Canelo Suspense set to publish new psychological thrillers by Jenny Blackhurst

World English Language rights to two standalone thrillers have been acquired from Laetitia Rutherford at Watson, Little in a two-book deal.

The Summer Girl is set in the sunny climes of Martha’s Vineyard, an exclusive island off the East Coast of the US and playground for the rich and famous. British twenty-something Holly travels there for the summer, working at the local marina and desperate to forge her own path after a tragic family loss. When her older sister, Blair, doesn’t hear from Holly for three days – apart from a strange text message – she flies over to the island and discovers not all is as it seems. Holly is the second young woman to go missing in five years. No one wants to speak about the disappearances. No one seems to care. Can Blair uncover the truth of what happened to Holly? Or will the final days of the summer girl remain a mystery forever?

Jenny Blackhurst lives in Shropshire where she grew up dreaming that one day she would get paid for making up stories. She is an avid reader and can mostly be found with her head in a book or hunting Pokemon with her son, otherwise you can find her on Twitter @JennyBlackhurst or Facebook. Jenny shot to prominence with her smash hit debut HOW I LOST YOU, currently being adapted for the screen, and is the author of eight standalone thrillers and a forthcoming locked room series. The Summer Girl has also been acquired by her long-running German publisher Bastei Lubbe. Jenny has published two books with Canelo, including The Girl Who Left and The Hiking Trip, which have received glowing reviews from Daily Mail, Prima and Heat.

Michael Bhaskar says: ‘Jenny Blackhurst is one of the most exciting writers working on thrillers today. These are books full of brilliant tension and atmosphere, a genre masterclass, and we are absolutely delighted to have acquired them. Her next, The Summer Girl, evokes the wealthy retreat of Martha’s Vineyard with pitch-perfect feel – and nails the dark side of holiday life.’

Jenny Blackhurst says: ‘The team at Canelo are fantastic, I’m excited to be continuing our relationship with two more books and looking forward to seeing where Canelo goes next.’ 

The Summer Girl will be published in July 2023, in mass-market paperback and ebook, and the second book in summer 2024. For more information please contact kate@canelo.co