Tuesday 8 February 2011

Take My Breath Away



I'm very pleased to confirm that Take My Breath Away, a stand-alone novel of psychological suspense set in London, will be published in the US by Five Star in June. This is a book I'm proud of having written, though its publication in the UK a few years back didn't attract as much attention as I had perhaps naively hoped. Some of those who read it loved it, and there ware no negative reviews, just not very many in all! But Priscilla Masters did feature it in one of her own novels, which really did gratify me.

Here is the cover of the ARC, which has just been sent out to reviewers. I will be fascinated to see the reaction to the book in the States. Five Star published my novel about Crippen, Dancing for the Hangman, a couple of years ago, and the response was very pleasing. They have also published the first two Harry Devlins.

I owe a debt of thanks here to Ed Gorman, whose support for the book helped me to achieve my ambition of an American edition. Ed is a great friend to many crime writers, not least myself, and I'm truly grateful to him.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Martin - That's a great cover! I'm very much looking forward to the U.S. publication.

Fiona said...

Congratulations Martin! I have yet to read this one (I'm busy chasing down Harry Devlin in chronological order) but I have it noted and will be looking for it very soon. I wish you and the book lots of success :)

seana graham said...

Great congratulations to you, Martin, and a hip hip hooray for Mr. Gorman!

C. N. Nevets said...

I wish you the best of luck with the book, and I for one will be sure to purchase it!

Mason Canyon said...

Congratulations on the upcoming release in the US. Wishing the best of luck.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

pattinase (abbott) said...

Gorgeous, Martin. Glad to see it hit the shores.

Martin Edwards said...

Very kind, thank you all so much!

Dorte H said...

Wonderful!

I have it on my shelf and have made a note of reviewing it before June :D

Paul Beech said...

Hi Martin – I’m writing in jubilant mood. Not only was my gorgeous sixth grandchild Finley born on Tuesday, but I had a prose poem published same day and this morning struck gold at Northwich Library book sale. I was hoping to find a copy of ‘Take My Breath Away’ as I’m intrigued by what I’ve read about it. (Congrats on the US release.) No joy there but I picked up six of your hardbacks in great condition – your ‘Perfectly Criminal’ anthologies 1, 2 and 3, your ‘Missing Persons’ anthology and a couple of Harry Devlins, ‘Yesterday’s Papers’ and ‘First Cut Is The Deepest’. Not a bad haul for a grand total of £1.50!

Of course I’m very much looking forward to publication of ‘The Hanging Tree’ and will hope to acquire a signed copy if you’re doing any gigs around Cheshire this year.

My recent silence on your blog has been due to a protracted router crash at home but I’m now online again, thank goodness. One post I’d have particularly liked to comment on was ‘Writers and their Readers’ (26/01/11). With realism, it seems to me that the optimum level depends on the nature of the story and that it’s quite okay for a single author’s output to vary in this respect. I recently read Simon Brett’s Mrs Pargeter novel ‘A Better Class Of Corpse’ and really enjoyed it though it was hardly realistic. I’m now reading his suspense novel ‘Singled Out’ which seems to me a tour de force, very realistic, sexually graphic in places, and absolutely riveting. But I completely agree that writers of fictional murder should have regard to those touched by the real thing, and I hope the Edwards Rule becomes accepted in the genre and a widely applied critical yardstick.

I like the audio greeting on your website, by the way. Maybe one day we’ll have speaking blogs!

Regards, Paul

Martin Edwards said...

Hi Paul - many congrats on the new arriva!
£1.50 - what a bargain!!!
Hope to see you again before long.