Orenda signs Voss' 'masterful' crime book

Orenda Books has signed crime writer Louise Voss in a two-book deal.

Karen Sullivan, publisher of Orenda Books, acquired World English Language rights for two standalone thrillers from Veronique Baxter of David Higham Associates.

The first title, The Old You, is in "many ways a classic Hitchcockian tale – reminiscent of Gaslight – a psychological thriller with a seething undercurrent of paranoia and multiple twists that cleverly and constantly wrong-foot the reader", Sullivan said.

It follows protagonist Lynn who leaves her job as an undercover police officer to marry her great love, Ed. After 10 happy years, he’s diagnosed with early-onset dementia, which sets in motion a "chilling" series of events, driven by old and inexplicable memories that begin to surface, bringing into question everything Lynn thought she knew about her husband.

Sullivan said: "This is a massive signing for Orenda Books, and Louise is an incredible talent, with considerably more to offer. Her high-quality writing, complex and often ingenious plotting, and profound psychological insights make her a perfect fit for our growing list, and are just some of many reasons why she’s sold more than 350,000 books across her career, to date. This is a masterful book, brimming with dark deceptions, jeopardy and tension, and some exceptionally sophisticated plotting. We’ll be publishing The Old You in spring 2018, with the second book to follow a year later."

Voss said: "I could not be happier to be joining the team, and I feel in such safe hands with Karen. It’s a massive relief to know that I’m going be published by someone who really cares about the quality of the books on her list, as well as getting them out to the widest audience possible. I’m very excited about the coming year!"

Baxter added: "The Old You is a fabulously pacey novel with a great hook and we're thrilled to have sold it to Karen and her dynamic and innovative team at Orenda."

Voss has previously published with Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer imprint and before that, with HarperCollins.