Karen Sullivan, publisher of Orenda Books, is delighted to announce the acquisition of World English Language rights for Kate Rhodes’ Deadman’s Pool, book eight in the Isles of Scilly series, in a two-book deal negotiated with Teresa Chris Literary Agency.
The book opens with DI Ben Kitto ferrying the islands’ priest to St Helen’s, as winter storms lash the Isles of Scilly. Father Michael intends to live as a pilgrim in the ruins of an ancient church on the uninhabited island, but an ugly secret is buried among the rocks. Digging frantically in the sand, Ben’s dog, Shadow, unearths the emaciated remains of a young woman. The discovery chills Ben to the core. The victim is Vietnamese, with no clear link to the community – and her killer has made sure that no one will find her easily. The storm intensifies as the investigation gathers pace, and soon Scilly is cut off by bad weather, with no help available from the mainland. Ben is certain the killer is hiding in plain sight. He knows they are waiting to kill again – and at unimaginable cost.
Karen says, ‘The Isles of Scilly series has been one of my own personal favourites since Hell Bay was published in 2018, and one of the few series I have always read in hardback. DI Ben Kitto is a complex, memorable character, who has returned from London to his birthplace within the close community of Bryher, wrestling with grief and trauma, but always seeking justice. With his dog, Shadow, and in later books, new-found love, he investigates local crimes that inevitably have their roots in the community, and the dark secrets that lurk behind closed doors.
‘When the series became available – picking up at book eight, Deadman’s Pool, with book nine to follow in 2026 – I leapt at it. With its immense sense of place, intricate, locked-island plots, and compelling, believable characters that we grow to love, this has always felt like an Orenda Books series, and I am thrilled to welcome Kate Rhodes – a reader, bookseller and librarian favourite – to the team, and to be offered the opportunity to breathe new life into a series that has so much more to give.
‘Deadman’s Pool is without question the best yet, with the islands cut off by a storm, a killer in their midst, and a masterfully created ticking-clock tension and sense of peril. Readers of and new to the series will be blown away.’
Kate Rhodes says, ‘I’m delighted to be working with a really ambitious, innovative independent publisher like Orenda. I admire their wide international reach, and their strong focus on quality crime writing. But above all, they offer exceptional encouragement and care to all their authors. I feel lucky to have joined their excellent list.’
Teresa Chris says, ‘I am delighted that Kate is going to be published by the prestigious award-winning Orenda team’
Deadman’s Pool, by Kate Rhodes, will be published on 25th September 2025, by Orenda Books, with book nine in the Isles of Scilly series published a year later. For more information, please contact Karen Sullivan: Karen@orendabooks.co.uk.
