Nicci French

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Nicci French
NicciFrench.jpg
French and Gerrard in 2018
BornJulian Sean French
(1959-05-28) 28 May 1959 (age 66)
Bristol, England
Nicola Gerrard
(1958-06-10) 10 June 1958 (age 67)
Stourbridge, England
OccupationWriters
Children4

Nicci French is the pseudonym of English husband-and-wife team Nicci Gerrard (born 10 June 1958) and Sean French (born 28 May 1959), who write psychological thrillers together.

Contents

The couple met in 1989 while working at the New Statesman and published their first co-written novel, The Memory Game, in 1997. Married and based in Suffolk, they write separately—Gerrard in an attic office, French in a garden shed—exchanging chapters by email and revising each other’s work until they reach consensus. [1]

By 2010, they had published twelve psychological thrillers, known for exploring ordinary people caught in extreme psychological situations. They described their shared pseudonym as having developed its own distinct voice and interests, particularly in the messy, morally complex aspects of human behavior. Their aim, they said, was not to offer escapism, but to make readers reflect uncomfortably on the darker parts of themselves.

Nicci French began their publishing career with Penguin Books under the imprint Michael Joseph, which released their debut novel The Memory Game in 1997. The duo remained with Michael Joseph for over two decades, publishing numerous bestselling psychological thrillers before moving to Simon & Schuster UK in 2018. The "substantial" six-figure agreement followed an eight-way auction and covers three standalone novels. [2] The first book under the new deal, The Lying Room, was scheduled for release in October 2019.

In 2022, Simon & Schuster UK renewed its partnership with Nicci French in a new three-book deal. The first novel under this new agreement was slated for release in autumn 2023. The renewal followed the success of previous titles published by S&S, including The Lying Room, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick, and House of Correction, which was highly commended for the 2021 CWA Gold Dagger Award. The authors expressed excitement about continuing their collaboration with the publisher, praising the team's ongoing enthusiasm and support. [3]

Personal lives

Nicci Gerrard and Sean French were married in 1990. Since 1999 they have lived in Suffolk in East Anglia, England. Both have studied English literature at Oxford University. [4] The couple have two daughters, Hadley and Molly, and Gerrard has two children from her first marriage, Edgar and Anna.

Biography

Nicci Gerrard

Nicola 'Nicci' Gerrard was born on 10 June 1958. She grew up in Worcestershire, together with her two sisters and her brother.

She was educated at The Alice Ottley School in Worcester. She then studied English literature at Oxford University and then an MPhil at Sheffield University in 1986. [5] She went on to teach literature in Los Angeles and London. She founded a women's magazine, Women's Review, before becoming a freelance journalist. During that time she married and had two children.

Following the failure of this first marriage, she met Sean French whilst working as editor for the New Statesman where French wrote a weekly column, but left when she was offered another job at The Observer .

In November 2014 her father John Gerrard died, his dementia having deteriorated significantly during a five-week stay in hospital for an unrelated problem and with very restricted visiting by his family. As a result of this Gerrard launched John's Campaign for extended visiting rights for carers of patients with dementia. [6] [7]

Since February 2019, Gerrard has supported the 'Save Our Libraries Essex' (SOLE) campaign, speaking out against the proposed closures of libraries by Essex County Council.

Sean French

Julian Sean French was born on 28 May 1959 in Bristol, the son of Philip French, [8] a radio producer and film critic, and his Swedish-born wife Kersti (née Molin). He was, like his two younger brothers Patrick and Karl, educated at William Ellis secondary school in north London before studying English literature at Oxford University. The couple never met while there. While at Oxford University, French won a young writers’ contest organised by Vogue , and subsequently became a journalist.

In 1987 he gained his first column and until the end of 2000 he wrote a column for the New Statesman. His solo novel Start from Here was published in 2004.

Works

as Nicci French

The duo at a 2013 book-signing event in the Netherlands Nicci French (cropped).jpg
The duo at a 2013 book-signing event in the Netherlands

Works solely by Sean French

Works solely by Nicci Gerrard

References

  1. ↑ "Nicci French: Interview". The Telegraph. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  2. ↑ "French duo find Room at S&S". The Bookseller (in Portuguese). 13 April 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  3. ↑ "Simon & Schuster pens three-book deal with writing duo Nicci French". The Bookseller (in Portuguese). 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  4. ↑ Creer, Anna (2 November 2019). "Latest Nicci French is clever and compulsive reading". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  5. ↑ Sheffield, University of. "Where are they now? Professor Adam Hart - News - Alumni - The University of Sheffield". www.sheffield.ac.uk.
  6. ↑ Fox, Killian; Gerrard, Nicci (16 March 2019). "Nicci Gerrard: 'Dementia is more scary when you try not to think about it'". The Observer. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  7. ↑ Gerrard, Nicci (3 April 2019). "On my father's dementia and the joy of dancing". New Statesman. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  8. ↑ The Atlantic Companion to Literature in English, New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers, 2007, p.190
  9. ↑ "International Fiction Bestsellers". Publishing Trends. September 2003. Archived from the original on 11 February 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
  10. ↑ "Verlies by Nicci French". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "David-Tennant.com". Archived from the original on 27 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "Crime Drama | Alibi Channel". Uktv.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  13. ↑ Flood, Alison (21 January 2025). "Crime and thrillers of the month – review". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  14. ↑ Simon & Schuster. Tyler Green Will Never Be Free. ISBN   978-1-3985-2418-7 . Retrieved 27 June 2025.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  15. ↑ Goodreads (1 January 2008). "The Middle Place". Goodreads. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  16. ↑ "What Dementia Teaches Us About Love". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
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