A NEW STANDALONE - DROWNED LIVES

My Derbyshire police detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry are on holiday at the moment (I think they deserved it after 18 novels and all those murders!). 

So my next book, due out in the UK in August, will be something different - a standalone novel with a historical theme, called DROWNED LIVES.

This is set in Derbyshire's neighbouring county, Staffordshire, and in particular around the fascinating city of Lichfield, which is packed with history. 

DROWNED LIVES is a story of family secrets and a centuries-old feud, told against a background of the often dark history of inland waterways, from their origins in the industrial revolution to the restoration projects of recent decades. 

Even now, the West Midlands region of England contains more than 500 miles of canal, which run not only through countryside but right into the centre of major urban areas like Birmingham. 

Canals are very appealing as a setting for crime fiction. They may appear very peaceful on the surface, but they attract all kinds of crime. And who knows what's under the surface? When something (or someone) disappears into water, we tend to think it's lost for ever. But we may be wrong... 

I've always loved to explore the ways the past can affect the present, and in DROWNED LIVES council officer Chris Buckley is about to discover a lot of things from his past which he might have preferred not to know.

I set this book in the late 1990s. That's only 20 years ago, but it feels like a historical period - there were no smartphones, and the internet was just becoming more popular. Remember the dot.com bubble? Companies like eBay were starting up, but a lot of investors in other internet start-ups got their fingers badly burned.

The point where the 20th century was about to give way to the 21st felt like an interesting time to explore the buried secrets of the past.

DROWNED LIVES will be published by Sphere in hardback and ebook on 15th August 2019, along with an audio download. 

I hope you enjoy reading something a bit different!

DROWNED LIVES can be pre-ordered in all the usual places, including your local bookshop or online here:

Waterstones:

https://www.waterstones.com/book/drowned-lives/stephen-booth/9780751576283

WH Smith:

https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/drowned-lives/stephen-booth/hardback/9780751576283.html

Amazon UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drowned-Lives-Stephen-Booth/dp/075157628X/

The Book Depository:

https://www.bookdepository.com/Drowned-Lives-Stephen-Booth/9780751576283

The Hive:

https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Stephen-Booth/Drowned-Lives/23831158

*The Book Depository offers free shipping to readers in the USA (and many other countries).

Of course, I'll also be doing a number of events and signings following publication, including:

THURSDAY 15th August, 11am - 1pm
Retford Library, Churchgate, Retford, Nottinghamshire DN22 6PE - book signing for DROWNED LIVES (in conjunction with Bookworm of Retford). To reserve a signed copy, phone 01777 869224 or email: sales@bookwormretford.co.uk
https://bookwormretford.co.uk/events/

SATURDAY 17th AUGUST, 9.30am onwards
Chesterfield Library, New Beetwell Street, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 1QN - Derbyshire Noir one-day crime writing festival, with many other local authors including Sarah Ward, Roz Watkins, Sophie Draper, Jo Jakeman, Fran Dorricott, Caroline England, Tony R. Cox, James Ellson, Andrew Lowe, and Sylvia Marsden.
Tickets available now. Book online here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/derbyshire-noir-book-festival-2019-tickets-60198444167

SUNDAY 18th AUGUST, 1-3pm
High Peak Bookstore, Ashbourne Road, Brierlow Bar, near Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 9PY - signing for DROWNED LIVES. http://highpeakbookstore.co.uk/

TUESDAY 20th AUGUST, 7 for 7.30pm
Bakewell Bookshop, Matlock Street, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1EE - talk and signing for DROWNED LIVES. Tickets £5 including glass of wine and nibbles. To book, phone 01629 812818 or email: info@thebakewellbookshop.co.uk http://www.thebakewellbookshop.co.uk

THURSDAY 29th AUGUST, time tba
Gillingham Library, High Street, Gillingham, Medway, Kent ME7 1BG - talk and signing.
(Details to follow)

SATURDAY 24th AUGUST, 2 - 4pm
Scarthin Books, The Promenade, Cromford, Derbyshire DE4 3QF - book signing for DROWNED LIVES. http://www.scarthinbooks.com/

SATURDAY 31st AUGUST, 12 - 2pm
Reading Matters Bookshop, 48 Market Street, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire SK23 0HY - signing for DROWNED LIVES. https://readingmattersbookshop.co.uk/

'FALL DOWN DEAD' IS HERE!

The new Cooper & Fry novel FALL DOWN DEAD is published THIS WEEK in the UK in hardback and ebook editions, shortly followed by its arrival in several other countries. I love this cover from my UK publishers, Sphere!

During the next few weeks I'll be out and about signing copies of the new book, so check out the dates below for opportunities to get your book signed.

