I have been a Nicci French fan since their first novel, The Memory Game, was published in 1996. At the time I was working for a rival publisher, but every year from then on the release of a new Nicci French novel was impatiently awaited. I remember that I, and many of my then colleagues, would scrabble around to see who we knew at Penguin who could get us early copies.

So when I moved to Penguin in 2001 I was thrilled to become Nicci and Sean's editor, and have worked closely with them on Secret Smile and Catch Me When I Fall, the new hardback which will be out in autumn 2005. I have published and edited many authors but few have been as delightful and accommodating as Nicci and Sean.

When an author delivers their new novel in typescript, it is obviously the editor's job to read it with a very critical eye and advise the author of necessary changes and rewrites. To make the leap from fan to critic is quite daunting - however Nicci and Sean made that transition very easy by being so modest, appreciative and inspiring.

Working with two authors writing as one was a new proposition for me, and I was quite concerned about how it would work. For example, would one like my suggestions, but the other reject them? Would they have widely differing views on how to make late amendments? In fact, what I was presented with in Nicci and Sean were two people so in tune as 'the author' that no arguments ensued (at least not in my presence!). It was extremely stimulating to work with two such creative people who could take your suggested changes, mull them over, and then nine times out of ten come up with much better changes instead!

The male/female writing partnership is quite rare in fiction (in crime fiction there have been a number of female duos and male duos). In books with such in-depth psychological portraits, Nicci and Sean bring unique perspectives to both male and female characters, and I think this is one of their unique selling points.

And the novels are certainly unique. In the past, 'Nicci French' has been compared to Minette Walters, Ruth Rendell, Donna Tartt and many others. But really 'she' doesn't fit comfortably into any comparison. The novels of course appeal to core crime fiction fans, but they are also extremely popular with readers, particularly women, who enjoy rich psychological portraits. It is no surprise that the novels are reviewed as widely in women's magazines such as Elle, Cosmopolitan, Eve and Red as they are in the literary pages of the broadsheets and crime fiction round-ups.

The novels also appeal to a younger market than perhaps Walters or Rendell. Most of the novels feature young, twenty-something women living a modern city life, with all the dangers and fears that come with that: stalking, kidnapping, threatened violence, even simply troublesome boyfriends. What sparks the interest of many female readers is the 'it could be me' factor. In Secret Smile, for example, we have a woman unable to shake off a boyfriend who turns stalker; in Killing Me Softly a woman falls passionately in love with a man who ultimately aims to destroy her.

The books create realistic, claustrophobic settings, where danger is just around the corner. In fact in some of the novels, the biggest threat is actually in the character's own home. For this reason we have coined our signature line 'FEAR IS NEAR' which appears on all our marketing and advertising copy for Nicci French.

However, it must be pointed out that the novels do not simply play on women's fears for effect. Ultimately these women save themselves. They don't look to anyone for salvation - if they do, they are invariably let down. These women are, finally, masters of their own destiny.

The Nicci French novels are a joy to discover, and if you haven't yet read all of them, you are in for a treat because each inspires, excites, even provokes in different ways (I remember first reading Secret Smile and screaming in frustration at Brendan's unbelievable behaviour). What is also very interesting when talking to Nicci French fans is how they all have a different favourite. I will admit that my own is Beneath The Skin - or is it Land Of The Living? Or maybe Secret Smile . . . ?

As you can see, I may have become their editor, but when all is said and done I'm still fundamentally a fan!

Beverley Cousins