Margie Orford snapped up by HarperCollins in US

North American rights in Margie Orford’s highly acclaimed Clare Hart series have been acquired by Margaux Weisman for the Witness Impulse list.

Witness, an imprint of William Morrow/HarperCollins, is an innovative new digital mystery, suspense, and thriller line. It launches in October 2013 and is already home to a host of internationally best-selling authors.

They have bought all five of the Clare Hart titles: ‘Daddy’s Girl’, ‘Like Clockwork’, Blood Rose’, ‘Gallows Hill’ and ‘Water Music’.

“Margie Orford is unlike any other writer in our stable. Her books will help us take the Witness brand to the next level. Dr Clare Hart is one of the strongest thriller heroines I’ve encountered, and I’m so happy to introduce her to a US audience,” Weisman said.

Orford has been described as ‘the Queen of South African Crime Fiction’. The Clare Hart series has been sold in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Iceland, Norway, Spain, Russia and the Czech Republic.

She was born in London and grew up in Namibia, the setting for ‘Blood Rose’, the second novel in the series, which is also optioned for film.

In addition, Clare Hart will also be heading across the Atlantic – with the highly praised publication of ‘Water Music’ in South Africa by Jonathan Ball, the sale of UK rights to the entire series to Head of Zeus and a host of Scandinavian deals this summer.

Head of Zeus has also acquired Orford’s full backlist to relaunch.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.