After spending 45 years with Macmillian, New York Times bestselling author Wilbur Smith made headlines back in 2012 when he signed a six-book deal with HarperCollins. That deal was fulfilled last fall with the publication of The Tiger’s Prey, right after the longtime writer again made headlines for switching publishers.
Last June, Smith, 85, signed a massive eight-book deal with Zaffre to publish two books a year, with the help of co-authors, beginning in 2018 with the third book in his popular Courtney series, aptly titled Courtney’s War.
During a long career that saw him sell more than 122 million copies of his books around the world, Smith has gained a loyal following of readers. His last two deals have been more in line with fellow writers James Patterson and Clive Cussler, who each churn out a number of books every year, made possible by their use of co-authors, who help streamline the process from conception to publication.
Courtney’s War comes out on September 8th. See the cover art and plot details below.
The brand new Courtney Series novel, and the much-anticipated sequel to the global bestseller WAR CRY
Paris, 1939.
Torn apart by war, Saffron Courtney and Gerhard von Meerbach are thousands of miles apart, both struggling for their lives.
Gerhard – despite his objections to the Nazi regime – is fighting for the Fatherland, hoping to one day have the opportunity to rid Germany of Hitler and his cronies. But as his unit is thrown into the hellish attrition of the Battle of Stalingrad, he knows his chances of survival are dwindling by the day.
Meanwhile Saffron – recruited by the Special Operations Executive and sent to occupied Belgium to discover how the Nazis have infiltrated SOE’s network – soon finds herself being hunted by Germany’s most ruthless spymaster.
Confronted by evil beyond their worst imaginings, the lovers must each make the hardest choice of all: sacrifice themselves, or do whatever they can to survive, hoping that one day they will be reunited.
Courtney’s War is an epic story of courage, betrayal and undying love that takes the reader to the very heart of a world at war.
Those looking to bridge the gap between now and September can pick up On Leopard Rock: A Life of Adventures, the first-ever memoir from Wilbur Smith, which came out back in May of this year. Courtney’s War is available for pre-order here, or anywhere else books are sold.
Praised as “one of today’s finest book reviewers” by New York Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, Ryan Steck (“The Godfather of the thriller genre” — Ben Coes) has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.