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Cambridgeshire-based author Leonie Swann publishes her latest novel, The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp




The new novel from acclaimed author Leonie Swann will be published today (Thursday, September 28).

The Cambridgeshire-based writer enjoyed enormous success with her debut novel, Three Bags Full, in 2005 and her latest offering is titled The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp.

Author Leonie Swann. Picture: R. Barba
Author Leonie Swann. Picture: R. Barba

“It’s crime fiction with a bit of a – hopefully – unusual slant or edge,” says Leonie, speaking to the Cambridge Independent from her home near St Ives (she previously lived in Girton, having moved there from her native Germany in 2009).

The story, which has moments of dark comedy, is set in Sunset Hall, a house share for the old and unruly, led by Agnes Sharp.

“They’re all pretty eccentric,” explains Leonie, “but get along and support each other. And along comes a murder in the neighbouring mansion, and this murder turns out to be exactly what they need because they’ve got their own body in their garden shed…

“This murder triggers a whole series of events and they try to basically hush up the body they’ve got in the shed by using this other murder as an excuse.”

Leonie adds that it looks like whoever killed the neighbour is after them as well. To investigate, the group – including Hettie the tortoise – venture into the not-so-idyllic village of Duck End and do battle with sinister bakers, broken stair lifts, inept criminals and their own dark secrets.

“I suppose you could call it ‘cosy crime [fiction]’, although how cosy it is depends on taste and personal preferences,” says Leonie.

“I feel like for me personally when I look at it, it feels rather uplifting because it’s about not accepting your limitations, about not just giving up because you’re old, but still putting your best foot forward.

“On the other hand, there are these natural limitations; there’s a lot of stressful situations and they are struggling with a lot of things – and they’ve also got quite a flexible attitude to all things murder and bloodshed, which is probably something that not every reader will perceive in the same way...”

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp book cover
The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp book cover

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp, Leonie’s fifth novel, was originally published in Germany in 2020. Amy Bojang has translated it from German into English and the English version is what’s coming out today.

The novel is the first in a planned trilogy, with the second due out next year. “I didn’t set out to make it the first in a trilogy,” reveals Leonie, “just right now it happens to be the first in a trilogy – but it wasn’t how it was drafted.

“It’s meant to be read as a standalone story, but since I really enjoyed working on the characters – and there’s still a lot in there to be explored – I ended up writing a second one and right now I’m working on the third. It’s definitely going to be the last one.”

As her first novel, Three Bags Full, was so successful, has Leonie felt under pressure since then to live up to it? “Not on a personal level,” she replies.

“In a way, I feel pressure towards my readers all the time, because if you think about it there are a lot of things that you can do with your time – and the fact that somebody picks up my book out of all the books that are out there and reads it, there’s a lot of responsibility.

“So I feel an obligation to every single reader; I don’t so much feel an obligation in numbers – so whether it has 100,000 people that read and buy it, of course it’s nice, but I’m more concerned with having a good experience for every reader.”

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp is available now, in its English translation, published by Allison & Busby. The hardback version is £16.99 and there is also an e-book available.



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