LATEST
NEWS
THE
KILL CALL
The 9th Cooper & Fry novel, THE KILL CALL, was published in April in the UK, Canada and Australia. For events still to come after publication, check out the Events page.
This year, HarperCollins have also produced an unabridged audio edition, read by Will Thorp (best known as paramedic Paul 'Woody' Joyner in the BBC series 'Casualty'). For more information from HarperCollins, click here.
You
can also see and hear Stephen Booth talking about the new book in a video
for Amazon:
The
Kill Call on Amazon UK
And for a sneak preview of the new book, click here to read the first chapter
Sweden will be the first country to get THE KILL CALL in translation. The Swedish edition will be published this November by Minotaur.
* US readers - sorry, we have no prospect of a publication date for THE KILL CALL in the USA! However, to order a copy of the UK edition online from overseas you might want to try The Book Depository, where Stephen is currently a featured author. The Book Depository offer FREE worldwide shipping.
DYING TO SIN IS 2009 'IPSWICH READ'
The 8th Cooper & Fry novel, DYING TO SIN, is this year's 'Festival Read' for Ipswich Arts Festival, which takes place in July.
Stephen will be appearing at the festival to discuss the book with readers on Saturday 11th July (6.30pm) at the Waterfront Building, University Campus Suffolk, Ipswich. He will be 'in conversation' with BBC local radio presenter Lesley Dolphin. Tickets are £7/£5 concessions. To book a place*, phone 01473 433100 or book online at:
https://online.ipswich.gov.uk/PEO/show.asp
Stephen will also be interviewed by Lesley Dolphin on her afternoon show for BBC Radio Suffolk on Monday 6th July
For more information on Ipswich Arts Festival, visit the Festival website:
* please note a booking fee of £1 per ticket is payable on all credit/debit card and cheque transactions.
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*
Would
you
like
Stephen
Booth
to
take
part
in
an
event
for
your
library,
bookshop
or
festival?
Please
send
an
enquiry,
giving
as
many
details
as
possible
of
date,
location
and
type
of
event
you're
planning,
to:
events@stephen-booth.com
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NEWSLETTER #21
The latest issue of the Stephen Booth Newsletter went out in April. If you haven't received a copy and you think you should have, send an email to: newsletter@stephen-booth.com so we can check your subscription. If you're not signed up yet, please go to the Newsletter page.
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NEW IN THE USA FOR 2009:
SCARED TO LIVE
The 7th Cooper & Fry novel SCARED TO LIVE has just been published in paperback in the USA by Bantam.
How do you investigate the murder of a woman without a life? That is the challenge facing Cooper and Fry when a reclusive agoraphobic is found shot to death in her home by someone who took an exceptional amount of care in executing her murder.
With
no friends, no family, and virtually no contact with the outside world,
the dead woman may have simply been an unlucky victim of a random homicide.
Or was she hiding from a past that had finally come out of hiding to kill
her?
At virtually the same time, a raging house fire claims the life of a young
mother and two of her children. But as the debris is cleared, troubling
questions remain in the ashes. Among them, how did the fire start, where
was the husband at two a.m. the day of the blaze, and was it really the
fire that killed his family?
Now, as Cooper faces the reemergence of a dark secret he'd hoped to forget,
and Fry copes with problems both personal and professional, a horrific possibility
begins to take shape: what if the two investigations are somehow connected?
A killer is stalking the Peak District whose motives are a mystery and whose methods are unpredictable. And his next victims could very well be the only two cops who can stop him...
"Yet
another excellent novel from one of
"Booth
is a modern master of rural noir." - The
Guardian
"Booth's
aim is to portray the darkness that lies below the surface... in this he
succeeds wonderfully well."
Or click here to read the first chapter
THE DEAD PLACE and SCARED TO LIVE are also available as ebooks: visit Fictionwise.
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CRIMINAL
TENDENCIES
In addition to THE KILL CALL, April saw the publication of an anthology of short stories by a whole host of British crime writers who have donated their work for charity.
CRIMINAL TENDENCIES has been produced by independent publishers Creme de la Crime. For every copy sold, £1 will go to the National Hereditary Breast Cancer Helpline, which is supported by the Genesis Appeal, the only charity in the UK entirely dedicated to the prevention of breast cancer.
With a foreword by Mark Billingham, the anthology includes a story by Stephen Booth, along with contributions from Reginald Hill, Val McDermid, Andrew Taylor, Peter Lovesey, Peter James, Simon Brett, Ann Cleeves, Zoe Sharp, Sophie Hannah, Martin Edwards, and many others...
First-time authors Chris Nickson and Caroline Shiach, winners of the Criminal Tendencies 2009 competition, will also have their stories featured in the anthology.
