Canelo snaps up compulsive speculative thriller from H Critchlow

Executive Publisher Louise Cullen has acquired World English language rights for two books by the author Heather Critchlow, writing as H Critchlow, from Charlotte Seymour at Johnson & Alcock.

The Tomorrow Project will be published in hardback and ebook in Spring 2025 and is a near-future dystopian novel about the tail end of a global pandemic and the people tasked with salvaging any trace of the world as they know it. Marianne is a government press secretary who learns – too late – that the official plan to protect as many children as possible is corrupt and flawed. She takes drastic action in an attempt to right those wrongs, and in the process she condemns herself, breaks her own heart and potentially saves humanity. Maia, the final child to be whisked out of a falling city, comes of age in an environment that sees her free of the virus, but trapped by fear. As her place of safety becomes a dangerous prison, she must choose whether to stay and wither, or venture into the unknown and face contagion – or something even worse. 

In a separate deal, Critchlow’s hugely successful Scottish crime series featuring Cal Lovett will continue to be published by Canelo Crime. Unsolved was published in 2023 and nominated for the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year prize, followed by Unburied in January 2024 and Unsound, due out in September 2024. The fourth novel in the series will be released in 2025, and the fifth and final instalment set for release in 2026. 

Louise Cullen: ‘Heather’s writing has a lucidity and propulsion that means whatever the story, whichever world or genre we’re in, I can be entirely transported. Reading The Tomorrow Project was like reliving something I’d already experienced, such is the skill with which Heather brings her ideas to life. The pandemic aspect will resonate with all readers, and the sense of cloying, claustrophobic dread is not easily forgotten, but it’s Heather’s gift for conveying emotion and her depiction of heart-wrenching choices and insurmountable odds that makes this a truly indelible novel. Anyone who reads this rousing thriller will feel a chill down their spine in recognition of a decimated world so close to our own, and stakes that could not be higher. It’s a privilege to work with Heather and I am enormously proud of the success of her Cal Lovett Scottish crime series, with yet more to come.’

Heather Critchlow: ‘The Tomorrow Project began as a terrifying daydream about the last days of humanity. I can’t wait for readers to meet Marianne and Maia as they battle for redemption and survival in a failing world. It’s also a delight to continue delving into true crime podcasting with books four and five in the Cal Lovett series. I’m incredibly grateful to my agent Charlotte Seymour as well as Louise Cullen and the Canelo team for giving all these books a home – their exceptional energy and dedication makes the publishing process a joy.’

Charlotte Seymour: ‘I’m thrilled to see Heather going from strength to strength, both with the Cal Lovett Files and her first standalone novel, and to continue the journey with the brilliant team at Canelo, who are such a delight to work with.’

The Tomorrow Project will be published in February 2025 in hardback and ebook, with a paperback to follow in autumn 2025. A second untitled H Critchlow novel will be published in Spring 2026. The fourth Cal Lovett novel will be released in paperback and ebook in August 2025, and the fifth and final instalment set for release in September 2026. 

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