylor, 2009 CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger recipient, is interviewed by Peter Guttridge - Saturday, 16th May - 2pm
- Angels With Dirty Faces: The Darker Side of The Fairer Sex - Sunday, 15th May - 9.30am (Caro Ramsay is interviewed by Cara Black together with fellow crime writers M C Beaton, Pat McIntosh and Linda Regan)
- Edge of Doom: What Pushes Your Characters Over The Edge - Sunday, 15th May - 11.00am (Caro Ramsay is interviewed by Martin Edwards together with fellow crime writers Steve Hague, M. R. Hall and Brian McGilloway)

Also visit www.crimefest.com for all festival details.

MAJOR ACQUISITION FOR THE PENGUIN THRILLER PROGRAMME

Michael Joseph is delighted to announce a major acquisition for its crime & thriller list. Level 26 is a gripping serial killer thriller series by Anthony Zuiker, the creator of CSI – the biggest television property in the world, aired in more than 200 countries with an audience of 2 billion viewers. Stef Bierwerth acquired UK & Commonwealth rights from Dutton, Zuiker’s US publisher.

The series is currently planned in three parts and opens with Book 1 – Dark Origins:

If the world knew anything about Sqweegel, we’d never leave the house. Not that staying inside would make us safe . . . The only people who have ever heard that awful name are in the highly secret Special Circumstances unit at the FBI. A psychopath who has killed and tortured more than 35 people over a span of 23 years.

The only person who has ever come close to catching him is Steve Dark, and he’s left the business. After what happened to Dark’s family, few blame him.

But after a period of quiet, Sqweegel makes himself known again, and this time the victim has connections to the very highest corridors of power. Now, the man in charge demands results and is prepared to raise the stakes for the all the agents who failed so many times before. With their jobs – and their lives – on the line, the call goes out. Find Steve Dark and bring him back into the fold. It’s the only hope they’ve got . . .

‘Reading this novel will have the same effect on you as when you first watched Se7en or Silence of the Lambs on the big screen. It’s incredibly dark, twisted and will make you face your worst nightmares. Steve Dark and Sqweegel are set to become the Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter of the 21st century and we’re very proud to publish Anthony Zuiker’s latest creation in the UK’, says Stef Bierwerth.

What makes this project completely unique is the fact that it introduces the Digi-Novel to the world of book publishing. The Steve Dark books will be complemented by a comprehensive online and digital component featuring exclusive cinematic content. 20 cyber bridges, developed by Zuiker and to be consumed alongside each novel will enrich the reader’s experience – but they are not required to read and enjoy the story as you would with a traditional thriller. Steve Dark fans will also be able to view online story-specific ancillary materials like emails, FBI ‘personnel files’, audio clips of phone conversations, psychologists’ reports from suspects’ files and other back-story material. As the series progresses, entire storylines and characters will be developed to live in the digital world, spinning into and out of the novels bringing readers to the books, browsers to the web portal, and viewers to the inevitable film and TV spin offs.

Michael Joseph is launching Dark Origins in hardcover in January 2010.

ANDREW TAYLOR WINS 2009 DIAMOND DAGGER

Many congratulations from everyone at Penguin to Andrew Taylor who has won the prestigious Diamond Dagger! Please read on for the official press release from the Crime Writer’s Association. Exciting times for Andrew, whose Bleeding Heart Square is published as a Penguin paperback on 29th January!

View the Press Release here: http://thecwa.co.uk/daggers/2009/cartier.html

HISTORICAL CRIME EVENING AT BORDERS WITH ANDREW TAYLOR

Come and meet with Andrew Taylor at the first Borders Cardiff Historical Crime evening. Andrew will be in store together with fellow writers Bernard Knight and R. N. Morris for a Q & A panel discussion and to talk about his novel Bleeding Heart Square.

Thursday 4th Dec 2008 at 6.30pm

DAGGERS!

Congratulations to Caro Ramsey and David Stone, who have both been shortlisted for CWA Dagger Awards.  Caro Ramsey's stunning debut Absolution is up for the New Blood Dagger for best first crime novel, and David Stone's fantastic The Echelon Vendetta is up for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for best thriller.  Good luck to both authors!  Winners are announced 10th July.

ANDREW TAYLOR ON WOMAN'S HOUR

Andrew Taylor recently appeared on Woman's Hour to discuss the life and work of Josephine Tey, with fellow crime writer Nicola Upson. If you missed it, you've got a second chance to listen in. Just click here.

BOND BACK WITH A VENGEANCE!

The new Bond novel, Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks, has gone straight in at number one, selling over 44,000 copies, beating EVERYTHING ELSE acroos all the charts here.

