A happy birthday to Ben Cooper and Diane Fry.
Yes, May 2nd 2015 marks exactly 15 years since the first appearance in the world of the Derbyshire detective duo. This was the date my debut Cooper and Fry novel BLACK DOG was originally published in the UK by HarperCollins.
Many more editions have followed in succeeding years - not to mention at least 14 more books in the Cooper & Fry series.
Along the way, BLACK DOG has sold many thousands of copies around the world, and continues to sell in substantial numbers 15 years later. It's the book which many new readers start with, as it gives an insight into the characters of Ben Cooper and Diane Fry and their complex relationship.
When it was first published, BLACK DOG won the Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel of the Year in the USA, and was a finalist for the Anthony Award for the Best First Mystery Novel. In the UK, it was named by the London Evening Standard as one of the six best crime novels of 2000 - the only book on their list by a British author. It's no exaggeration to say its publication changed my life. :)
To give you an idea of the history of this title, below are the covers of 24 different editions. Some of them are from the UK and USA, but there are also a number of translations, including five versions in German, plus editions from the Netherlands, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Japan. The range of interpretations is amazing!
Many of these editions are still available, of course, and there are even more to come. I hope the history of BLACK DOG will continue well into the future!
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