FALL DOWN DEAD is set around one of the Peak District's most iconic locations, Kinder Scout. 

The highest point in the national park, it was also the scene of the famous Kinder Mass Trespass in 1932, which led directly to the creation of Britain's national parks - the first being the Peak District. 

Kinder Scout is a landscape of peat haggs and deeply-scoured groughs, with outcrops of weathered gritstone sculpted into strange and fantastic shapes given distinctive names by local people - the Druid Stone, the Boxing Gloves, Madwoman's Stones, Punch's Nose, Ringing Roger, the Mushroom Garden. Their imaginative names are often due to their shape, or their connection to an old story from Derbyshire history and legend. 

And this can be a dangerous place. When I'm writing a Cooper & Fry novel, I try to reflect what's happening around me in the real world, and this new book is no different. These days, many walkers go up on to the Peak District hills unprepared and badly equipped. It's easy to become disorientated on the Kinder Scout plateau, even in fine weather. If the weather changes - as it can so quickly in this area - walkers are soon lost and straying into danger.

In this case, one member of a walking group lost on Kinder may not make it down alive...

Order your copy of FALL DOWN DEAD online now:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fall-Down-Dead-Cooper-Fry/dp/0751567612/

Waterstones:

https://www.waterstones.com/book/fall-down-dead/stephen-booth/9780751567618

WH Smith:
https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/fall-down-dead/9780751567618

The Hive:
https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Stephen-Booth/Fall-Down-Dead/21962728

Or call in at your local bookshop of course!

An ebook edition can be downloaded here: 

Kindle:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fall-Down-Dead-Cooper-Fry-ebook/dp/B07B2XCDBQ

Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/fall-down-dead

An audio download is also available:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fall-Down-Dead/dp/B07BL5J5PX/

GET YOUR SIGNED BOOKS

Signings for FALL DOWN DEAD start with a publication day event in North Nottinghamshire this Thursday. This will be with my old friends at Bookworm of Retford, but since their bookshop is now closed, the signing will take place at Retford Library. 

I'm looking forward to seeing lots of regular readers of the Cooper & Fry series - and hopefully a few new ones. Just come along between 11am and 1pm for a chat and to get your signed book. Light refreshments are promised, so there should be a cup of tea too!

Then I'll be embarking on a 'mini tour' of Derbyshire, with visits to the Oxfam Bookshop in Matlock this Friday (17th August) to help celebrate their 50th anniversary, and to Reading Matters bookshop in Chapel-en-le-Frith this Saturday (18th August). Next week, I'll be heading off to Bakewell Bookshop (24th), Waterstones Chesterfield and Scarthin Books, Cromford (both on the 25th) and High Peak Bookstore near Buxton (26th). It would be great to see as many of you as possible!

Details of forthcoming signing dates for FALL DOWN DEAD: 

THURSDAY 16th AUGUST, 11am - 1pm
Retford Library, 17 Churchgate, Retford, Nottinghamshire DN22 6PE - signing in conjunction with Bookworm, Retford. Phone 01777 869224 or email: sales@bookwormretford.co.uk

FRIDAY 17th AUGUST, 2pm - 4pm
Oxfam Bookshop, 70 Dale Road, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 3LT - signing to celebrate 50th anniversary of Oxfam Bookshop. Phone 01629 55799 or email: oxfamshopf1410@oxfam.org.uk

SATURDAY 18th AUGUST, 12 - 2pm
Reading Matters, 48 Market Street, Chapel-en-le-Frith, High Peak, Derbyshire SK23 0HY - signing. Phone 01298 938166 or email: readingmatterschapel@gmail.com

FRIDAY 24th AUGUST, 7 for 7.30pm
Bakewell Bookshop, Matlock Street, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1EE - talk and signing. Phone 01629 812818 or email: info@thebakewellbooksop.co.uk

SATURDAY 25th AUGUST, 10am - 12pm
Waterstones, 13 Vicar Lane, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 1PY - signing. Phone 01246 231061 or email: chesterfield@waterstones.com

SATURDAY 25th AUGUST, 2.30 - 4.30pm
Scarthin Books, The Promenade, Cromford, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 3QF - signing. Phone 01629 823272 or email: nickscarthin@gmail.com

SUNDAY 26th AUGUST, 1 - 3pm
High Peak Bookstore, Ashbourne Road, Brierlow Bar, near Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 9PY - signing. Phone 01298 71017. http://highpeakbookstore.co.uk

NEW COOPER & FRY NOVEL - DEAD IN THE DARK

The brand new Cooper and Fry novel DEAD IN THE DARK will be launched in the UK in July.

