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 coming!

I've just opened a box of these beauties - advance copies of the new Cooper & Fry novel FALL DOWN DEAD, due for UK publication in hardback and ebook on 16th August. 

And you can pre-order it right now!

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/…/f…/stephen-booth/9780751567618


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


Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fall-Down-Dead-Coope…/…/0751567612/


Or call in at your local bookshop and ask for it, of course.

A NEW COOPER & FRY NOVEL - SECRETS OF DEATH

The new Cooper & Fry novel SECRETS OF DEATH has arrived! UK hardback and ebook editions are released this week. 

SECRETS OF DEATH introduces a new phenomenon - suicide tourists, people who have decided the Peak District is a good place to die. The story involves DI Ben Cooper and his team from Edendale CID investigating a sudden upsurge in suicides, not knowing where the next death might happen.

 

And when a suspect in a Major Crime Unit investigation goes missing, Cooper faces two more challenges - the arrival of DS Diane Fry from Nottingham, and the possibility that one of these deaths wasn't suicide at all...

In the UK, you can buy the hardback and ebook editions in all the usual places:

Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Death-Cooper-Stephen-Booth/dp/0751559989/stephenbootho-21

Waterstones:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-secrets-of-death/stephen-booth/9780751559989

WH Smith:
http://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/the-secrets-of-death-cooper-and-fry-16/9780751559989

The Hive:
http://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Stephen-Booth/The-Secrets-of-Death/18735717

or call in at your local bookshop.

An audio download edition of SECRETS OF DEATH is also released today. Publication dates will follow soon in other countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand. We're still awaiting news of publication in the USA.

I'll be doing a launch event for SECRETS OF DEATH this Friday (17th June) at Spring Bank Arts, New Mills, Derbyshire. I'm on at 7.30pm (but the bar opens at 7pm!). Tickets are £7, including a glass of Pimms, available from Spring Bank Arts on 01663 308202 or springbankarts@gmail.com, from High Street Books in New Mills, or online here:
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/357413

On Saturday I'll be at Bookworm bookshop in Retford, Nottinghamshire, from 10am - 12noon to sign copies of SECRETS OF DEATH. To order a signed copy in advance, phone the shop on 01777 869224 or email: sales@bookwormretford.co.uk

On Sunday I'll be at Lowdham Book Festival in Nottinghamshire for the festival's 'Day of Crime'. Also taking part are Elly Griffiths, Sharon Bolton, Anne Zouroudi, Steven Dunne, Sarah Ward, Chris Ewan and Robert Thorogood. Full day tickets are £15 (£12 concessions, £10 festival friends).
http://www.lowdhambookfestival.co.uk/

Don't miss your chance to get a signed copy of the new book - just in time for Father's Day too!

Other dates here:
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! 

COULD YOU MURDER A GOOD BOOK?

Murder is on the menu this Saturday (17th January) at Storytellers Bookshop in Tuxford, Nottinghamshire.

This is a recently opened independent bookshop, and I'm delighted to be supporting their 'Murder a Good Book' promotion.

I'll be at Storytellers from 3pm for a public signing, followed by a talk at 4pm, when I'll be chatting about crime fiction and the Cooper & Fry series. If you're in the North Notts area, come along and spend an hour or two with fellow book lovers and enjoy a glass of wine at the same time!

Tickets for the talk are £5 including a glass of wine. To book a place, phone Paul Trickett on 01636 684672 or 07517 386350, email: paultrickett@hotmail.com or call in at the shop in Eldon Street, Tuxford. 

More confirmed dates for 2015 are on my website:

http://www.stephen-booth.com/events.htm

THE CORPSE BRIDGE HITS THE BESTSELLER LIST

The new Cooper & Fry novel THE CORPSE BRIDGE entered the UK bestseller list at number 17 this week. Many thanks to all the dedicated Cooper & Fry readers who rushed out and bought it in the first few days!

