Canelo clinches Sowden's 'bewitching' debut thriller

Canelo will publish Curtis Brown graduate Stephanie Sowden’s debut billed as “Girl A (HarperCollins) meets The Girls (Vintage)”. 

Publishing director Louise Cullen acquired world English-language rights to crime novel After Everything You Did from Clare Coombes at Liverpool Literary Agency in a two-book deal. Canelo said the deal followed “strong interest and competing offers”. The novel will be published on Canelo’s flagship crime imprint in spring 2022.

After Everything You Did is set in 1960s America and is the tale of Reeta Doe, who suffers retrograde amnesia after a car crash. Canelo said: “She is told that the FBI have named her as the only suspect in the murder of four college girls and attempted murder of a fifth. With no recollection of her life before, Reeta struggles to come to terms with the version of herself that she is presented with. As the truth about Reeta slowly unfolds, multiple characters are forced to question their motives and loyalties, and face the darkest sides of human nature.”  

Sowden is based in Manchester and studied history and politics at Durham University. After a stint in magazine journalism, she retrained in food and now runs her own catering company. She took part in Curtis Brown Creative’s selective novel writing course, during which she completed her first novel.  

She said: “I am so excited to join Canelo Crime with my debut novel. Having always written and fantasised about being an author, it still feels surreal that my work will be published and that Reeta's story will be read. I love Louise's passion for the book and I hope people fall for Reeta the way I have: she's a complicated girl, but she's been through a lot.” 

Cullen commented: “There is no doubt in my mind that Stephanie’s debut novel is going to take readers by storm. I was entirely captivated by the character of Reeta Doe from the moment I began reading, and my enthusiasm only grew as the novel continued. It is rare to find the bewitching combination of an unforgettable voice, simmering tension and a deeply felt exploration of nature versus nurture.  

“The fact that this is Stephanie’s first book fills me with excitement, as her talent shines through in every sentence. I’m also delighted to share an author with Clare Coombes at Liverpool Literary Agency, who has already done such brilliant work to champion Northern and working-class writers and has a remarkable eye for the potential of the authors she represents.”