Alice Clark-Platts

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Agent: Ariella Feiner
Assistant: Amber Garvey

Books

Alice Clark-Platts is a former human rights lawyer living in Singapore. She has worked at the UN International Criminal Tribunal in connection with the Rwandan genocide and also on cases involving Winnie Mandela and the rapper Snoop Dogg. Her novel Warchild was short-listed for the Impress Prize 2013 and she was shortlisted for the Dead Good Reader Awards 2017 in the Best Police Procedural category for The Taken. Alice’s short fiction has been published in numerous places including the recent anthology Deadlier, which features 100 of the best crime stories by women, selected and introduced by Sophie Hannah. Her third novel, The Flower Girls, was sold in a five-publisher auction to Bloomsbury. Her next book, The Cove, will be published in spring 2022.

 

THE COVE (Bloomsbury)

*IT IS THE PERFECT ESCAPE... UNTIL THERE IS NO ESCAPE*

Welcome to Turtle Cove.

A luxury resort surrounded by pristine sea and the dense beauty of the jungle, it is the perfect escape from the stresses of life and work. For couples Lou and Adam, Eliza and Noah, a few days spent relaxing on the beach, while their kids are happily distracted, is exactly what they need.

But appearances can be deceiving.

There's a strange tension brewing at the resort, with relations between the hotel and the locals threatening to spill over into violence. This is nothing though compared to the strained atmosphere between the two families. They haven't been friends for long and they are starting to realise they don't really know each other at all.

Except for one of them. One of them knows another very well.

And they have a score to settle.

 
Praise for THE COVE
 
‘A paradise island. A fabulous family holiday. But dark secrets and murky truths lie beneath the crystal clear waters. Alcohol and simmering resentments are an explosive mix in this tense psychological thriller that stops holiday envy in its tracks.’ Tina Baker

‘The Cove is a stylish and taut thriller with a sting in its tail. I loved it.’ Dawn Goodwin

'A proper page-turner.' Lisa Howells, Heat Magazine

'Clear your diary, as this taut, compulsive thriller demands to be read in one go!' Good Housekeeping

'There is tension on every page.' Cosmopolitan UK

'Brilliant escapism... It had me gripped.' Harriet Tyce

‘From the first page to the last word, Alice Clark-Platts has delivered the perfect thriller; tight, evocative prose, a foreboding sense of place and a tense, unrelenting plot that never takes its foot off the accelerator. As ever, she takes us to the darkest of places and shines her brilliant light on the nuances of being human. Compelling, disturbing and totally unforgettable, I loved it!’ Julietta Henderson

'Taut and tense.' Nina Pottell, Prima Magazine

'Alice's writing reels you in and doesn't let you go. Full of lies and secrets, The Cove is a gripping thriller and must read for 2022.' Heidi Parks

'Superbly menacing.' Anna Mazzola

'Tension and suspense brews as you turn the pages.' Red Magazine

'Filled with sun, sea and building dread, this is a true page-turner with a terrific cast of characters and a vividly drawn setting.' B P Walter, author of The Dinner Guest

 

Praise for Alice Clark-Platts
‘A tense, intriguing and memorable thriller. I couldn’t put it down.’ Sophie Hannah

‘Dark, suspenseful and utterly chilling.’ Lisa Ballantyne, author of The Guilty One

‘Chilling, atmospheric and incredibly compelling. EXCELLENT.’ Will Dean, author of Zoe Ball/ITV Book Club pick, Dark Pines

 ‘Phenomenal. A deep and clever exploration of a dark subject. I’ve never read anything quite like it.’ Fiona Mitchell, author of The Maid’s Room

‘I was completely hooked! The Flower Girls is dark and unsettling, with complex characters that drew me in from the very beginning. It was an utterly absorbing read, with a clever twist at the end, as well as a few unexpected moments throughout.’ Elle Croft, author of The Guilty Wife

‘This was as dark and gripping as I hoped it would be. But it’s also something else: about justice, rehabilitation and hope.’ Anna Mazzola, author of The Unseeing

‘I finished The Flower Girls last night and I'm still reeling. A brilliant, thought-provoking read.’ Francesca Jakobi, author of Bitter

‘Every bit as brilliant as I thought it would be. Twisty, sinister and heartbreaking. Such beautiful writing; so, so dark. Prepare to be fully disturbed.’ Cressida McLaughlin, author of The House of Birds and Butterflies

‘A tense and quite chilling look at past crimes, current beliefs and a determination to uncover the truth. Alice Clark-Platts excels in creating strong and believable female characters …  Child murder and child murderers are such a taboo and shocking subject but this author has dealt with this darkest and troublesome of plot lines with an expert ease.’  Anne Cater

‘A dark, disturbing and all-consuming mystery.’ The Sun

'Absorbing.' Metro

‘Creepy and unnerving, Alice Clark-Platts’ dark story is getting huge amounts of buzz.’ Stylist

'A sharp exploration of the ethical, social and legal issues involved in crimes committed by children, draped elegantly in the cloak of a sinister psychological thriller.’ Sydney Morning Herald

'There is a gripping, economic precision in this highly charged thriller.' Ralph Fiennes

'I was hooked from the first page. Opens the door to an insidioius world - eye-opening, harrowing and terrifyingly plausible.' Greta Scacchi

'Once I started reading it I couldn't stop. A brilliantly plotted and utterly gripping thriller.' Emma Kavanagh

'A thought-provoking, atmospheric and emotional page-turner - brimming with mystery and suspense. I absolutely loved the novel and devoured it from cover to cover.' Paul Pilkington

'Intriguing and sinister with masterful plotting and tension. . .  A new crime author I can't wait to read again.' Mel Sherratt

'Grabbed me from the first page and wouldn't let go. A compelling read, beautifully written. . . a tense, captivating tale, brilliantly told.' Rachel Abbott

'Superbly gripping. . . a very assured page-turning storm I read in one sitting.' Stav Sherez

'An intelligent and thrilling debut.' Peter Guttridge

Fiction

Publication DetailsNotes
2019

Bloomsbury

YOU'LL NEVER FORGET THE FLOWER GIRLS

The Flower Girls. Laurel and Primrose.

One convicted of murder, the other given a new identity.

Now, nineteen years later, another child has gone missing.

And The Flower Girls are about to hit the headlines all over again...

2016

Penguin

There's the lost.
There's the missing.
And there's the taken.

She asked me once if we had any secrets, and I shook my head.
'No secrets between us,' she said.
'No,' I answered. 'Never ever.'

In a Durham hotel at dawn, celebrated preacher Tristan Snow is murdered as he prays. None of the other guests - not even his daughter, his wife, or her sister - saw or heard anything.

But then again, they all had a motive for murder.

Detective Inspector Erica Martin is confronted by secrets and lies, lost in a case where nothing is what it seems.

With no answers, DI Martin is consumed by questions: Is anyone in this family innocent? When the victim might have been a monster - is there such a thing as justice? And does anyone deserve to die?

2015

Penguin

A stunning debut - part psychological thriller, part detective novel - from a powerful and distinctive new voice.

The murder of a first-year university student shocks the city of Durham. The victim, Emily Brabents, was from the privileged and popular set at Joyce College, a cradle for the country's future elite.

As Detective Inspector Erica Martin investigates the college, she finds a close-knit community fuelled by jealousy, obsession and secrets. But the very last thing she expects is an instant confession . . .

The picture of Emily that begins to emerge is that of a girl wanted by everyone, but not truly known by anyone. Anyone, that is, except Daniel Shepherd. Her fellow student, ever-faithful friend and the only one who cares. The only one who would do anything for her . . .