For more information on the charities concerned, visit
http://www.breastcancergenetics.co.uk
Or you can order a copy of CRIMINAL TENDENCIES direct from Creme de la Crime.
WHO'S YOUR FAVOURITE ACTOR?
Several more suggestions from readers have now been added to the picture gallery on the Virtual Casting Page. Among the latest actors to be suggested for the screen role of DC Ben Cooper are Matt Bardock and Martin Freeman, while Melanie Gutteridge is put forward to play DS Diane Fry, and Trevor Cooper for DC Gavin Murfin. Let us know what you think!
http://www.stephen-booth.com/castingpage.htm
A CHANCE TO LISTEN TO STEPHEN
Following
a
readers'
day
for
visually
impaired
readers,
Stephen
Booth
was
asked
to
record
an
interview
for
'talking
newspaper'
the
Mansfield
Echo.
The
full
interview
is
also
available
to
listen
to
from
the
website
of
the
local
newspaper,
the
Mansfield
Chad.
Just
visit
interviewer
Bill
Purdue's
Chad
book
blog,
and
you
can
either
listen
online
or
download
the
interview
to
your
PC:
http://www.chad.co.uk/CustomPages/CustomPage.aspx?Pageid=76199
GOT YOUR CLAWS?
The
'Crime
Express'
Ben
Cooper
short
story,
CLAWS,
has
been
proving
popular
with
readers.
The
first
printing
is
now
sold
out
at
the
publishers,
and
will
be
re-printing
soon.
The
good
news
is
that
we
do
still
have
a
small
number
of
copies
left
in
stock,
for
sale
via
this
website.
Grab
them
soon,
though!
Go
to
the
Sales
page:
http://www.stephen-booth.com/sales.htm
At
96
pages,
CLAWS
is
a
'long
short
story'
featuring
Ben
Cooper
on
assignment
to
the
Derbyshire
Rural
Crime
Squad.
It
was
one
of
the
first
three
Crime
Express
titles
published
by
Five
Leaves,
a
small
press
in
Nottingham.
Five
Leaves
have
recently
released
two
more
Crime
Express
titles
-
GUN
by
Ray
Banks,
and
SPEAKING
OF
LUST
by
Lawrence
Block.
This
brings
the
series
of
small
pocket-sized
paperbacks
up
to
seven.
More
stories
are
planned
from
Allan
Guthrie
and
Jane
Adams
in
early
spring.
Further
information
from
Fives
Leaves
here:
http://www.fiveleaves.co.uk
CLAWS is now also available in a two-CD audio version, narrated by Nick Boulton. Go to: W.F. Howes website
You can also get all three of the first Crime Express titles together in one large print edition. This is again from W.F. Howes
MORE SIGNED BOOKS
We're gradually making more signed editions of the Cooper & Fry novels available for sale from the website. At the moment, there are also:
*
US
editions
of
BLOOD
ON
THE
TONGUE,
BLIND
TO
THE
BONES
and
ONE
LAST
BREATH,
including
rare
hardcovers
now
out
of
print
in
the
USA
*
some
UK
paperbacks
with
the
original
HarperCollins
covers
*
German
translations
of
most
of
the
Cooper
&
Fry
series,
including
some
hardbacks
These can all be signed by the author, of course. We hope to add some other editions over the next few months.
All stocks are limited, however - so it's 'first come, first served'. To see what's available right now, go straight to the Sales page.
WINNERS
Congratulations
to
the
winners
of
the
'CLAWS'
competition
in
the
Stephen
Booth
Newsletter.
The
winners
were:
Alan
Booth,
Latham,
ACT,
Australia.
Michael
Buckley,
Loughborough,
Leicestershire,
UK.
Brian
Deller,
Brinsley,
Nottinghamshire,
UK.
Jeanette
Jackson,
Scarborough,
Ontario,
Canada.
Ingrid
Lind,
Farmington
Hills,
Michigan,
USA.
Elizabeth
White,
Pooler,
Georgia,
USA.
They
each
win
a
personally
signed
copy
of
the
Ben
Cooper
story
CLAWS,
published
in
the
Crime
Express
series
by
Five
Leaves.
If
you
want
to
be
in
with
a
chance
of
winning
future
competitions,
you
can
sign
up
for
the
newsletter
by
clicking
here.
STEPHEN BOOTH FORUM
We've launched a STEPHEN BOOTH FORUM, a place created specially for readers of the Cooper & Fry series to chat with each other, ask questions, and get the latest news. But discussions can range across any crime or mystery related subject - and lots more besides!
Why not be one of the first to sign up for the forum - it's free, and very easy to do. Everyone is welcome, so don't be shy. You'll be able to exchange views with people from all over the world, and you can start your own topics at any time, on any subject you like. Stephen will be around from time to time for a chat, too. We hope it's going to be lots of fun!
