Head of Zeus buys two 'boundary-pushing' thrillers from Monroe

Head of Zeus (HoZ) will publish two more books from J S Monroe as the author attempts to "push the boundaries of high-concept psychological thrillers".

Publishing director Laura Palmer acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to two novels in a deal with Will Francis at Janklow & Nesbit.

HoZ previously published Monroe's Find Me and Forget Me and the new books will be set in the same fictional universe, starring Wiltshire detective DI Silas Hart and reflect Monroe’s ongoing interest in neuroscience and the human brain. 

The first book acquired in the new deal is as-yet-untitled but is about a woman whose partner returns to their home in Cornwall after a week working in London. When she picks him up at the airport, she becomes convinced that something is wrong, and that the man she loves has been replaced by an identical imposter.

Palmer said: “J S Monroe’s books are simply brilliant: intelligent, timely and full of stunning twists. Best of all - and unusually for psychological thrillers - they are also warm-hearted and hopeful, with a cast of characters to root for rather than despise. DI Silas Hart is one such character and I can’t wait to see what happens to him in the next two books.”

Monroe is the pseudonym of former journalist and novelist Jon Stock, who wrote the Legoland spy trilogy (published by HarperCollins and optioned by Warner Bros).

He said: “I’m thrilled to be writing two more J S Monroe thrillers for Head of Zeus, one of the most dynamic independent publishers around. The whole company are behind each book they publish and in Laura I couldn’t ask for a better editor. We’re both trying to push the boundaries of high-concept psychological thrillers.”

This month the author's first two novels, The Riot Act and The Cardamom Club, will be republished by HoZ as e-books, with the latter renamed as The India Club.