BOOK OF THE YEAR FICTION: CRIME & THRILLER
OVERVIEW
THE APPEAL An epistolary cosy crime novel told purely through the correspondence of a local amateur dramatic society, Janice Hallett’s The Appeal was also an immersive experience for the reader, who could choose to attempt to solve the mystery. The first print run sold out within days. It was Waterstones’ Thriller of the Month and also the retailer’s bestselling début of 2021.
THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE After the record-breaking success of début The Thursday Murder Club, the bar was set high for Richard Osman’s second novel, yet the phenom- enon has continued to grow in his fiendishly funny and clever follow-up. The Man Who Died Twice closed 2021 as its bestselling fiction hardback, spending six consecutive weeks atop Original Fiction.
THE DARK REMAINS The prequel to the Laidlaw trilogy was pieced together by Ian Rankin from notes left by William McIlvanney left on the latter’s death in 2015. Written in the hope a new generation would be brought to McIlvanney’s work, The Dark Remains is Rankin’s way of honouring McIlvanney—the godfather of Tartan Noir—and paying homage to his enduring influence on the genre.
PUBLISHERS 1 VIPER BOOKS 2 VIKING 3 HARPERFICTION 4 CANONGATE 5 DOUBLEDAY 6 SPHERE
A SLOW FIRE BURNING Doubleday set about creating a major event publication to herald Paula Hawkins’ return after a four-year absence. Special hardback editions for retailers were a crucial part of the campaign, with three different designs created. All p.o.s. was printed on sustain- able materials and could be recycled. The author’s first- ever TV advertising campaign ran during publication week.
17
1979 1979 begins Val McDermid’s first new series in two decades, and explores class, gender, sexuality and politics alongside a thrilling mystery in 1970s Glasgow. Young reporter Allie Burns was inspired by McDermid’s formative years as a journalist. The novel gener- ated her biggest first week of hardback sales, with a 44% increase in sales in comparison to her previous book.
GIRL A Acquired in a fierce nine-way auction, HarperFiction was determined to make Abigail Dean’s début—a literary crime novel about the aftermath of child abuse, told through the eyes of a survivor—the biggest début thriller of 2021. The publisher left no stone unturned with an impres- sive, flexible and responsive marketing campaign which made Girl A unmissable.
© Iain McLean
© Phoebe Grigor © Penguin Books
© Charlotte Graham © Nicola Thompson
1
3
6
4 2 5
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