I have lots of launch events planned across Derbyshire, and in neighbouring Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire. Please come along and say 'hello' at one of these events - and of course get your copy of DEAD IN THE DARK signed!

Here's the blurb:

This is the 17th title in the award-winning series featuring young police detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry, set in England’s beautiful and atmospheric Peak District.

How do you prove a murder without a body?

Ten years ago, Reece Bower was accused of killing his wife, a crime he always denied. Extensive police searches near his home in Bakewell found no trace of Annette Bower's remains, and the case against him collapsed.

But now memories of the original investigation have been resurrected for Detective Inspector Ben Cooper - because Reece Bower himself has disappeared, and his new wife wants answers.

Cooper can't call on the Major Crime Unit and DS Diane Fry for help unless he can prove a murder took place - impossible without a body. As his search moves into the caves and abandoned mines in the isolated depths of Lathkilldale, the question is: who would want revenge for the death of Annette Bower?

Meanwhile, Fry is working on a murder investigation of her own in an entirely different part of Derbyshire, where a fractured community is divided against itself.

Stephen Booth ventures into the Peak District's dark subterranean world for this stunning Cooper & Fry thriller DEAD IN THE DARK.

Hardback and ebook publication by Little, Brown are scheduled for Thursday 13th July, along with an audio download. 

My launch dates are:

TUESDAY 11th JULY, 6pm
Chelmorton War Memorial Institute, Main Street, Chelmorton, Derbyshire SK17 9SH - 'Dark Peaks and Strange Shores' crime panel for Chelmorton Festival, with Sarah Ward, Martin Pearce, Quentin Bates and Roz Watkins. Tickets £4 including glass of wine. Email: sarahwardcrime@gmail.com or book online here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dark-peaks-and-strange-shores-crime-writers-panel-at-the-chelmorton-festival-tickets-34075341263?ref=estw

WEDNESDAY 12th JULY, 6.30pm
Waterstones, 78-80 St Peter's Street, Derby DE1 1SR - talk and signing for DEAD IN THE DARK. Phone 01332 296997 or email: derby@waterstones.com

THURSDAY 13th JULY, 10am - 12 noon
Bookworm, Spa Lane, Retford, Nottinghamshire DN22 6EA - signing for DEAD IN THE DARK.
Phone 01777 869224 or email: sales@bookwormretford.co.uk

THURSDAY 13th JULY, 7pm
Chesterfield Library, New Beetwell Street, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 1QN - launch event for DEAD IN THE DARK (in conjunction with Waterstones Chesterfield). Tickets £3 (redeemable against the price of the book if bought at the event), available from the library, phone 01629 533400 or email: chesterfield.library@derbyshire.gov.uk. To reserve a signed book, contact Waterstones on 01246 231061 or email: chesterfield@waterstones.com
https://www.waterstones.com/events/an-evening-with-stephen-booth/chesterfield-33692

SATURDAY 15th JULY, 2.30 - 4.30pm
Scarthin Books,The Promenade, Cromford, Derbyshire DE4 3QF - signing for DEAD IN THE DARK. Phone 01629 823272 or email: nickscarthin@gmail.com
http://www.scarthinbooks.com/event/stephen-booth-book-signing-2/

SUNDAY 16th JULY, 12 noon
Newark Town Hall, Market Place, Newark, NottinghamshireNG24 1DU - 'Nottinghamshire: Today's Heroes' panel for Newark Book Festival, with Tim Utton and Gareth Baker, chaired by Stuart Gibbon. Tickets £5 (£3 concessions) from the Palace Theatre box office (10am - 5pm), phone 01636 655755 or email: palace@nsdc.info Or book online here: https://www.palacenewarktickets.com/en-GB/shows/nottinghamshire-%20today's%20heroes/info
Festival website: http://www.newarkbookfestival.org.uk/

SUNDAY 16th JULY, 9pm      **  SORRY - THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED  **
Bakewell Town Hall, Anchor Square, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1BT - talk and signing for Bakewell Literary Festival. Tickets £10 for full day and evening of author talks. Book online here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/370193

WEDNESDAY 19th JULY, 7pm
Bonington Theatre,High Street, Arnold, Nottingham NG5 7EE - event for Gedling Arts Festival. Crime writing workshop from 7pm - 8.30pm. Talk, Q&A and book signing from 8.30pm. Tickets £3, available from the Bonington Theatre Box Office: http://www.boningtontheatre.co.uk/ phone 0115 901 3640 or email: bonington.theatre@gedling.gov.uk
Festival programme here: http://www.gedling.gov.uk/leisure/artseventsandplay/gedlingboroughartsfestival/

