Sarah Pearse

Sarah Pearse
Born
Sarah Victoria Pearse

Torbay, England
Education
Years active2012–present
SpouseJames Arnold
Children2

Sarah Victoria Pearse is an English author. Her debut thriller novel The Sanatorium (2020), the first in a trilogy, became a #1 Sunday Times bestseller and a New York Times bestseller.

Early life

Pearse was born in the Torbay area of Devon. She attended Oldway Primary School in Paignton and Torquay Girls' Grammar School. She graduated from the University of Warwick with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English literature and Creative Writing. She went on to study Broadcast Journalism at Falmouth University.

Career

Before becoming a full-time writer, Pearse worked in PR. During maternity leave, she began writing short stories, which were published in Mslexia and Litro Magazine. She named Agatha Christie, Tessa Hadley, Michel Bussi, and Michelle Paver as influences.

In 2019, in a two-book deal, Transworld acquired the rights to publish Pearse's debut novel The Sanatorium in 2020. The Swiss Alps-set thriller, written over the course of two years, introduces detective Elin Warner during her stay at the fictional Le Sommet hotel and was inspired by Pearse's time living in Crans-Montana, where she learned about the history of local sanatoriums. The Sanatorium on The Sunday Times bestseller list before climbing to #1, made the top 10 of the New York Times bestseller list, was a Reese's Book Club pick and Waterstones Thriller of the Month, and won Crime Book of the Year at the 2022 FingerPrint Awards. This was followed by a sequel The Retreat, set at a luxury island retreat off the coast of Devon on the site of a former school, in 2022.

Pearse then signed a two-book deal with Sphere Books in April 2023, through which she published the trilogy's third and final installment The Wilds in 2024, in which Elin searches for a missing artist in a Portuguese national park. Regarding the topic of abuse covered in The Wilds, Pearse collaborated with the charity Refuge. As of October 2024, the Detective Elin Warner trilogy had reached £1.5 million in sales.

Personal life

Pearse lives with her husband and their two daughters in Devon.

Bibliography

Detective Elin Warner

  • The Sanatorium (2020)
  • The Retreat (2022)
  • The Wilds (2024)

Short stories

  • "Fishing in the Dump" in Mslexia Issue 56 (2012)
  • "Helmikku" in Litro Magazine (2013)
  • "Paddle" in Dear Damsels (2017)

References

  1. ↑ Cade, Sue (21 April 2023). "Torquay author expands horizons with Sphere". Devon Daily. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  2. 1 2 Barnes, Julian (24 October 2024). "Remarkable milestone for Torquay author". Torbay Today. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  3. ↑ Smith, Colleen (5 February 2022). "Torquay's new Agatha Christie already having global success". Devon Live. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  4. ↑ "Interview with Bestselling Author Sarah Pearse". University of Warwick. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Pearse, Sarah". Johnson & Alcock Literary Agency. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  6. ↑ "Interview with Bestselling Author, Sarah Pearse". Stripe & Stare. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  7. ↑ Pearse, Sarah (9 December 2020). "Sarah Pearse: the books that inspired my writing". Dead Good. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  8. ↑ Bayley, Sian (8 October 2019). "Transworld pre-empts 'chilling' Pearse debut in two-book deal". The Bookseller. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  9. ↑ "Sarah Pearse on Writing The Sanatorium". The Novelry. 11 June 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  10. ↑ Marsland, David (23 February 2021). "The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse review: a new hero, plenty of plot and a puzzle-loving serial killer". Evening Standard. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  11. ↑ "Sarah Pearse a No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller". Johnson & Alcock Literary Agency. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  12. ↑ Coetsee, Carmen (21 December 2021). "Sarah Pearse's debut, 'The Sanatorium', is a masterpiece of suspense". The South African. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  13. ↑ "Sarah Pearse's The Sanatorium Named New Reese's Book Club Pick". Penguin Random House. 8 February 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  14. ↑ Brown, Lauren (30 September 2022). "Dean, Tudor and Cosby among winners of the inaugural Fingerprint Awards". The Bookseller. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  15. ↑ Sheridan, Doreen (28 July 2022). "Book Review: The Retreat by Sarah Pearse". Criminal Element. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  16. ↑ Brown, Lauren (18 April 2023). "Pearse moves from Transworld to Sphere with two new books". The Bookseller. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  17. ↑ Dumpleton, Elise (14 July 2024). "Q&A: Sarah Pearse, Author of 'The Wilds'". The Nerd Daily. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  18. ↑ Fords, Malcolm (10 July 2024). "Novelist Sarah Pearse ends her twisty trilogy with crime novel 'The Wilds'". The Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  19. ↑ Clarke, Lewis (6 August 2024). "Devon writer sparks conversations about domestic abuse with new book". Devon Live. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  20. ↑ "Muddy meets Times bestselling author Sarah Pearse". Muddy Stilettos. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  21. ↑ Pearse, Sarah (December 2012). "Fishing in the Dump". Mslexia Issue 56. p. 33. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  22. ↑ "Sarah Pearse". Litro Magazine. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  23. ↑ Pearse, Sarah (2017). "Paddle". Dear Damsels. Retrieved 26 December 2024.