A7 Kitap has acquired Turkish translation rights to top local crime writer Martin Steyn’s debut novel and plans to bring the Turkish edition to market by the end of the year.

Since its inception in 2017, A7 Kitap has aimed to publish engaging and thought-provoking books across all genres and categories, with a particular focus on literary and commercial fiction, essays, memoirs, and self-help books.

A particular mission of this independent publishing house is to publish books that reflect the spirit of our time in different cultures and societies.

In this respect, Steyn’s award-winning debut novel is a fitting addition to A7 Kitap’s list of crime fiction.

Donker spoor was originally published in Afrikaans in 2014 and awarded the ATKV Prize for Suspense Fiction in 2015. In 2017, its English translation Dark Traces was released locally by LAPA Publishers and in the US by Catalyst Press, where it proceeded to garner high praise and receive a prestigious Kirkus Star.

Praise for Dark Traces:

“[a] dark, intriguing, and satisfying tale with strong characters.”  – Kirkus Reviews

“A captivating debut thriller” – The Library Journal

“[F]ascinating and compelling for its unfamiliar—at least, to most American readers—setting, its well-drawn and sympathetic characters, and the totally believable psychopath whose vicious murders are at the center of the plot.” – The New York Journal of Books

“Martin places a premium on realism, and it shows in the book. But his character study of his protagonist, Jan Magson, and the people caught up in the killer’s wake are riveting.” – The Big Thrill

Publication details

TITLE: Dark Traces

AUTHOR: Martin Steyn

CATEGORY: Crime thriller

FORMAT: Trade Paperback

ISBN: 9780799383591

PUBLISHER: LAPA Publishers (South Africa)

World excluding English-language and Turkish rights available