The forum can be accessed direct from the website. Just click on Stephen Booth Forum.
Or use the following URL: http://www.stephen-booth.com/Forum
Follow in the footsteps of Cooper & Fry
This Summer, why not get out your walking boots and follow in the footsteps of DC Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry?
Some of the locations used in the Cooper & Fry series are featured in a new Peak District visitors' guide. Now you can follow Ben Cooper's footsteps of DC as he walks the snow-covered slopes of Irontongue Hill, or take the same route as DS Diane Fry and DC Gavin Murfin as they venture deep into the tunnels of Speedwell Cavern.
'Front
Row
of
the
Peak'
has
a
film
and
literature
theme,
and
it's
just
one
in
a
series
of
ten
Peak
Experience
booklets. Memorable
locations
from
DANCING
WITH
THE
VIRGINS,
ONE
LAST
BREATH
and
SCARED
TO
LIVE
are
among
the
sights
recommended
to
visitors,
along
with
settings
used
for
the
filming
of
JANE
EYRE
and
PRIDE
AND
PREJUDICE.
You
can
also
find
places
that
have
appeared
in
TV
drama
PEAK
PRACTICE
and
the
BBC’s
THE
LEAGUE
OF
GENTLEMEN.
The new visitors' guide was launched in Bakewell during the Peak Book Festival, and copies are available from Peak District visitor centres. You can also find more details of Cooper & Fry locations online at the Peak Experience website, along with an interview with Stephen Booth about his Peak District inspirations.
"An
authentic
voice
of
the
Peaks!
Booth’s
details
ring
true:
the
climate
and
seasons,
wildlife,
contrasts
between
valley-bottom
life
and
harsher
remote
hillside
living,
characters’
names
and
even
the
ways
people
speak
are
strikingly
authentic.
Booth
knows
the
Peak
District."
-
Peak
Experience
Meanwhile, you can get a taste of the wonderful Peak District landscape by viewing the slide show on the Peak District Page of this web site.
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PREVIOUS NEWS:
TV wildlife man chooses BLACK DOG
TV wildlife presenter NIGEL MARVEN ('Walking with Dinosaurs' and 'Prehistoric Park') has named BLACK DOG as one of his six favourite books.
"BLACK DOG - I couldn't put it down!" says Nigel.
('My Best Books' feature - Daily Express)Thanks, Nige!
The latest audio release in the Cooper & Fry series is the abridged edition of DYING TO SIN from HarperCollins. Clipper Audio have produced the audio CD, cassette and large print editions of SCARED TO LIVE, with the unabrdiged version of DYING TO SIN currently in production. You can buy the latest Clipper titles, or listen to short extracts, by clicking here.
AND NOW FOR A BEN COOPER SPECIAL - 'CLAWS'
This is the cover of the special Ben Cooper story CLAWS, which was published to launch the new Crime Express series.
CLAWS is a 'long short story' by Stephen Booth, featuring DC Cooper on assignment to the Derbyshire Rural Crime Squad, where he's tackling wildlife crime (and Ben is free of Diane Fry for once!).
This is one of the first three titles in the Crime Express series from Five Leaves Publications, a small press in the city of Nottingham, UK. At 96 pages, CLAWS is an ideal quick read, and just the right size for sticking in your pocket or bag.
Here's an extract from the cover blurb:
"The discovery of an illegal haul from the bedroom of a terraced house is a clue to what might be at stake - perhaps the entire future of one of the most prized landscapes in the Peak District National Park."
"For young Derbyshire police detective DC Ben Cooper, an assignment to the Rural Crime Squad means stepping into the middle of the conflict, without being quite sure whose side he's on. The predators come in all shapes and sizes. And in this battle, not all the victims will be human..."Mystery Scene magazine says: "The marketing geniuses at Crime Express deserve kudos for beginning this smart series with Stephen Booth’s extraordinary 'Claws'. An evocative meditation on a vanishing world, 'Claws' will send Booth fans rushing to re-read his full length novels."
CLAWS is available in lots of the usual places at a cover price of £4.99 ($10 in the USA), or copies can be ordered from the small press online bookseller InPress Books.
Click here to order your copy of CLAWS
If ordering through your local bookshop, you might need the ISBN number:
978-1-905512-24-9
and the name of the publisher:
Five Leaves Publications.
The other launch titles in the series were 'Trouble in Mind' by John Harvey, and Rod Duncan's 'The Mentalist'. Two further Crime Express stories from Clare Littleford and Nicola Monaghan have just been published. Can
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ada
Is there a real Ben Cooper in the Peak District? Well, at least one! The real-life Ben is a member of the Edale Mountain Rescue Team, who do a vital job helping walkers and climbers lost or injured on the hills. The MRT consists entirely of volunteers, and they're on call 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. They receive no official funding, but rely solely on voluntary donations. Think you could help them? For more information on what the MRT do, check out their website: Edale Mountain Rescue Team
Audio
versions of the Cooper & Fry series are
now
available in the USA.
