my books

In order of publication date (backwards) they are …

Lullaby Beach
2021, contemporary fiction
Three generations of women, #MeToo, sisters, aunts and nieces, changing – and not changing – sexual politics.
“Duffy is a fearless writer … A portrait of sisterhood in the wider sense – one that’s as powerful and gritty as it is wise and celebratory.” Daily Mail

Money in the Morgue – with Ngaio Marsh
2018, classic crime
Marsh wrote three and a half short chapters for this novel, along with a few pages of notes, and then abandoned it in the 1940s. Harper Collins asked me to finish it, and here it is.
“Clever stuff. Ngaio Marsh would give it nine out of ten.” Daily Mail
“Duffy captures Marsh’s style, dialogue and mood brilliantly.” The Times
“A complicated tale, so well completed by Stella Duffy that I was quite unable to see the join.” Literary Review

The Hidden Room
2017, psychological thriller
Two women, their kids, a dark cult in the past.
“A stunner…a psychological thriller of depth, intelligence and emotion.” The Times
“Duffy writes with a judicious combination of power and subtlety, to create a haunting tale that lingers in the memory.” Sunday Times Crime Club
“A chilling thriller.” Good Housekeeping
“Deeply creepy, but utterly gripping.” Sunday Mirror

London Lies Beneath
2016, historical
based on a true story from 1912, south London, community, three families, nine drowned boys, grief, loss and living on.
“As gloriously alive as the turn of the century south London streets it portrays.” Red Magazine
“Vivid…[and] full of heart, Duffy’s new novel is a fitting hymn to the city that inspired it.” Financial Times
“A paean not just to South London, but to a vanished way of working-class life…Duffy’s narrative is as fluid as a costermonger’s patter, carrying the reader along.” Daily Mail
“Hauntingly beautiful.” Sunday Mirror

Everything is Moving, Everything is Joined
2014, short story collection
some of my 65+ short stories – the ones Salt Publishing and I liked best, including my two dagger award winning stories, Martha Grace (2002) and Come Away With me (2013)

The Purple Shroud
2012, historical
What Theodora did next.
“Theodora is, in Duffy’s hands, a richly paradoxical character from whom the light of life shines brightly.” Guardian
“Even better than the first book, Duffy’s portrayal of a former actress’s extraordinary rise to power is riveting.” Library Journal

Theodora
2010, historical
The rags to riches (but hopefully less cliched) story of the Empress Theodora. NOT Procopius’ woman-hating version. With a lovely Publishers Weekly review in the US, and then these from the earlier UK publication :
“A beautifully written, empowering novel about an inspiring woman who broke all the rules.” Mslexia
“Byzantine brilliance” Independent on Sunday
“Noel Streatfield on crack” The Guardian

The Room of Lost Things
2008, contemporary fiction
South London, modern Britain, Loughborough Junction, white working class meets London Asian, the 345 bus, Ruskin Park bandstand, and daffodils on Camberwell Green. Published in France (with a LOVELY cover!) as La Chambre des Vies Oubliees.
Stonewall Writer of the Year 2008, Orange Prize Longlist 2008
“A spellbinding love song to a part of London usually demonised as home to muggings, shootings and feral gangs … a book of great sensitivity and passion.” Independent on Sunday

Parallel Lies
2005, crime
Hollywood gay/secrets, Editor called it “a Sunset Boulevard for our times”. Sometimes I love Editor.
“A book that almost turns its own pages.” Daily Express

Mouths of Babes
2005, crime
the 5th/final (so far) Saz book, Saz’s past in the present
“This book shouldn’t just be seen as a great piece of crime writing; it’s a fine novel, as good as anything you’ll read this year.” Independent on Sunday

State of Happiness
2004, contemporary fiction
NYC/LA, love/illness, life/death, happiness/sadness
Orange Prize Longlist 2004
“Duffy is known for her sharp insights and sharper wit, and both are on display here … Brave, understated and unforgettable.” Daily Mail
people often think this is my ‘cancer novel’ – but I’d started writing it before my first cancer, so …

Immaculate Conceit
2000, contemporary fiction (and some magic)
Lap-dancer gives birth to 2nd messiah (plus Marian theology re concept of acquiescence)
“A sharp-edged satire about mental health and ownership of the body … a witty, funky tale of divine intervention.” The Big Issue

Eating Cake
1999, contemporary fiction
love and affairs, suburbia and settling, how relationships are
“Both funny and compassionate … a sassy, frank and wickedly convincing page-turner.” The List

Fresh Flesh
1999, crime
Saz 4, Saz and Molly get pregnant, past secrets, gay as family
“Confirms without doubt that she’s very near the top of the new generation of modern crime writers.” The Times

Singling Out the Couples
1998, contemporary fiction and magic/fantasy
modern fairy tale, funny/nasty fairy princess breaks up couples, because she can
James Tiptree Jr Award Shortlist 1999
“An extraordinary, glittery parable about the power and cruelty of relationships.” Fay Weldon, Mail on Sunday

Beneath the Blonde
1997, crime
Saz 3, bands/groupies/group dynamics (years in the same impro company!) – and a twist
“Duffy gives good story.” Time Out

Wavewalker
1996, crime
Saz 2, Molly arrives, bad things happen (not connected)
“A pleasure and a relief to read someone who is not only first-class, but also thoroughly in tune with today’s attitudes, feelings and language.” The Times

Calendar Girl
1994, crime
the first Saz book, my First Book.
5th equal in The Big Gay Read – I’m particularly proud about this, as it was the only book in the top five that hadn’t been on telly.
“Funny, sharp and sexy … an impressive debut.” Telegraph

and, co-edited with Lauren Henderson :
Tart Noir
sexy/funny/nasty/noir-y stories and not a hero-rushing-to-the-rescue (or a serial killer butchering prostitutes) in sight. yay us.
CWA Short Story Dagger Award 2002 for Martha Grace.
“No meek and mild heroines here. They’re tough and uncompromising and take no prisoners.” Independent on Sunday