FRIDAY 21st JULY, 7.30pm
Spring Bank Arts, Spring Bank, New Mills, Derbyshire SK22 4BH - talk and signing for DEAD IN THE DARK. Tickets £7 (including glass of Pimms or non-alcoholic drink), available from Spring Bank Arts, phone 01663 308202 or email: springbankarts@gmail.com,
or from High Street Books, New Mills, or book online here: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/407213
http://www.springbankarts.org.uk/events/an-evening-with-stephen-booth-3/

SUNDAY 23rd JULY, 3 - 5pm
High Peak Bookstore (formerly Bookstore Brierlow Bar), Ashbourne Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 9PY - signing for DEAD IN THE DARK. Phone 01298 71017 or email: info@highpeakbookstore.co.uk
http://www.highpeakbookstore.co.uk/

MONDAY 24th JULY, 6.45 for 7.30pm
Haxby Memorial Hall, 16 The Village, Haxby, York YO32 3HT - talk and signing for DEAD IN THE DARK at fund-raising event for new Haxby Library.
Tickets £5. Book your place online at http://www.haxbymemorialhall.org/

SATURDAY 29th JULY, 12 - 2pm
Reading Matters bookshop, 48 Market Street, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire SK23 0HY - signing for DEAD IN THE DARK.
Phone 01298 938166 or email: readingmatterschapel@gmail.com

Dates later in the year can be found on the Events Page:http://www.stephen-booth.com/events.htm

COUNTDOWN TO THE MURDER ROAD

The 15th novel featuring young Derbyshire police detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry will be published in the UK on 16th July. 

THE MURDER ROAD explores the consequences on a tiny Peak District community when a lorry which becomes jammed under a railway bridge is found to have a blood-stained cab and a missing driver. 

For residents in the hamlet of Shawhead, there's only one way in and one way out. And some of them may never go out at all.  Detective Inspector Ben Cooper is on the scene with his team from Derbyshire E Division. But the one person who may hold the answers to the mystery is found hanging from a walkway high over the river in the nearby town of New Mills. 

With the arrival of a new sergeant, Cooper is unsure of his position in E Division. So who will he turn to when his case takes a dramatic turn?

THE MURDER ROAD is set around the towns of New Mills and Whaley Bridge, in the north west corner of Derbyshire. Locations range from the Torrs gorge under New Mills, with its spectacular Millennium Walkway (above), to the recently restored canal complex at Bugsworth Basin (below). 







Launch events are coming up soon for THE MURDER ROAD. 

I'll be doing two evenings around publication time - one at Chesterfield Library (Wednesday 15th July) and a second at Spring Bank Arts in New Mills (Friday 17th July) - followed by signings at bookshops in Retford, Cromford and Chapel-en-le-Frith.

To make sure of a place at the launch events, book your tickets now. Details of how to book are below: 

WEDNESDAY 15th JULY, 7pm
Chesterfield Library Theatre, New Beetwell Street, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 1QN - launch event for THE MURDER ROAD, in conjunction with Waterstones Chesterfield. Tickets £5. To book a place, visit the Chesterfield Library help desk, or phone the library on 01629 533400.

FRIDAY 17th JULY, 7.30pm

Spring Bank Arts, Spring Bank, New Mills, Derbyshire SK22 4BH - launch event for THE MURDER ROAD. Tickets £6 (including a glass of Pimms) are available from Spring Bank Arts, from High Street Books in New Mills, or online at: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/324352

SATURDAY 18th JULY, 10am - 12pm
Bookworm, 1 Spa Lane, Retford, Nottinghamshire DN22 6EA - signing for THE MURDER ROAD. Phone 01777 869224 or email: sales@bookwormretford.co.uk

SATURDAY 18th JULY, 2.30 - 4.30pm
Scarthin Books, The Promenade, Cromford, Derbyshire DE4 3QF - signing for THE MURDER ROAD. Phone 01629 823272 or email: nickscarthin@gmail.com

SATURDAY 25th JULY, 10.30am - 12.30pm
Reading Matters, 48 Market Street, Chapel-en-le-Frith, High Peak, Derbyshire SK23 0HY - signing for THE MURDER ROAD. Phone 01298 938166 or email: readingmatterschapel@gmail.com

Meanwhile, THE MURDER ROAD can be pre-ordered in hardback and ebook editions here:

Amazon UK:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Murder-Road-Cooper-Fry/dp/0751559946/

Waterstones:
http://www.waterstones.com/book/the-murder-road/stephen-booth/9780751559941

The Hive:
http://www.hive.co.uk/book/the-murder-road/20630776/

Or call in at your local independent bookshop to get it on order!