St Albans-based crime author Heather Critchlow is stepping into the realm of speculative fiction with the release of her new novel, The Tomorrow Project, set in a grim and uncertain future.
Known for her highly regarded Cal Lovett detective series, Critchlow is now taking her readers into the 2050s, where a deadly virus has once again gripped the world. In this chilling dystopian setting, the British Prime Minister assures citizens that a vaccine will soon be available, urging calm. However, as a precaution, children are to be relocated to undisclosed locations, far from the potential threat.
In The Tomorrow Project, the story follows Marianne, a press secretary at Downing Street, who initially believes in the safety measures being implemented. But when the true extent of the disaster becomes clear, Marianne faces a harrowing decision: stay with her family or risk everything to save the children who have been left behind.
Critchlow, who began developing this novel during a period when her crime fiction was struggling to find a publisher, explained the origins of her new direction. “I didn’t think anyone would ever read it, so I was free to let my imagination run wild,” she said. “By the time the manuscript was completed, I had secured a three-book deal for Cal Lovett, and I shared the project with my agent. We submitted it to my editor, and fortunately, she was interested.”
Her publisher, Canelo, signed additional contracts, not only for The Tomorrow Project but for a follow-up book in the same genre. Critchlow shared that her love for dystopian fiction had influenced the development of the novel, and the inspiration came unexpectedly while explaining World War II evacuations to her children. “They were horrified at the thought of being sent away on trains, and it was the first time I pictured evacuation through the eyes of a parent,” Critchlow recalled.
In The Tomorrow Project, parents face unimaginable choices as they struggle to protect their children in the face of collapse. Marianne, who has spent her career supporting a government she believes to be just, is forced to confront the painful truth that the system she once trusted is deeply corrupt. In the novel, she begins secretly smuggling children to safety, ultimately saving one last child, Maia, as London descends into chaos. The narrative follows Maia’s journey as she seeks survival in a fractured world.
Billed as a powerful work of speculative fiction, The Tomorrow Project is sure to captivate fans of The Last of Us and The End We Start From. The novel will be available from May 15, 2025.
Readers in St Albans can meet Critchlow in person at Waterstones on the evening of its release, where she will be in conversation with Dominic Nolan, author of White City, named one of The Times’ Crime Novels of the Year in 2024.
The Tomorrow Project promises to be a thought-provoking addition to the genre, exploring the personal and political toll of surviving in a world teetering on the edge of collapse.
