news

Following on from a fantastic Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in July, I went to St Hilda's College in Oxford for the annual Crime & Mystery weekend in August. Under the smooth and intelligent chairmanship of Andrew Taylor a group of us gave papers on various crime-writing topics under the general theme of 'Behind the Mask' and a very jolly time was had by all.

I came back to the excellent news that the German edition of No Escape, Unerbittlich ist der Tod, has sold so well in its first week that my publishers, Weltbild - will now be translating and publishing Lifeblood.

In France, No Escape is called L'ile de tous les dangeurs, and it has been a Premiere main selection in the bookclub France Loisirs.

In the UK, Marcel Berlins has given the sequel, Lifeblood, a stunning review in The Times, and I am revelling in all your letter and emails. Thank you all for taking the trouble to get in touch.

In NO ESCAPE, Karen got to grips with DSPD, the most dangerous and intractable mental disorder that exists. She became involved with a convicted killer called Spike Falconer and was pretty soon in danger herself. To find out more, do visit my publisher's website at http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/No-Escape/N-J-Cooper/9781847374141

Reviews came flatteringly. Jessica Mann has written in the Literary Review:

"As [Karen] is drawn into life on the island, and into a police inspector's examiantion of unresolved cases, her theoretical academic work turns into a frightening personal quest.... N J Cooper's novel is a real 'psychological' in that the clues, deductions, and conclusion are all as much dependent on examining human nature as material evidence. The result is a thriller that is both exciting and credible."

And the Guardian review includes:

"One of Cooper's strengths is her ability to unpack ideas and issues, and here she focuses on the psychologist's concept of the brain as the seat of reason and emotion, set against the neurosurgeon's view of it as a purely physical entity. A fascinating, splendidly atmospheric read."

In The Times Marcel Berlins has written: 'No Escape is an altogether satisfying novel'

And in The Telegraph, Jake Kerridge calls it 'excellent', adding: 'Informative and entertaining.'




Now, in LIFEBLOOD, Karen is dealing with a highly dangerous serial rapist...

Incidentally, there are still video clips for six of my Trish Maguire novels on the terrific Meet the Author website. The links are:

http://www.meettheauthor.co.uk/bookbites/1562.html
http://www.meettheauthor.co.uk/bookbites/1563.html
http://www.meettheauthor.co.uk/bookbites/1564.html
http://www.meettheauthor.co.uk/bookbites/1565.html
http://www.meettheauthor.co.uk/bookbites/1566.html
http://www.meettheauthor.co.uk/bookbites/1567.html

You can also download an audio discussion between me and Paul Blezard, who generously invited me to use it here. You can find the link on my welcome page. I hope you enjoy it.

diary dates

12 June 2010 Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge
I shall be discussing violence in crime fiction with Jessica Mann, Selina Walker, and Dreda Say Mitchell, with Sophie Hannah in the chair, before also taking part in a discussion of crime fiction as social history with Laura Wilson, Elly Griffiths and Michelle Spring.

The programme and booking site are online at

http://www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk/pages/news-events/womens-word-2010.php

14 June 2010 I shall be discussing crime fiction with Laura Wilson and Michelle Spring at Hendon library from 6.30 until 8pm

12 July I shall be discussing my work at the Astley Cooper School

22 - 25 July The Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate.

13 - 15 August The St Hilda's Crime and Mystery weekend in Oxford

4 September I shall be giving a talk under the title of 'Abandoning Romance' to the Barbara Pym Society at St Hilda's College, Oxford.

18 September I shall be chairing a panel discussion New Ways with Old Themes: Women and Crime Fiction, at the Reading Festival with Belinda Bauer, Ann Cleeves, Sophie Hannah, Barbara Nadel. More information can be found at www.readingfestivalofcrime.org/programme.html

21 September I shall be giving a talk on my work as N J Cooper to the Smithsonian/Tours of Discovery group in London.

22 September The Guildford Festival. I shall be chairing a panel discussion on historical crime with Jason Goodwin, Lucretia Grindle and S J Parris.
More information from deputy@guildfordbookfestival.co.uk

Trish's London from the Embankment to the Wheel