Hera acquire the debut thriller titles by bestselling romance author, Lorraine Brown

Executive Publisher Keshini Naidoo has signed a two-book deal with romance author Lorraine Brown for her first psychological thrillers, writing under the name Lori James. World English Language rights, including audio, were acquired from Hannah Ferguson at Hardman & Swainson Literary Agency.

Lorraine Brown is the author of five previous romance novels, as well as being the co-writer for Oti Mabuse’s fiction, but the Lori James books will see her launch into the domestic suspense genre.

Keshini Naidoo said: “I’ve long admired Lorraine’s talent for creating memorable, multi-layered characters in her romance novels, so I was beyond delighted to be given the opportunity to publish her debut psychological suspense. Set in a world of privilege, dangerous gossip and deadly secrets, with a gasp-worthy twist ending, I cannot wait for readers to discover The Secretary’s Secret for themselves in Spring 2027.”

Lori James said: ‘I’m so excited to be publishing my very first psychological suspense novel and am very grateful to have the brilliant and hard-working team at Hera alongside me.The story was loosely inspired by my own experience of working in an exclusive private school and I hope readers will enjoy delving into this privileged world and getting to know the troubled characters I’ve come to (mostly!) love.’

Hannah Ferguson said: ‘Lorraine is a multi-talented author, and it’s been brilliant to see her make such a confident leap into psychological suspense with The Secretary’s Secret*. To have the book snapped up by Hera and developed with such a fantastic team is hugely exciting.*

THE SECRETARY’S SECRET will be published as mass market paperbacks on 27 May 2027 in the UK and 25 May 2027 in North America.

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