We’re delighted to have so many author achievements from 2023 to celebrate! Congratulations to our writers!
‘A Short Trip to Tesco’ by Shani Akilah
Shortlisted for the Writers’ & Artists’ Short Story Competition 2023
THE MILK TART MURDERS by Sally Andrew
Winner of the Adult Fiction category at the 2023 SA Book Awards
Romalyn Ante
Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Graeme Armstrong
Included in the Granta Best of Young British Novelists list
SIX DAYS by Dani Atkins
Winner of the Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award at the 2023 Romantic Novel Awards
HONEY AND SPICE by Bolu Babalola
Winner of the BookTok Book Of The Year at the 2023 TikTok Book Awards
Shortlisted for the Début Fiction Book of the Year award at the 2023 British Books Awards
OXBLOOD by Tom Benn
Winner of the 2022 Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award
Longlisted for the Gold Dagger at the Crime Writers’ Association Daggers Awards
‘Deeply immersive and evocative of the era… This is a novel to lose yourself in.’ – The Times, ‘100 Best Books for Summer 2023’
CASE STUDY by Graeme Macrae Burnet
TIEPOLO BLUE by James Cahill
Longlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award
EDITH HOLLER by Edward Carey
One of Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2023
A Broadway Direct ‘2023 Holiday Book Guide for theatre lovers’ pick
‘Edward Carey excels in writing – and drawing! – peculiar characters, and the cast he creates for the macabre and fun EDITH HOLLER is no exception.’ – Melissa Gray, NPR, ‘NPR Best Books of the Year 2023’
‘What I love about Edward Carey’s writing is one he takes you immediately into the past, he has a very unusual imagination that shows itself not only in the beautiful writing but in the beautiful illustrations that he does throughout the novel. Edward Carey’s world is just one I always want to be in and I love all his books.’ – Bill Goldstein, NBC, ‘ Bill Goldstein’s Five Favorite Books of 2023’
UNDERCURRENT by Natasha Carthew
Shortlisted for the 2023 Nero Book Awards
Anne de Courcy
Awarded the Biographers’ Club Exceptional Contribution Prize
THE LAST PASSENGER by Will Dean
‘If you think the notion of the “high concept” thriller has been fully exsanguinated, think again. In Dean’s new novel, a luxury liner adrift without a crew in the mid-Atlantic has one passenger, Caz Ripley, left on board, dealing with a Mary Celeste-like mystery. Irresistibly compelling fare.’ – The Financial Times, ‘Best Summer Books of 2023: Crime’
‘Perfect… Will Dean’s ingenious plot developments will keep you, like Caz, guessing wildly, and Jenny Funnell’s narration keeps belief suspended until the very end – and indeed beyond it.’ – Christina Hardyment, The Times, ‘The Best Audiobooks for Summer 2023’
‘Welcome to the RMS Atlantica, a ship unlike any other. We wish you fair winds and calm seas.’ – New York Library, ‘Best Books for Adults 2023’
THE MAN WHO LOVED CROCODILE TAMERS by Finuala Dowling
Longlisted for the South African Sunday Times Literary Awards
Janice Galloway
RESURRECTION by David Gilman
‘From a murder on the London Underground to a mission that goes badly wrong in the Sahara, Gilman keeps the action flowing furiously in the latest outing for Dan Raglan, a former MI6 officer and soldier in the French Foreign Legion. Raglan’s back-story and twisty political intrigue add an extra layer in this intelligent, satisfying international adventure.’ – The Financial Times, ‘Best Summer Books of 2023: Thrillers’
THE HYACINTH GIRL by Lyndall Gordon
Longlisted for 2023 PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography
MY THIRTY-MINUTE BAR MITZVAH by Denis Hirson
Longlisted for the South African Sunday Times Literary Awards
STOP THEM DEAD by Peter James
‘DS Roy Grace confronts an alarming illegal trade in dogs which leads to savage murder in this unputdownable addition to James' acclaimed crime series’ – Waterstones, ‘The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thriller’
PICTURE YOU DEAD by Peter James
A No.2 Sunday Times bestseller
‘A fun, fast-paced mystery, featuring a villain with an insatiable lust for art history’s forgotten treasures willing to stop at nothing to complete his collection.’ – Sarah Cascone, Art Net, ‘Best Art Books Published in 2023’
Contraflow: Lines of Englishness 1922-2022, ed. by John Greening and Kevin Gardner, including ‘The Only English Kid’ by Hannah Lowe
‘Finally, a treasure trove for poetry lovers. Contraflow: Lines of Englishness 1922-2022 is an anthology of English poetry from the past century. It sounds all too familiar and comfortable. But the editors, John Greening and Kevin Gardner, have cleverly set familiar voices of the past alongside some of today’s best poets, such as Zaffar Kunial and Hannah Lowe. If you tend not to read anything later than Larkin, this is a great way to start bringing yourself up to date.’ – Graeme Richardson, The Times, ‘16 Best Literature and Poetry Books of 2023’
THE WOMAN IN THE CHINESE COLLAR (previously titled MOY: In Search of Nelsa Lowe) by Hannah Lowe
Winner of the 2024 Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer’s Award
Zakes Mda
Nominated for the African Genius Awards
THE DARK FLOOD by Deon Meyer
Nominated for the 2023 Barry Awards in the Best Mystery or Crime Novel category
LEO by Deon Meyer
Overall (All-Language Fiction and Non-Fiction) No 1 Bestseller in South Africa for 10 weeks
MY FATHER’S HOUSE by Joseph O’Connor
An Irish No.1 for 4 weeks in a row and was in the Irish Top Ten for another 12 weeks
