Tag: Thrillers

Q&A with Joanne Hichens

This month, we were proud to release the thriller Divine Justice by Joanne Hichens. Divine Justice is the first book in Joanne’s Rae Valentine series, and we’re excited to introduce readers to this feisty, smart, and tough character.

Rae is a newly-minted PI, recovering addict, and in the middle of healing from a big breakup when she is hired to find a set of missing diamonds. The case sends her deep into the dark and violent world of the white supremacist gang, the Core, whose xenophobic and racist crime spree has been terrorizing Cape Town. And once the gang has Rae in their sights, the case may be more than she can handle. (And be sure to visit CrimeReads to read an essay from Joanne about the ways that the resurgence of white supremacist violence played a role in crafting hers, and other crime novels in South Africa.)

Divine Justice has earned praise from Publishers Weekly, The Mysterious Book Report, LitNet, and authors like David Swinson (The Second Girl and Trigger), who writes, “Divine Justice is a no-nonsense, walloping thriller, with an intoxicating and smart protagonist in Rae Valentine. Be sure to find a comfortable spot before opening the book because once you’re taken on the ride it is hard to get off.”

We chatted with Joanne about her work, how she handled having two books releasing at the same time, and why crime writing was a way for her to “see the baddies get what they deserve.”

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This Week in Literary News, Week of November 15

Another week, another selection of some of the week’s news! (News here being defined as book and book-related. I’m not sure I have the strength to recap the news at-large).

Yewande Omotoso | photo by Victor Dlamini

Over at The New Internationalist, there’s a lovely short essay by Yewande Omotoso on why she’s filled her house with plants. Yewande is a regular contributor there, so be sure to check out more of her work— they are all just as lovely.  You can also pick up her fantastic novel, Bom Boy, of which we are proud to be the US publisher.

There are two great pieces at LitHub. The first, from Rebecca Solnit asks readers to seriously consider what it being asked of them with post-election calls to bridge divides: “[T]he truth is not some compromise halfway between the truth and the lie, the fact and the delusion, the scientists and the propagandists. And the ethical is not halfway between white supremacists and human rights activists, rapists and feminists, synagogue massacrists and Jews, xenophobes and immigrants, delusional transphobes and trans people. Who the hell wants unity with Nazis until and unless they stop being Nazis?” The second is a reprint of Walter Moseley’s speech from the National Book Awards where he was honored with The Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters: “There’s a great weight hanging over the reception of an award when the underlying subject is, the first Black man to receive… We the people who are darker than blue, we have been here, on this continent, in this storm for 400 years. […] Is this a dying gasp or a first breath? Is today different from any other day over the past 400 years? I prefer to believe that we are on the threshold of a new day, that this evening is but one of ten thousand steps being taken to recognize the potential of this nation.” And congratulations to all of the NBA winners! You can see a list of honorees here.

Continue reading “This Week in Literary News, Week of November 15”

This Week in Literary News, Week of November 8

Things have been… interesting in the US recently, and there will certainly be. some stories to tell about the last four years. As the Associated Press reports, “In 2021 and beyond, look for waves of releases about the Trump administration and about the president’s loss to Democratic candidate Joe Biden.” But as for a book from Trump himself, “Several publishers told the AP that they don’t believe Trump will have the same global appeal as former President Barack Obama […] Any publisher signing with Trump or a top administration official might face the anger not just of Trump critics among the general public, but from within the industry.”

Scholastic announced a three-book deal with Ruby Bridges. Bridges, who at age six de-segregated New Orleans’ all-white William Frantz Elementary School on November 14, 1960, will “pen three new picture books to bring her trailblazing story to a new generation of children,” Publishers Weekly reports. Sadly, this week saw the death of Bridges’ mother Lucille. Of her own childhood, Lucille told the Courier-Journal in a 2009 interview, “The bus would come pick up the white kids, but I couldn’t go to school. I would watch them go with tears in my eyes. I prayed if I ever got married, I wanted my kids to go to school.”   Continue reading “This Week in Literary News, Week of November 8”

Coming in 2021: Divine Justice by Joanne Hichens

For the next few weeks, we’ll be spotlighting our upcoming releases for the new year. You’ll learn a bit about our 2021 releases, their authors, and information about pre-ordering.

Since our founding, part of our mission has been to show thriller readers the wonders of South African crime fiction. Our first two releases were thrillers, after all. We’ve loved them from the beginning. We couldn’t be happier to add another title to our African Crime Reads Series—place-based crime and thriller novels set in locations throughout the continent— Divine Justice by Joanne Hichens. Continue reading “Coming in 2021: Divine Justice by Joanne Hichens”

New Release this Month

This month we’re now the publisher for not one, but two thrillers by award-winning author Max Annas. The Farm, which released earlier this month, is a taut thriller set in a rural South African farmhouse. When unknown and unseen shooters attack in the dark of night, a diverse group of people barricade themselves inside the house. No one knows who the target is, no one knows what the motive is, and no one knows who will survive the night.

The Farm, translated by Rachel Hildebrandt Reynolds, was the winner of the 2015 German Crime Prize. The Farm joins The Wall, another award-winning novel from Max, as part of our African Crime Reads Series. These place-based novels offer mysteries and thrills— from police procedurals, to techo-thrillers, to family dramas— all set in locations around the continent.

Both The Farm and The Wall are out now. You can purchase them here at our site, or at your favorite local bookstore.

 

Book Tour: Max Annas

This month, author Max Annas (The Wall, The Farm) is heading South. Through a collaboration with Goethe-Institut, an organization promoting German cultural exchange abroad, Max will be appearing at various locations in South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia. Times and locations are still being finalized, so check back for updates!

 

 

Monday, February 17: Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC
Monday, February 17: Hub City Books, Spartanburg, SC
Wednesday, February 19: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Thursday, February 20: Auburn University, Auburn, AL
Saturday, February 22: Goethe-Zentrum, Atlanta, GA