Louise Penny moves to Hodder & Stoughton

Hodder & Stoughton will publish Louise Penny's The Madness of Crowds in August 2021, the 17th novel in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, set in the fictional Quebec town of Three Pines. 

Jamie Hodder-Williams, c.e.o, and Jo Dickinson, publisher of the crime and thriller list, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from David Gernert at The Gernert Agency. 

Penny’s entire backlist — the 16 books in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series — will also move from Sphere to the Hodder & Stoughton crime and thriller list. 

Hodder-Williams said: "I am so thrilled to have Inspector Gamache and this brilliant cast of characters join the Hodder list. Three Pines is the perfect backdrop for sophisticated and thought-provoking novels which have family and friendship at their heart. I am determined that we will bring Louise Penny’s works to the even wider global readership that they deserve.’

Dickinson added: "I love the fact Louise’s writing sits with the very best of our genre, but also pushes the boundaries further. Her novels combine the depth and appeal of psychological, character-driven mysteries with the power of vivid landscape and sharp plotting – a brilliant combination! At the heart of the series, of course, is the amazing Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and the Three Pines community. This is a world that readers feel they are invited into and become a part of, and this connection is one aspect we really want to hone and amplify in our consumer messaging. We have detailed and ambitious plans for growth."

Penny commented: "It has been thrilling to see the creative, dynamic and bold ideas from the Hodder team. And exciting to hear the enthusiasm and belief that the Gamache series can be grown significantly in the incredibly important UK market."