Recorded Books
have released BLACK DOG,
BLOOD
ON
THE
TONGUE
and BLIND TO THE BONES on audio CD and cassette. Even
better news - these versions are narrated by a British actor, Christopher Kay.
Recorded Books
also
provide a
30-day rental service.
Stephen has contributed a short story to an anthology released in
November 2005. STUN TO STICK is one of 16 stories by Nottinghamshire writers
in 'Sunday Night and Monday Morning' from Five
Leaves Publishing. There's no appearance by Cooper and Fry in this one! Other writers contributing
stories
include John
Harvey, Robert Harris, Clare Littleford, Jon
McGregor and Julie
Myerson. Copies at £9.99
can be ordered from Five
Leaves, online from Amazon
and WH
Smith, or in the UK from your local bookshop (ISBN 090712352X).
Click
here for more details of the book.
You can now sign up to get news of Stephen Booth books by email through the HarperCollins UK 'Author Tracker' service (as well as news of some of your other favourite authors!). Follow this link to the HarperCollins website. And, of course, there's always the Newsletter.
Scorpion Press have issued BLOOD ON THE TONGUE in a handsome signed limited edition of only 80 copies in a fine binding. This edition contains an exclusive appreciation by Reginald Hill of the Cooper & Fry series. You can find more in the archive section of the Scorpion Press website.
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TRANSLATIONS UPDATE
In
Spain,
Artime
Ediciones
have
published
the
7th
Cooper
&
Fry
novel
SCARED
TO
LIVE
in
Spanish
translation
as
MIEDO
A
MORIR.
You
can
read
the
first
chapter
in
Spanish
by
clicking
here.
SCARED TO LIVE is also now available in Portugal from Publicacoes Europa- America as MEDO DE VIVER. This follows Portuguese publication of THE DEAD PLACE as O Lugar Morto and ONE LAST BREATH as UM Ultimo SUSPIRO.
In
Sweden,
Minotaur
have
just
published
SVART
SOM
SYNDEN
(DYING
TO
SIN),
along
with
the
paperback
of
I
SKYDD
AV
MORKRET
(SCARED
TO
LIVE). The
9th
Cooper
&
Fry
novel,
THE
KILL
CALL,
is
in
the
Minotaur
schedule
for
2009.
Blue
Moon
Books
have
published
HENKAYS
VAIN,
the
Finnish
translation
of
ONE
LAST
BREATH,
and
currently
have
THE
DEAD
PLACE
going
through
translation
for
publication
in
Finland
in
the
summer
of
2009.
In Germany, Goldmann have published TODESACKER (DYING TO SIN), following on from TODESNACHT (SCARED TO LIVE).
In
the
Czech
Republic,
BB
Art
have
published
the
Czech
translation
of
BLOOD
ON
THE
TONGUE
as
KREV
NA
JAZYKU,
to
follow
on
from
Desata
panna
(DANCING
WITH
THE
VIRGINS)
and
CernY
pes
(Black
Dog).
BLIND
TO
THE
BONES
will
follow
shortly.
In
Russia,
Azbooka
have
bought
the
rights
in
ONE
LAST
BREATH
and
THE
DEAD
PLACE,
to
follow
the
Russian
translation
of
DANCING
WITH
THE
VIRGINS.
CIELA Publishing have released SCARED TO LIVE in Bulgarian.
In Romania, RAO International have published CAINELE NEGRU (BLACK DOG), following on from the Romanian translation of THE DEAD PLACE, SALASUL MORTII.
The latest publication in Denmark from Klim is JERN TUNGEN (BLOOD ON THE TONGUE), now available in both paperback and Danish audio CD. Klim have also bought the Danish translation rights in BLIND TO THE BONES.
Vigmostad & Bjorke introduced the Cooper & Fry series to Norway last year with the publication of DJEVELHUNDEN (BLACK DOG). They have just published the second book, DANCING WITH THE VIRGINS, as JOMFRU-DANSEN.
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UK
publication of THE DEAD PLACE attracted the attention of geocachers, whose
sport features in the book. Our thanks to cacher 'dodgydaved', who directed us
to discussions on the Geocaching Forums: UK
Forum and Geocaching
Topics. If you thought geocaching was a fictional invention, check it
out!
Stephen contributed his recipe for Accidental Bakewell Pudding to
a new mystery writers' cook book called 'A Second Helping of Murder', published
by Poisoned
Pen Press.
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For full details of available and forthcoming editions,
including translations, go to the Books
page.
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