Publishing Deal - Catherine O'Flynn

I thoroughly enjoyed Catherine O'Flynn's What Was Lost and I'm pleased to see that she's been signed up for two more books and that the first one at least, has a Birmingham connection. From BookBrunch:

Catherine O'Flynn, author of the Costa Award-winning What Was Lost (Tindal Street), is joining Viking in a significant, two-book deal. Kate Barker at Viking won the books ahead of rivals including Tindal Street, the Birmingham-based independent, which, in alliance with a leading publisher, had offered its largest ever bid in an effort to keep the author. "She's a special talent, with a special voice," Alan Mahar of Tindal Street told BookBrunch.

The Viking deal begins with the provisionally titled EVERGREEN (spring 2010), about a Birmingham TV presenter haunted by absences, including those of his predecessor and of the brutalist architecture created by his father.

Read the whole piece at BookBrunch.

Congrats to Catherine O'Flynn

The Galaxy British Book Awards winners were announced last night:

Catherine O'Flynn was named Waterstone Newcomer of the Year, a popular win for booksellers who have already enjoyed strong sales of her What Was Lost (Tindal Street).

The rest of the winners can be found on the British Book Awards website.

New Reviews on Euro Crime

Here are this week's new reviews and a final reminder of January's competition:

Latest Reviews:

Norman Price, Euro Crime's Italian expert recommends Massimo Carlotto's Death's Dark Abyss - another one of his short books that packs a punch;

Geoff Jones reviews the latest by the prolific author Peter Conway - Deserving Death recommending it to "anyone who likes an uncomplicated detective novel";

Maxine Clarke reviews the first of Martin Edwards' excellent Lake District series - The Coffin Trail calling it "an absorbing read";

Maxine found Hakan Nesser's The Return less compelling than the previous title, Borkmann's Point

and I review the Costa Award winning What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn - the word 'haunting' has been accurately used to describe this book and it is one that will linger in the mind well after the final page has been turned. I thoroughly enjoyed it.


Current Competition (closing date 31 January):

Win a copy of Bad Traffic by Simon Lewis (UK & Europe only)

(geographical restrictions are in brackets)

Catherine O'Flynn wins Costa prize

After being short and long-listed for every literary prize going, Catherine O'Flynn's 'What was Lost' has won the 2007 Costa first novel award. From the Guardian:

All disheartened, kicked-in-the-teeth aspiring novelists should take heart: after being rejected by 14 literary agents, the 15th said yes, and former postwoman Catherine O'Flynn yesterday made off with one of the year's most prestigious literary prizes.

Her novel, What Was Lost, was named winner of the 2007 Costa first novel award after being longlisted but not winning the Booker and the Orange prize and being shortlisted for the Guardian's first book award. O'Flynn said: "I hope it does give people hope. It's very hard to get published and it's hard if you go in there with this burning ambition. I didn't have that, I was protected by my natural pessimism."

The judges described What Was Lost, based around the endless corridors and CCTV world of a city shopping centre, as an extraordinary book. "A formidable novel blending humour and pathos in a cleverly constructed and absorbing mystery."