Publication Week
It’s always nice to see a book finally on the shelves, and this one had a particularly long wait.
I started writing 138 Main in the spring of 2021, finally finished my edits at the end of 2023. It went out on submission in early 2024 and sold to Germany, then to the UK, and then to the US. And now, it’s finally in bookshops in the first two of those territories, with the third to follow next month.
It’s been a busy publication week. I launched the book at Waterstones in Glasgow, in conversation with Craig Robertson. It was a fun evening - very well attended, and fun questions from Craig and the audience. I was rusty, having not done this in a few years, but it went pretty well. Apart from realising halfway through the Q&A that I had never signed my own name on a book before, and then having to come up with an ‘author’ signature fairly quickly at the signing.
It picked up some nice reviews in the press, with the Scotsman calling it ‘thrilling’.
The first American review in Library Journal was even better:
[Bell] puts a fresh, ingenious twist on the perennially popular serial killer thriller with this cleverly crafted, perfectly paced novel that will have readers riveted—and wondering if their doors are locked . . . VERDICT Fans of Alex North, Jennifer Hillier, and Thomas Harris will find this superbly executed thriller to be equally addictive reading.
There’s also been some fantastic reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. If you’re ever in two minds about bothering to leave a short online review of a book you’ve enjoyed, please do, they really help.
Offline, I spent some time visiting different bookshops, meeting booksellers and signing stock. I had a really fun chat about the book with Nadine Matheson on her podcast, which you can watch or listen to here. Marvel at how often one man can say “sorta”.
It’s great to hear what readers think about the book. I’m pleased that the consensus is it’s a page-turner that makes you want to read one more chapter before bed, but I’m also really happy people are picking up on the underlying themes in the book. I wanted to write a contemporary thriller that makes you think, and it seems to have hit the mark.
If you’re in the UK you can buy the book right now.
If you’re in the United States, you only have a couple of weeks to wait until it’s published on June 2, and you can preorder now.
Normal service on what I’m reading, watching etc will resume next time, but in the meantime, you can listen to my 138 Main Spotify playlist, which contains not one, not two, but eight songs titled ‘Main Street’, along with some other great tracks.