Launch events for THE CORPSE BRIDGE took place at Gedling Book Festival in Nottingham, and at Chesterfield Library in Derbyshire, along with signings at Bookworm, Retford, and Scarthin Books in Cromford, and an evening at Waterstones in Derby. Signed copies of the new book are now available at Bookworm and Scarthin Books, at Waterstones in Chesterfield, Nottingham and Derby, and at Goldsboro Books in London.

Signings are coming up soon at Waterstones in Doncaster and Reading Matters in Chapel-en-le-Frith, and I'll be at the BeaconLit Festival in Buckinghamshire this weekend (28th June). 

During the next few weeks, I'll also be visiting County Durham, Lancashire, Cambridge and West Yorkshire. For details of forthcoming dates, visit the Events page on the website:


http://www.stephen-booth.com/events.htm

OUT NOW - THE CORPSE BRIDGE!

It's here! THE CORPSE BRIDGE has arrived in UK bookshops. Copies that were advance ordered should be reaching you now, and the book should be downloading as we speak to your ebook readers. 

The latest instalment in the lives of Derbyshire police detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry and their colleagues in E Division is awaiting your discovery!

Peak District locations used in this book range from an abandoned cheese factory to the primeval landscape of the Dragon's Back, from mysterious testing grounds near Buxton to the ancient bridge itself.

Here's a bit of blurb to give you a taste of THE CORPSE BRIDGE:

"The old Corpse Bridge is the route taken for centuries by mourners from villages on the western fringes of Derbyshire to a burial ground across the River Dove, now absorbed into the landscaped parkland of a stately home called Knowle Abbey.

"When Earl Manby, the landowner, announces plans to deconsecrate the burial ground to turn it into a car park for his holiday cottages, bodies begin to appear once again on the road to the Corpse Bridge. Is there a connection with the Earl's plans? Or worse, is there a terrifying serial killer at work?

"Back in his job after the traumatic events of previous months, Detective Sergeant Ben Cooper knows that he must unravel the mystery of the Corpse Bridge if he's going to be able to move on with his life. 

"As the pressure builds, Ben doesn't know who he can trust and, when the case reaches breaking point, he has to make a call that could put everything - and everyone - at risk..."

** And the first review of THE CORPSE BRIDGE has already arrived, thanks to Book Addict Shaun, who says:

"This is one of his best books to date... do not hesitate to pick it up and devour it!"

You can read the full review online:
http://bookaddictshaun.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/review-corpse-bridge-by-stephen-booth-45.html

THE CORPSE BRIDGE can be ordered here:

Waterstones:
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/stephen+booth/the+corpse+bridge/10015422/

Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corpse-Bridge-Cooper-Fry/dp/0751551732/stephenbootho-21

Book Depository:
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Corpse-Bridge-Stephen-Booth/9780751551730

The Hive:
http://www.hive.co.uk/book/the-corpse-bridge/18466233/

The ebook edition is again released simultaneously with the hardback:

Amazon Kindle: 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Corpse-Bridge-Cooper-Fry-ebook/dp/B00FLY3RVY/stephenbootho-21

Waterstones ePub: 
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/stephen+booth/the+corpse+bridge+28ebook29/10435157/

And the unabridged audio version is also now available, read by Mike Rogers:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Corpse-Bridge-Cooper-Unabridged/dp/B00KK47WA2/ref=tmm_aud_title_0

Publication in other countries will follow soon:
Australia - 24th June
Canada - 29th July
(*Sorry, we're still awaiting a release date for the USA)

For signings and events in the UK, see the Events Page on the website:
http://www.stephen-booth.com/events.htm

There will be signed copies of THE CORPSE BRIDGE available from various booksellers, including Bookworm of Retford, Scarthin Books in Cromford, Waterstones Chesterfield, Waterstones Derby, Waterstones Doncaster, Reading Matters in Chapel-en-le-Frith, and Goldsboro Books in London.

