Gallows Court - the paperback edition

I'm delighted to share the cover artwork of the forthcoming paperback edition of Gallows Court. It will hit the shops on 4 April, and I'll be signing copies that day at Waterstones in Knutsford. Head of Zeus have devoted a lot of thought to the artwork of Gallows Court, in the original hardback edition and also the wonderful special editions, which are available in signed lettered and numbered versions. The car headlights image was tried out in various incarnations before a final decision was taken, and I think it works really well, capturing a 1930s mood in a clear yet subtle way.

Do covers matter? The received wisdom is that they certainly do. It was a point emphasised to me early in my career by publishers' sales reps, and although in those days I was reluctant to accept it, the evidence suggests they were right.

In truth, I've never before had the experience of a publisher of my novels devoting so much care and time to the artwork. It's all a bit of a contrast with my first experience, many moons ago, when All the Lonely People was published in paperback by Bantam. My very pleasant editor shared the artwork with me and asked what I thought. It was a nice enough image by a first-rate artist, and I still have a framed print. But there was something odd about it. I pointed out that the artist had placed a corpse on the Liverpool waterfront, which doesn't happen in the story (Harry Devlin's wife meets her end in a dingy back street). "Don't worry," I was told. "It really doesn't matter." Perhaps it didn't, but it seemed strange...

Anyway, I'm delighted that this book, which has meant a great deal to me, is now moving into paperback, and I'm celebrating by cracking on with a sequel, which is progressing rather well at the moment. Fingers crossed...