BARRY EISLER AT THE O2

Barry Eisler, author of the fantastic John Rain thrillers, will be giving a talk at Books Etc at the O2 Centre on 31st March at 5pm. It's his first UK public appearance, and will be covering everything from his novels to martial arts!

The nearest Underground station is Finchley Road on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines. For more information, look here.

AUTHOR AND CRIME-FICTION WEBSITES

Below are links to some of our authors’ websites and also crime fiction websites in general. Catch up on all the latest crime and thriller gossip here!

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BOOKS OF THE YEAR

We’re thrilled to see Caro Ramsay’s debut Absolution in The Times’s Best Books of the Year round-up. The Spectator also chose Nicci French’s Losing You in their selection, and The Herald picked Nick Stone’s Mr Clarinet!

SPREAD THE WORD

A new campaign - Spread the Word, Books to Talk About - has been launched by World Book Day, inviting UK and Irish readers to vote for The Book to Talk About for 2008. The Spread the Word website invites book-lovers to join the debate, share thoughts and comments, and vote for their favourite title from a long-list of 100 'hidden gems' selected by an industry panel. And Jim Kelly’s The Water Clock and R.S. Downie’s Ruso and the Disappearing Dancing Girls are two Penguin Crime titles on the shortlist. Do visit the Spread the World website at www.worldbookday.com/spreadtheword/

BOND’S THE NAME

Penguin have revealed the stunning cover for the new James Bond novel Devil May Care, which will publish in May 2008 to mark the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth. The novel is written by best selling author Sebastian Faulks and is set in the Cold War. Get a sneak peek of the cover and more info at www.penguin007.com!

ANOTHER AWARD FOR MR CLARINET!

Penguin are delighted to announce that MR CLARINET by Nick Stone won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Debut of the Year. Nick was at the presentation, held at the Thrillerfest Convention in New York on Saturday, in front of an audience including James Patterson and Jeffery Deaver. Congratulations to Mr Stone!

OLD PECULIER!

And still on the subject of Nick Stone, his debut novel has been shortlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award, which is sponsored by Waterstones. Also shortlisted is PD James’s The Lighthouse! This is the only crime fiction award that is voted for by members of the public – so pop in to Waterstone’s or log on to their website to vote! The winner will be announced at the Harrogate Crime Festival in July.

AN AUTHOR FOR THE FUTURE

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of its first shop, Waterstone’s has named 25 authors they believe will dominate the bestseller lists in the coming years. And we’re thrilled that Nick Stone – one of the most exciting crime novelists to emerge in recent years – was on that list! For the full list of 25, go to www.waterstones.com.

LOOK OUT FOR FALLEN ANGEL

Another Penguin author is being adapted for television. The adaptation of the Roth trilogy by Andrew Taylor, author of A STAIN ON THE SILENCE, begins on Sunday 11th March, continuing on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th. It stars Emilia Fox and Charles Dance and looks set to be a brilliant drama.

DON'T MISS LOSING GEMMA ON ITV1 NEXT WEEK!

ITV's adaptation of LOSING GEMMA by Katy Gardner will be shown next week. It's a gripping tale of two girls - independent traveller Esther and needy Gemma - who travel to India together. The two are not well-matched travelling partners and when Gemma becomes friends with an exotic couple, nothing will ever be the same again ...

LOSING GEMMA will be shown at 9pm, Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th December on ITV1.

ANDREW TAYLOR AT THE HAY FESTIVAL

Andrew Taylor, author of A STAIN ON THE SILENCE, will be appearing at the Hay Winter Festival on 2nd December at 6.45pm. For more information please call the Box Office on 0870 990 1299. Hope to see you there!

THREE TOP TEN BESTSELLERS THIS WEEK!

Penguin has three thrillers in the bestseller lists this week. In hardback, Under Orders by Dick Francis went in at number five, and PJ Tracy's Snow Blind entered the chart at number 8. In paperback, The Lighthouse by PD James entered the chart at number 9. Congratulations to all!

LOSING GEMMA TV ADAPTATION

Katy Gardner's Losing Gemma is to be made into a TV adaptation starring Alice Eve as Esther. When two childhood friends go backpacking in India, only one returns, filled with guilt. This adaptation will be on your screens soon - stay tuned for a confirmed transmission date!

ANDREW TAYLOR'S BOOKS TO BECOME A TV SERIES!

Andrew Taylor's ground-breaking Roth Trilogy (The Four Last Things, The Office of the Dead, The Judgment of Strangers) is being made into three feature-length films by ITV. Each film will keep the title of the relevant book, but the 'series' will be called Fallen Angel.

Filming began yesterday and they are looking to broadcast all three in Spring 07. The cast includes: Charles Dance, Emilia Fox, Niamh Cusak, Sheila Hancock and Peter Capaldi. The Roth Trilogy is made up of three linked psychological thrillers that go backwards in time to trace the history of a shocking crime that takes place at the beginning of book 1.