BUILDING THE CORPSE BRIDGE

On the run-up to publication of THE CORPSE BRIDGE this week, I was asked to write a piece for the blog of UK booksellers Waterstones, where I talk about the role the Peak District plays in the Cooper & Fry series. They call it 'Building The Corpse Bridge'. You can read the full blog piece here:

http://www.waterstones.com/blog/2014/06/building-the-corpse-bridge/

You can also get a sneak peek of the new book on the CrimeVault website:

http://www.thecrimevault.com/ebooks/the-corpse-bridge/

Several launch events for THE CORPSE BRIDGE are coming up soon. It's always great to see lots of Cooper & Fry readers, so come along if you get the chance.

First off, I'll be appearing at Gedling Book Festival in Nottingham this Friday (20th June). This is a terrific three-day festival, which is now in its second year. It's hosted by Gedling Borough Council and organised by New Writers UK. Friday is Crime and History Day, with events taking place at the Bonington Theatre in Arnold. 

All the events are free, and my session is at 1.30pm. Waterstones Nottingham will be on hand with books for sale. More details of the festival are here:

http://jo0373.wix.com/newwritersuk/#!events/c1qu7

Immediately after my appearance at Gedling Book Festival, I'll be heading off into Derbyshire to do a launch evening at Chesterfield Library, starting at 7.30pm. This is again organised in conjunction with Waterstones Chesterfield, who will be providing the book stall. This is a ticketed event (tickets £3, concessions £2) available from the library. To make sure of a place, phone 01629 533400.

These events will be followed by signings at several bookshops in the area. On Saturday (21st June), I'll be at Bookworm in Retford, Nottinghamshire, from 10am to 12 noon, then from 2.30pm I'll be signing THE CORPSE BRIDGE at Scarthin Books in Cromford, Derbyshire. Both will be happy to reserve signed copies for you. Contact Bookworm on 01777 869224 or sales@bookwormretford.co.uk, while Scarthin can be contacted on 01629 823272 or nickscarthin@gmail.com. 

Next week, I'll be doing an evening event at Waterstones in Derby (Thursday 26th June, 7pm start), and on Saturday 28th I'll be down in Buckinghamshire to take part in the BeaconLit Festival at Ivinghoe, near Leighton Buzzard: http://www.beaconlit.co.uk/  

Later in the year, watch out for more library events in Barnard Castle in County Durham, St Anne's in Lancashire, Ecclesfield in Bradford, Hinckley in Leicestershire, Walsall in the West Midlands, and a visit being planned to Northern Ireland. 

There will also be a special Summer Crime Party at Heffers' bookshop in Cambridge, and I'll be back at 'Not the Hay Festival' in Beeston, Nottingham, during October.

SMATTERINGS

Just a few snippets of news today while I have a quiet snigger at all those people down in London panicking over a couple of centimetres of snow. Come on, folks... when we lived in Yorkshire, we used to wake up with more snow than that inside the bedroom. Or am I just being a wee bit smug about working from home? Write and let me know!

The good news for Derbyshire as a result of this "snow event" (as the BBC have just called it) was that the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whose name is Mr Ed Balls, had to cancel a visit to open Derby's first 'skills academy'. There must be scope for a really great headline there somewhere...

Of course, the Peak District had twice as much snow as anywhere else in England, and the famous Snake Pass was closed today - but that happens every winter.

Elsewhere, it seems that people are turning to their local libraries in greater numbers - at least in Scotland. Good news for libraries - but maybe not such good news for bookshops? I'm always sorry to see independent bookstores closing, and I was particularly sad to hear news of the recent demise of Murder One, London's (in fact, the UK's) leading mystery bookstore. The full story of what owner Maxim Jakubowski is up to can be read on today's Rapsheet blog.

Finally, we all know that rabbits can be a terrible pest in the countryside. So I loved this story today from the Press Association on one farmer's novel approach to pest control, featuring a gun-totin' cow.