ORION ACQUIRE ‘BRILLIANT’ NEW ZEALAND CRIME NOVEL

'Nathan Blackwell' in Auckland, New Zealand

Ben Willis, Senior Commissioning Editor at Orion Publishing Group, has acquired World all language rights in THE SOUND OF HER VOICE by Nathan Blackwell from acting agent Craig Sisterson, to be published by Orion Fiction in Spring 2019.

An authentic and brilliantly compelling crime thriller set in Auckland, THE SOUND OF HER VOICE is written by an elite former New Zealand police detective under a pseudonym. Originally self-published in New Zealand in August 2017, the novel was shortlisted in two categories for this year’s Ngaio Marsh Awards (Best First Novel and Best Novel), and dubbed by the New Zealand Herald: "harrowing, compelling and quite brilliant."

Author Nathan Blackwell said: "New Zealand is always portrayed to the rest of the world in such a positive, natural, friendly light. We’re okay at rugby, have some spectacular scenery, but I wanted to show the human side – the emotions, the thoughts, the feelings – when things go wrong for Kiwis."

Blackwell, a pseudonym used to protect the author’s identity, due in part to his covert work, spent most of his career as a detective in Auckland’s criminal investigation branch.

"Throughout my Police career there were so many moments where I thought ‘they don’t show this on TV’," Blackwell said. "I wanted to show that cops are human, that they’re like everyone else, and have some incredibly difficult and stressful choices to make at times – often with rough consequences."

Orion Editor Ben Willis said: "We’re always on the lookout for original crime and thrillers with an international flavour, and Nathan’s novel is one of the best examples we’ve seen this year. Detective Matt Buchanan has all the brains of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch, mixed with the explosive temperament of A. A. Dhand’s DI Harry Virdee."

THE SOUND OF HER VOICE will be published by Orion Fiction in trade paperback in April 2019, and mass market paperback in November 2019.

For international rights enquiries, contact Krystyna.Kujawinska@orionbooks.co.uk