A Stain on the Silence will publish in paperback January 07 and Andrew's new novel Bleeding Heart Square will follow in hardback in August.

KELLERMAN IN TOP TEN!

Penguin had another success this week with Rage by Jonathan Kellerman entering the paperback fiction chart at number nine. This follows his brilliant success with Rage in the USA and Australia.

PENGUIN MAKES A KILLING AT CWA AWARDS

Penguin scooped two of the CWA Awards for crime fiction at an awards ceremony held at the Waldorf Hilton on 29th June.

Nick Stone's debut Mr Clarinet won the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for best thriller of the year. The judges described this as 'a tour de force with brilliantly described scenes, this is taut, compelling and well-plotted, with emotional commitment, freshness and originality.'

Jim Kelly picked up the CWA Dagger in the Library Award, which is given for a body of work and nominated by UK libraries and readers' groups. The judges said 'the books are easy to read yet not lightweight, with complex plots which engage the reader's interest.'

Congratulations to Nick and Jim!

STAV SHEREZ'S VOX 'N' ROLL

Stav Sherez, author of the stunning thriller THE DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND, will be hosting a reading with Glen Duncan on June 11th at 8.30 at the Pineapple, 51 Leverton Street, Kentish Town (3 mins walk from the Tube).

Harrogate Crime Festival

The Harrogate Crime Writing Festival will be running from 20-23 July at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate. John Rickards will be on a panel on Friday 21 July to discuss how an author builds on debut success, Andrew Taylor will be hosting a panel on historical crime that same day. And on Sunday 23rd Nicci French (aka Nicci Gerrard and Sean French) will be interviewed on stage by journalist Paul Blezard. Visit the website www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime for more information.

Bodies in the Bookshop

Penguin have two novels shortlisted for this year's CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award for best thriller of the year!

There’ll be a plethora of Penguin crime authors at this year’s Bodies in the Bookshop event at Heffers in Cambridge on Tuesday 18th July at 6pm. It’s a great event which allows fans to mingle and chat to their favourite crime writers over a glass or two. Penguin authors attending: Jim Kelly, Nick Stone, Andrew Taylor, Elizabeth Rigbey, Charles Cumming and R.S. Downie.

STEEL - SILVA - STONE

Penguin have two novels shortlisted for this year's CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award for best thriller of the year!

MR CLARINET by Nick Stone was described by the judges as: 'A tour de force with brilliantly described scenes, this is taut, compelling and well-plotted, with emotional commitment, freshness and originality' and THE ENGLISH ASSASSIN by Daniel Silva as: 'A compulsively readable thriller, the action slipping smoothly from one country to another, Silva's fluid writing style is confident and classy.'

Congratulations to both authors. Winner to be announced on 29 June. For all the shortlists visit www.thecwa.co.uk

JIM KELLY SHORTLISTED AGAIN

The Crime Writers Association have also announced the shortlist for their Bodies in the Library Dagger. This is awarded for an author's body of work, rather than one individual book, and Jim Kelly has been shortlisted once again (he was runner-up in 2004). Considering his 'body of work' stands at only three novels at the moment (THE WATER CLOCK, THE FIRE BABY and THE MOON TUNNEL) to be nominated twice is a fantastic achievement.

Nicci French on the big screen

New Line Cinema (who have made many blockbusters including Lord of the Rings) have won a bidding war for the rights to LAND OF THE LIVING by Nicci French.

Even more exciting is the fact that James Ellroy will adapt and write the screenplay. This is the first time Ellroy (bestselling crime writer in his own right) has adapted a work that was not his own (his previous films based on his books were LA Confidential and the upcoming The Black Dahlia).

Dead Run into top ten - again!

P. J. Tracy's third novel, DEAD RUN, has entered this week's bestseller lists at no.9. Another top ten bestseller, following WANT TO PLAY? and LIVE BAIT.

Kellerman wows them in Australia

Penguin Australia has just published their paperback edition of RAGE by Jonathan Kellerman - and it has gone straight to number 3 (number 1 is our very own Marian Keyes!). This comes hot on the heels of RAGE's top three placing in the New York Times bestseller list last month.

The UK edition will be out in June.

Latest addition

Cult Australian writer John Birmingham is the latest exciting addition to the Penguin crime and thriller list, with his Axis of Time series - a trilogy of action-packed revisionist history thrillers. When a quantum experiment goes horribly wrong in 2021, a multinational naval taskforce of stealth warships is transported back in time to 1942 - right into the path of the American Midway battle fleet. The twenty-first century military hardware rewrites World War 2 history with spectacular results...

