Devon’s Sarah Pearse celebrates ‘Wild’ success with 1.5 million book sales

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

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.

Sarah says “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.

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, Sarah took a well-earned family holiday to Portugal, where she captured a special moment with her book, set in the very National Park that features in The Wilds, where Elin’s investigates the sinister disappearance of a young woman.

On her return, she was invited on 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 author, 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 enthused: “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 more opportunities to meet Sarah and learn about her experiences as a best-selling author; dates and places will be added to her social platforms.

There’s more to come from Sarah, who 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.