Simon & Schuster have acquired The Search Party and a further untitled novel in a six-figure pre-emptive deal struck with Sarah Lutyens and Lutyens & Rubinstein. Clare Hey, Publishing Director at Simon & Schuster UK bought UK & Comm rights in a joint acquisition with Cassandra Di Bello at Simon & Schuster Australia.
Suspenseful, escapist commercial fiction for fans of Anna Downes, Jane Caro, Dervla McTiernan, Lucy Foley and Lisa Jewell, The Search Party is set over one May weekend, in a beautiful glamping site sitting on the edge of a cliff in Cornwall. It is a long weekend for old friends to reunite, until a huge storm blows them off course and changes everything…
Hannah Richell has published four novels with Hachette Australia, and her books are available in twenty-four territories and have been translated into nineteen languages. Her novels have been shortlisted for two ABIAs and an Indie Book Award, and she is a judge for the annual Richell Prize, established by Hachette Australia and the Emerging Writers’ Festival.
Cass Di Bello says, ‘There is so much love for Hannah Richell in Australia and like many others, I have long been a fan of her writing. Her skill in exploring relationship dynamics is unparalleled and we are so excited by how she has applied this to an exciting new direction. We feel privileged that she has chosen to take this next step in her career with S&S and have ambitious plans to grow her fan base even further.’
Clare Hey says, ‘The success of books like One of the Girls, The Paris Apartment and The Retreat, along with escapist location-based tv such as The White Lotus, shows a demand for smart destination thrillers. And Hannah Richell has nailed not only the claustrophobic tension of a weekend which spirals out of control, but also the complex relationships between her characters, and this makes for an incredibly pacy and satisfying read. I am so excited to welcome Hannah to the S&S list, where The Search Party will be a major launch for 2024.’
Hannah Richell says, 'I hold a special place in my heart for the Australian bookselling community and Hachette, who launched my writing career with style and passion, and have created a wonderful legacy with the Richell Prize, in my late husband’s name. Separating the personal and the professional, however, now feels a necessary step. The response to The Search Party from Clare, Cass and their teams at Simon & Schuster, both in the UK and Australia, has blown me away. Their impressive, co-ordinated pitch, clear vision and contagious excitement proved utterly irresistible. I’m thrilled to know that this novel, which began as my own dark escape during the pandemic, will be published next year and I'm delighted to be launching a new chapter in my writing career, supported by Simon & Schuster – and the always brilliant Sarah Lutyens.'
Sarah Lutyens says, ‘It was clear from my first conversation with Clare that she and Cass in the Australian office absolutely “got” Hannah’s novel and the way she has harnessed her genius for creating character to an intense all-nighter of a plot. I couldn’t be more excited to see Simon & Schuster launch this book with the ambition and clarity they showed in their pitch.’