The first book, Weapons of Choice, will be published in January 2007.

Penguin's thrilling new acquisition

Penguin has acquired exciting debut crime author Caro Ramsay in a high five-figure, two-book deal. The first novel, currently entitled Ampersand, will publish in summer 2007. Says Editorial Director, Beverley Cousins: 'Every editor waits in hope for the submission that is so good your heart starts pounding and your pulse starts racing. And after only the first three pages I knew this novel was extra special. An atmospheric, chilling and intelligent crime thriller set in Glasgow, Caro Ramsay is, in her own very unique way, the female Ian Rankin.'

Two women are already dead at the hands of a man the press call the Crucifixion Killer, but DCI McAlpine, at the peak of a distinguished twenty-two-year career, is confident he'll solve the murders - until consequences of a previous unsolved case come back to haunt him, with devastating results...

Cussler at number 2

Like a submarine blowing its tanks, Cussler crashes in at the top of charts! Lost City enters this week's paperback bestseller list at number 2.

ITW honours Cussler

At the recent Left Coast Crime Convention, held in Bristol, the International Thriller Writers Association (www.thrillerwriters.org) announced they are awarding their first ever lifetime achievement award to Clive Cussler, for his outstanding services to the thriller genre.

Another US bestseller for Kellerman

Jonathan Kellerman's latest novel, RAGE, is now a top three bestseller on the New York Times paperback bestseller list. And we're fully expecting to see our paperback edition, out in June, sitting nicely at the top of the UK charts very shortly!

Mr Clarinet reading

Nick Stone will be reading from his amazing debut novel MR CLARINET at The Pineapple in Kentish Town (51 Leverton Street, NW5) on Sunday March 26th, 8 pm.

Diamond Dagger News

Elmore Leonard has been awarded the prestigious Crime Writer's Association Diamond Dagger Award for 2006. This prize is given in recognition of a lifetime's achievement in the genre of crime fiction and the winner is chosen by crime writers themselves. Previous winners of this award have included Colin Dexter, Sara Paretsky, Ruth Rendell and Lawrence Block.

Mr C at No.3 Downunder

Mr Clarinet by Nick Stone is now officially an international bestseller, having gone top three in the Australian Fiction list. Congratulations, Nick!

Free pair of tickets to see Nicci French

Crime authors Nicci Gerrard and Sean French [aka Nicci French] are appearing at the Bath Literature Festival on Saturday 4th March, 5.30pm – 6.30pm at The Guildhall, Bath, Tickets £7 or £5 with concessions.

A free pair of tickets is available to the first two people to email the box office and quote “Penguin Most Wanted”.

Email the boxoffice here: boxoffice@bathfestivals.org.uk.

Hope to see you there!

You ask the questions

It's time again to put one of our authors under the spotlight and answer 'your' questions. The fearless author this time is bestselling US thriller writer Jonathan Kellerman.

Send in your questions to Jonathan, via the email address below by 30 April 2006. Johnathan will then pick his favourites and answer them on this site in June!

Email Jonathan here: mostwanted@penguin.co.uk

Hoffman goes top ten

Jilliane Hoffman's LAST WITNESS has stormed the paperback fiction chart at no.9. The sequel to her bestselling debut RETRIBUTION has therefore earned its highest ever paperback chart placing!

Nick Stone in the Sunday Times

Look out for Nick Stone and his father, historian Norman Stone, who will be interviewed together for 'Relative Values' in the Sunday Times on Sunday 22 January.

Apart from hearing all about their relationship throughout Nick's childhood and as adults, you'll also see exclusive pictures of Nick as a toddler!

Left Coast Crime comes to UK

Left Coast Crime, one of the largest crime fiction conventions in the United States, will be coming to the left coast of Britain in 2006. It will be the first time the convention is held outside the US. The four day event will take place at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel from 16th-19th March.

Many Penguin authors will be in attendance, including Barry Eisler and Nick Stone. So if you fancy rubbing shoulders with some great writers, log on to www.leftcoastcrime2006.com for more information.

Barry wins a Barry

Choke Point by Barry Eisler (entitled Rainstorm in the US) has won the Barry Award for Best Thriller of 2005. The award, in honour of reviewer Barry Gardner, is sponsored by Deadly Pleasures magazine in the States – and is in addition to the novel’s previous piece of silverware, the American Mystery Ink Gumshoe award.

Mr Clarinet auctioned off!

Such is the buzz for the novel MR CLARINET by Nick Stone that Penguin has had to take action to stop book proofs (early reading copies) being auctioned off on Ebay. We can’t complain with the seller’s sales pitch ‘Best Thriller of the Year’ – but please wait until we publish on 19 January to get your hands on this much-anticipated debut