S&S lands McKenzie's 'thrilling' Hide and Secrets

Simon & Schuster Children’s Books has acquired Hide and Secrets, plus a second new novel by Sophie McKenzie.

Hide and Secrets, publishing on 22nd July, sees McKenzie return with a new teen thriller for 12+ readers. The book will be launched with a major publicity and marketing campaign.

The synopsis explains: "In Hide and Secrets, 14-year-old Cat is facing a lonely summer. Her father is missing – presumed dead – her mother has retreated into her own world, and her little sister, Bess, refuses to speak. When Cat discovers some long-buried information, she begins to unravel the trail of lies around her father’s disappearance, and with secrets exposed, will she be able to begin to mend her family?"

Ali Dougal, publishing director, bought world rights for Hide and Secrets in a two-book deal from Jodie Hodges at United Agents. A second untitled teen thriller will be published in spring 2022.

Dougal said: "Nobody does it better than Sophie when it comes to teen thrillers, and with Girl, Missing still riding high in the charts after fifteen years, there is no better time to be introducing another fast-paced, accessible drama to readers. With a thrilling conceit and a knockout package, expect to see Hide and Secrets everywhere this summer."

McKenzie is the author of a range of thrillers, including the Missing series (Girl, Missing, Sister, Missing and Missing Me), Blood Ties, Blood Ransom and the Medusa Project series, all published by S&S. She has also written two romance series and a number of crime novels for adults.  Fifteen years on from first publication, McKenzie’s novel Girl, Missing  is still a regular top-ten YA bestseller, with over 400,000 of the Missing series sold to date, according to S&S. She has sold 956,373 books for £4.9m through Nielsen BookScan, excluding lockdown weeks, with Girl, Missing her bestseller on 120,723 copies sold. 

She said: "I’m very excited to be introducing readers to a brand new story and whole set of original characters in Hide and Secrets.  It’s fantastic that Girl, Missing still connects with so many readers and I hope that this new book is just as much of a thrill ride!"