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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

WACK Drama & Children’s Theatre has acquired stage adaptation and performance rights to two popular children’s books published by Murray and Me.

Pete Twiddlefeet and the Heart on His Sleeve and Hetta Elizabetta and the World on Her Shoulders will be performed at schools and theatres throughout South Africa over the coming months. These are the first two titles in a series of children’s books aimed at unpacking idioms for young readers through imaginative stories.

A further feather in the cap of this dynamic independent publisher is that Kop in die wolke in Kromkieriefontein [Head in the Clouds in Kromkieriefontein], the third title in the idiom series, was adapted into an animated short film which had its first screening at the Silwerskermfees, an annual film festival held in Camp’s Bay, Cape Town.

At this event, author Milan Murray received the award for best screenplay in the category for animated short films.

Diprente Films has optioned Things Unseen by Pamela Power for television in a deal brokered by Catrina Wessels.

Diprente has won, and been nominated for, numerous awards, both locally and internationally, including two nominations for International Emmy® Awards. The International Emmy® Awards were established by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to recognise excellence in television produced outside of the United States.

Things Unseen, Pamela Power’s second novel, is a gripping psychological thriller set in Johannesburg. It is published by Clockwork Books.

About the book

Emma’s quietly unsatisfying suburban life is thrown into disarray when she finds her mother beaten to death, her knickers around her ankles, in the mansion Emma shares with her husband in Westcliff. Police believe it’s an open-and-shut case and peg the crime on Surprise, the immigrant gardener. But Emma is convinced they are wrong.

The men in Emma’s life try to stop her asking questions: Rick, her philandering gynaecologist husband; Ross, her errant and immature brother returned from Australia; and Craig, an ex-lover visiting from the UK who stirs long-buried feelings in her.

Emma’s search for the truth reveals trust to be a fragile and elusive thing.

Praise for Things Unseen

“Things Unseen is a fast-paced, haunting thriller which addresses our most intimate fears of invasions and violations in the context of present-day crime realities of the country, but also free of the socio-political context.”

Karina Szczurek

“[A]n exciting and atmospheric page turner. While remaining true to the realities that form the South African landscape, and not shying away from issues like crime against women and children, the narrative is cleverly laced with humor, which makes it a delight to read, even though the subject matter is essentially quite dark.”

Melissa Volker

“I just love finding more and more South African stories that are confidently world-class and comfortable in their genre. This is one of those: a whodunit situated in Joburg […] Pamela Power understands how to keep your attention. You won’t regret this one.”

Margot Doherty