The 'queen of South African crime thrillers', Margie Orford, has signed a further three book deal with Jonathan Ball Publishers for the next three instalments in the Clare Hart series to be published in South Africa. The deal will see the fourth book in the series, GALLOW'S HILL, published in the first half of 2011, with WATER MUSIC and SWEETHEART to follow, and continues the successful partnership between the author and publisher. DADDY'S GIRL was published by Jonathan Ball in 2009, along with the re-issue of the first two Clare Hart novels, LIKE CLOCKWORK and BLOOD ROSE.

Jonathan Ball publisher Jeremy Boraine said of the deal: 'I am delighted that we will be publishing more in the Clare Hart series, Margie's star is rising both here and internationally, and it's very exciting to be part of this.'

Margie Orford's work has attracted praise in South Africa and further afield, with DADDY'S GIRL selected as one of Tymon Smith's top ten books of 2009 in the SA Sunday Times, and prompting Jenny Cryws-Williams to say: 'Superlative…One of the most chilling books on crime that I have ever read…Cracking entertainment - a knockout.' The UK edition of BLOOD ROSE (Atlantic 2010) was praised by Barry Forshaw in the Independent who wrote that 'there is a highly satisfying marriage here between keen desire for a better society and the no-nonsense imperatives of the best crime fiction: an edgy union that Orford presides over with great dexterity.'

Margie Orford's novels have been published in seven further territories and translated into seven languages (Afrikaans, Dutch, French, German, Russian, Spanish and Czech). In the UK, Atlantic published BLOOD ROSE along with the paperback of LIKE CLOCKWORK in March 2010. DADDY'S GIRL will follow in 2011.

More Praise for Margie Orford:

'Margie Orford has nailed it. BLOOD ROSE is wonderfully crafted and fully engrossing. It's a book that stays with you, even after the last page is turned.'
--Michael Connelly
 
'A fantastic serial killer crime novel from Margie Orford...The pace of LIKE CLOCKWORK ticks along perfectly for the reader...It is a great book and catapults Orford to the top of the class of crime writing in South Africa for me thus far. This is largely due to her ability to write with a sense of true humanity and yet maintain a pacy sexy style...All I can say is more speed to Orford's wonderfully well-crafted pen.'
--Jennifer Crocker, Cape Times
 
'The energy Margie Orford creates between her characters and the tautness of her plots is attracting new readers and publishers every month.'
--Sue Grant-Marshall, Weekender

'After reading DADDY'S GIRL, I can recommend it to all those who haven't been stricken with Clare Hart fever yet...By successfully packaging a relevant topic into a crime thriller, Margie Orford not only offers a highly readable novel but also an incisive critique of the precarious place in which children find themselves in our society today.' 
--Karina Magdalena Szczurek, Sunday Independent