Bonfire, Iona Hepburn’s intense debut crime thriller, is published today by Allison & Busby!
As per RCL tradition (because we love asking our authors to show us where they write) we are sharing a picture of Iona’s desk. Although – as she shared on the Fatal Shore debut authors panel two weeks ago – much of the book was written on the go, in snatches of time around her busy job as an ICU doctor.
The launch will be celebrated at a sold out event tonight, at Kemptown Bookshop in Brighton, followed by another sold out event at Waterstones in Lewes next week. We could not be more proud of the trail Bonfire has already blazed in the crime writing world, before even being officially published. Congratulations, Iona!
Some advance praise for Bonfire:
‘Bonfire is about to set the crime-writing world alight: great characters, memorable settings and a plot that is both chilling and completely believable. A fantastic debut.’
Elly Griffiths
‘I love a crime novel that dives under the skin of a community, and Hepburn does a great job of exploring the rivalries of the secret societies of the annual Lewes Bonfire event. Fusing ancient rituals with modern dangers, the story is twisty, propulsive and emotionally rich, powered by a queer love story that feels refreshing in a police procedural. Bonfire grips from the first spark of suspense to its incendiary finale; a blazing debut.’
Jo Furniss, author of Killer Twist and Dead Mile
‘What a remarkable debut. Bonfire fuses secrets and rivalries handed down through generations with the horrors of modern-day exploitation into a stunningly written murder mystery set against the clandestine world of Lewes Bonfire. A masterpiece.'
Graham Bartlett
‘An atmospheric and chilling read.’
Sarah Ward
‘That rare thing — a debut that feels utterly fresh, consistently surprising, and thoroughly — even bone-chillingly — authentic. This is a book that an old hand at the crime writing game would struggle to pull off, as a curtain-riser to what I am certain will become a glittering career, it is remarkable. Bravo, Iona!’
William Hussey
‘A taut, atmospheric thriller, set against the heady pagan feel of the Lewes bonfire, which asks us to consider all the ways we still judge and condemn women.’
Araminta Hall
