Remarkable milestone for Torquay author

Torquay-based author Sarah Pearse has achieved an incredible milestone, with her detective Elin Warner trilogy surpassing 1.5 million sales.

The achievement is even more remarkable when considering the fact that Sarah's first published work was The Sanatorium in 2021.

Her third book, The Wilds was published in hardback earlier in the summer to great acclaim, helping drive sales of the first two books, The Sanatorium and The Retreat.

The mother of two’s writing has been up for a variety of prizes and has been translated into 30 languages. 

From her childhood as a pupil at Oldway Primary and Torquay Girls’ Grammar School, the writing bug has always been bubbling under the surface for Sarah.

She said: “It's thrilling to reach such a significant sales milestone and to see new readers discovering my earlier books.

“After The Wilds came out, life became a bit of a whirlwind of travelling around the country to meet readers, supporters and talk to the media.”

Local support remains important to Sarah, who launched The Wilds at The Ivybridge Bookshop and The Bookery in Crediton. She has visited libraries in Honiton and Bovey Tracey and signed books at Waterstones in Torquay and Newton Abbot.

A huge fan of Agatha Christie, much of Sarah’s writing has local places, themes and memories woven into it. 

The protagonist of the trilogy of books is Elin Warner, who works for a crime team in Exeter but lives in Torbay, so it is a fictionalised version of Torbay.

Her previous book, The Retreat, was set in Torbay and looked at issues inspired by the local area, such as controversial new developments and the conflict between traditional architecture and the contemporary, as well as heritage and environmental concerns.

Sarah explained: “I’ve wanted to write a book set where I live – a place that has nourished and inspired me for as long as I can remember. Having been born and brought up by the sea, it has and continues to play a huge role in my life and its extremes have always fascinated me. 

Since the release of The Wilds, Sarah has been busy with media appearances, including BBC Spotlight with Natalie Cornah and interviews on Radio Devon. She’s also been a guest on national podcasts like 'Why Are We Whispering?' and 'Brave New Girls,' and was featured on the UK Crime Club’s YouTube channel.

After a busy summer of book signings and interviews, it was on a family holiday to Portugal, that Sarah captured a special moment with her book. Sarah wrote from the very national park where The Wilds is set, a piece where Elin investigates the sinister disappearance of a young woman.

On her return, Sarah was invited to Radio 4 Woman’s Hour to talk to Clare McDonnell about the domestic abuse themes in The Wilds and her collaboration with charity Refuge, followed by a mini tour of Wales, visiting Waterstones in Cardiff and Swansea.

Reviews have been enthusiastic in their praise, including fellow authors, such as East Devon writer Jane Corry who said: “A stunning, sweeping suspense which leaves you reeling”, and American mystery and crime writer, Jeffery Deaver.

He said: “The Wilds gives us everything we crave in thriller writing: a rollercoaster of a plot, a strong and thoroughly appealing protagonist and an addictive literary voice painting rich portrayals of the characters and the ominous locale. This is a one-sitting read; plan your day accordingly”.

Readers say they have loved the different themes, the chilling topic of domestic abuse, particularly coercive control and gaslighting, and the personal ‘life maps’ painted by Kier Templar, one of the central characters in the book.

Sarah said: “During the last few months I’ve really enjoyed having the chance to chat to so many of my readers about the novel. It’s interesting to find out what readers take away from the storyline and which characters they identify with. And perhaps Portugal’s National Park might be welcoming more UK visitors next year, intrigued to experience this key location of The Wilds for themselves!”

There are further opportunities to meet Sarah and learn about her experiences as a best-selling author; dates and places will be added to her social platforms. And there’s more to come as Sarah is currently hard at work on her fourth book, a standalone novel. With TV rights for The Sanatorium already sold, her journey as a best-selling author is only just beginning.