Shortlisted for the Eason Novel of the Year Award at the 2023 An Post Irish Book Awards
One of the most borrowed books from Kerry Library in 2023
‘O’Connor combines suspenseful storytelling with an eye for quirky human detail as he recounts the cat-and-mouse game with the Nazi authorities of the man dubbed “the Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican’’ – The Times, ‘100 Best Books for Summer 2023’
‘Joseph O’Connor’s historical novel MY FATHER’S HOUSE manages to be at once a ripping yarn and a profound exploration of moral choices in the worst of times… With lyrical evocation of time and place, scabrous humour and heart-stopping tension, it combines the pleasures of the ideal holiday read with those of a literary masterpiece.’ – Fintan O’Toole, The Irish Times, ‘The Best Books of 2023 so far’
‘MY FATHER’S HOUSE explore[s] the legacy of the past and show how the power and influence of the Catholic Church comes in many guises… [an] exploration of literary style and its possibilities, the art of making it new.’ – Colm Tóibín, The Irish Times, ‘The Best Books of 2023 so far’
‘Striking, immersive’ – Sarah Gilmartin, The Irish Times, ‘The Best Books of 2023 so far’
‘Based on the true story of a group in Vatican City whose daring exploits during World War II saved lives, O’Connor’s narrative charts the buildup and countdown to their mission. The result is a gripping drama featuring the unlikeliest of heroes, whom the reader will root for every step of the way’ – The Washington Post, ‘50 Notable Works of Fiction’
‘O’Connor’s beautifully written novel centers on an Irish priest, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, who organized escapes for Jews, resistance fighters and Allied prisoners during the Nazi occupation of Rome. Assisting him were men and women whose much-fictionalized selves are presented here in the compelling voices of actors Barry Barnes, Aoife Duffin, Stephen Hogan and several others.’ – Katherine A. Powers, The Washington Post, ‘The 10 Best Audiobooks of 2023’
‘O’Connor must have danced a jig of delight when he came upon the true story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, the Kerry-born priest stationed in the Vatican during World War II. O’Flaherty was directly responsible for helping around 6,500 people escape the clutches of the Nazis as the forces of darkness surrounded the Holy See. He’s a hero to cheer for, opposed by a proper boo-hiss villain in Obersturmbannführer Paul Hauptmann, and the supporting cast – everyone from The Pope to London wide boys - is equally strong. The master story teller delivers crackling dialogue, tense and thrilling set pieces, and beautiful prose. A bank holiday movie in book form.’ – Pat Carty, Hot Press, ‘The Best Books Of 2023’
‘[Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty’s] powerful story becomes a literary thriller which examines the nature of sacrifice and what it means to be human in the most extreme circumstances.’ – Fiona Audley, Irish Post, ‘Top Irish Reads for Christmas 2023’
‘MY FATHER’S HOUSE by Joseph O’Connor is a fictionalised account of the war years of Monsignor Hugh O’Connor, Vatican cleric and saviour of thousands of Allied prisoners and Jews in Nazi-occupied Rome. He didn’t act alone, and O’Connor gives voice and colour to his many helpers in this lively, evocative and beautiful rendering of the faith and courage of the scholarly but humble Kerry priest.’ – Anne Cunningham, The Anglo-Celt , ‘Some suggestions for books as Christmas gifts’
‘It’s both beautifully written literature and a cracking will-they-won’t-they thriller, as team O’Flaherty embark on a race against time, counting down to Christmas Eve and the next dangerous mission to save Allied soldiers. Gorgeous and brilliant.’ – Jenni Frazer, The Jewish Chronicle, ‘Fiction review of the year’
THE WOMAN ON THE BRIDGE by Sheila O’Flanagan
WHAT EDEN DID NEXT by Sheila O’Flanagan
The third most borrowed book from Kerry Library in 2023
BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER by Alan Parks
Winner of the 2023 Prix Mystère de la critique
MAY GOD FORGIVE by Alan Parks
Shortlisted for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger at the Crime Writers’ Association Daggers Awards
Longlisted for the 2023 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award
FIFTEEN WILD DECEMBERS by Karen Powell
Shortlisted for the 2023 Nero Book Awards
‘The story of moorland isolation, early deaths and burgeoning creativity is a familiar one, but Powell with Emily as her first-person narrator, gives it a new energy, capturing the vulnerability of the three sisters and their determination to make the most of their talents.’ – Nick Rennison, The Times, ‘The Best Historical Fiction Books of 2023’
‘More people need to discover this. A dazzling work of genius, her writing about the Brontë sisters make you inhabit their world and struggles.’ – Georgina Moore, The Daily Express, ‘Favourite Reads of 2023’
‘It’s a brave novelist who seeks to enter the mind of Emily Brontë, to be a ventriloquist to such strange genius, but this book is a triumph in its psychological acuity and wonderful use of language. (And Emily’s bull mastiff Keeper should now be in any list of best dogs in fiction.)’ – Nick, Sevenoaks Bookshop, ‘Books of the Year’
A LIBRARY TO FLEE by Etienne van Heerden (translated by Henrietta Rose-Innes)
Longlisted for the South African Sunday Times Literary Awards
A HISTORY OF WATER by Edward Wilson-Lee
