THE NEXT CHAPTER FOR LYNDA LA PLANTE

Lynda La Plante Portrait with Bonnier & Zaffre logos

A major new recontract and a new series

Zaffre, the flagship commercial fiction imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has announced a major new recontract with Sunday Times bestseller Lynda La Plante. 

World All Language rights were acquired by Sarah Benton, Managing Director, and Ben Willis, Publisher, from Nigel Stoneman of LaPlante Global, and the seven-figure deal includes four frontlist titles, two backlist reissues and an audio original. Two of the frontlist titles are the start of a new series which we will see next summer.

Sarah Benton said: “Lynda La Plante is a true icon of crime and it remains our greatest honour to be her publisher. This year, and this new deal, shows she is still absolutely at the top of her game: innovating the genre, pushing boundaries and continuing to blaze a trail for the rest of us. She inspires us every day, and we can’t wait for more readers to keep discovering her books.”

Lynda La Plante CBE is unique, the only UK female crime writer to have adapted and produced TV series, based on her novels.

Her own experience as an actor gave her the knowledge and experience to write and cast many of her television series, most notably in Prime Suspect she cast Helen Mirren as Detective Jane Tennison, a series which ran for 7 seasons, won numerous awards and was distributed to 196 territories globally.

She was awarded the Diamond Dagger, the highest accolade in crime writing, earlier this year. This recognises authors whose crime writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.

Further facts about Lynda:

  •  Written/produced over 170 hours of film and television.
  • Created and wrote Prime Suspect, cast Helen Mirren as Detective Jane Tennison – ran for 7 seasons, distributed to 196 territories. She has also written and produced WIDOWS, WIDOWS – Revenge, SHE’S OUT, Above Suspicion, Trial and Retribution, Supply and Demand, Killer Net, Mind Games, The Commander, The Prosecutors, The Governor, Bella Mafia, Framed.
  • In producing and casting her own series, Lynda has given actors such as Ralph Fiennes (Prime Suspect), Carey Mulligan (Above Suspicion), Michael Fassbender (Trial and Retribution), Idris Elba (The Governor), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Mind Games), Helen McCrory (Above Suspicion), Jason Isaacs (Civvies), Penelope Cruz (Framed), Timothy Dalton (Framed), Victoria Smurfit (Trial and Retribution), Janet McTeer (The Governor) and Dame Helen Mirren (Prime Suspect), some of their first acting roles.
  • Awarded 3 British Academy Awards (BAFTAS) including the Dennis Potter BAFTA for screenwriting – A BAFTA Fellowship – Emmy Award – The Edgar, given by the Mystery Writers of America – A British Film Institute Fellowship – Peabody Award – Royal Television Society Award. Lynda has also been made a CBE, Commander of the British Empire
  • Lynda is the only lay person to be made a Fellow of The Society of Forensic Scientists. Bestowed due to the accuracy of forensic science in her books and TV series. Lynda has a former detective and CSI on her staff.
  • Lynda’s books have been translated into 28 languages and she is consistently on the bestseller list in the UK, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Italy and South Africa. Her complete backlist of unabridged audiobooks is currently being recorded and will be available in full in 2025.