Jade represents a list of thriller, horror and book club authors.
In April 2020, Jade joined the Darley Anderson team, building on her experience at the Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency. She represents a growing list of authors writing book club fiction, suspense, thrillers and horror.
Her first client’s debut novel, The Shallows by Holly Craig, was published in September 2023 and became an instant Kindle bestseller across the US, UK and Australia. Since then, Jade has continued to build a dynamic list of successful and emerging writers, working primarily within the thriller, horror and book club space, and selectively in non-fiction.
As Head of Books, Jade works closely with the Managing Director in shaping and supporting the agency’s books list. Alongside her own client work, she plays an active role in the day-to-day running of the books side of the agency, supporting submissions, talent development and longer-term planning across the list. She collaborates with the team on submissions and strategy, and monitors industry trends, contract standards and market developments to ensure the team remains informed and well positioned. In partnership with the MD and colleagues, she contributes to the development of agency policy and working practices as the market evolves, helping to strengthen and future-proof the books list
I’m thrilled to be building my list at the Agency. My primary genres and areas of interest include, thriller, suspense, psychological suspense, horror, book club, romantic suspense and speculative fiction with a darker edge.
Favourite Genres
Mystery
Romantic Suspense
Talking Point
Psychological Suspense
Speculative
Crime
Historical
Thriller
Horror
Book Club
I’m looking for bold, addictive, emotionally charged commercial fiction across thriller, suspense, horror, and book club fiction — stories with big hooks, unforgettable voices, and characters I can’t stop thinking about.
I’m always on the hunt for smart, high-stakes thrillers. I gravitate toward intelligent, propulsive narratives with strong thematic undercurrents and tightly woven plots. I’m especially intrigued by thrillers that take an inventive approach to true crime — books like The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard or Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka. I also love brooding, atmospheric stories in the vein of True Detective, and twisty, addictive reads like Gone Girl, Girl A, or Sharp Objects. I have a soft spot for serial killer fiction — especially when the violence is restrained and the dread slow-burning. The quieter the terror, the harder it hits.
I’d love a crime thriller with dark humour and a smart witty protagonist. Female-led and feisty, like Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino. I also love rich people doing bad things. Fiction set in aspirational, high-gloss settings with a dark or satirical edge is a huge draw for me. Think Gossip Girl as a thriller — high society, high stakes, and high drama. I gravitate toward books that combine glamour with grit, like The Devil Wears Prada meets Killing Eve, or Succession meets How to Kill Your Family. If it’s sharp, sexy, toxic, and set somewhere decadent, I want it on my list.
In romantic suspense, I’m seeking emotionally charged stories where romance and danger are equally vital. Think: the narrative tension of a thriller with the heart and depth of a love story. Nora Roberts is a longtime favorite — her knack for balancing sweeping romantic arcs with page-turning suspense is exactly what I’m after. I’m drawn to stories with compelling protagonists, messy family dynamics, and romantic leads you can’t help but root for. If a book delivers both adrenaline and emotional payoff, I want it on my list.
On the book club fiction side, I’m always looking for addictive page-turners with characters I can’t get enough of. I am a huge Taylor Jenkins-Reid fan and have found a new favourite with Atmosphere and, similarly, I recently really enjoyed The Favourites by Layne Fargo – both completely compulsive and set in high stakes worlds. I love stories with bite – commercial fiction that delivers strong emotional arcs while also sparking meaningful conversation. I love zeitgeisty, coming-of-age stories like Queenie, Such a Fun Age, Really Good, Actually, or Animal. I’m also drawn to the weird and wonderful — high-concept hooks that feel fresh and bold, like Sky Daddy or The Wedding People.
Most importantly, I’m passionate about championing working-class voices, regional authenticity, and stories about everyday people navigating extraordinary (or painfully ordinary) circumstances. I love relatable, messy, emotionally intelligent characters — the kind of people you want to text after finishing the book.
In horror and speculative fiction, I gravitate toward slow-burn, emotionally resonant stories that lead with character and atmosphere. I’m especially drawn to horror that lingers and unsettles rather than shocks — books like The Last House on Needless Street or shows like The Last of Us and 28 Days Later. I’m always interested in witchy or gothic fiction — whether that’s dark and devastating (Hereditary) or warmer and more whimsical (Practical Magic, Charmed). I’d love to find a great romantic horror or horrormance, where love and fear are tightly wound together. I’m also actively looking for a fresh take on vampire fiction — give me American Psycho meets Dracula, or Buffy reimagined for the 2020s. I want a contemporary Carlisle Cullen in a corporate thriller or a blood-soaked boardroom drama. I want monsters with heart, villains I love to hate, and witches I want to be.
While I’m not actively seeking sci-fi, I’d love to see something with a paranormal investigative thread — something in the spirit of The X-Files, but made for now. I’d be thrilled to find a Scully and Mulder for the 2020s, with smart, skeptical chemistry, slow-burn tension, and a layered mystery at its core.
Above all, I’m passionate about championing new talent and elevating underrepresented voices in commercial fiction — especially working-class stories that reflect the people I grew up with. If your novel is emotionally rich, thematically bold, and impossible to put down, I want to read it.
I’d love to see something like the below in my inbox…
THE FAVOURITES, Layne Fargo
BEST OFFER WINS, Marisa Kashino
ATOMPSHERE, Taylor Jenkins Reid
THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED, THEN SHE WAS GONE, Lisa Jewell
THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES, Grady Hendrix
THE OBSESSION, THE WITNESS, SHELTER IN PLACE Nora Roberts
ATOMOSPHERE, Taylor Jenkins Reid
NOTES ON AN EXECUTION, Danya Kukafka
THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET, Catriona Ward
THE DRY, Jane Harper
THE ONLY ONE LEFT, Riley Sager
THE HOUSE IN THE PINES, Anna Reyes
COUNTERFEIT, Kirsten Chen
THE MOTHERS, Brit Benett
LUCKY, Marissa Stapley
THE CLUB, Ellery Lloyd
THE LAST MRS PARRISH, Liv Constantine
SHARP OBJECTS, Gillian Flynn
HEX, Thomas Olde Heuvelt
QUEENIE, Candice Carty-Williams
