Hi there.

Emily Koch is the award-winning author of three novels, If I Die Before I Wake, Keep Him Close and What July Knew.

Her short story Lane Seven was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and is available on BBC Sounds.

Her novels have received wide critical recognition.

Her latest novel, What July Knew, was described as “touchingly effective in conveying a childhood lived in fear” by The Sunday Times, and “totally heartbreaking, but also uplifting,” by The Sun, who added, “this is a real gem of a read.” Heat magazine praised its “compelling plot” and called it “an emotional read”.

Emily’s debut If I Die Before I Wakewas shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award. It was also longlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award, selected as a Waterstones Thriller of the Month, and was one of Waterstones’ top paperbacks of 2019. In 2021, the French translation won the inaugural Prix du Bureau des Lecteurs for crime fiction.

Her second novel Keep Him Close was described by the Sunday Times as “a tense drama” and Literary Review said it was “a moving account of family relationships and…devastating criminality.” The Sun described it as “twisty, emotional and addictive,” while Waterstones said it cemented her place as “one of the most exciting new crime writers of our day.”

Her shorter work has appeared in anthologies including The Lonely Planet Travel Anthology, where she contributed a travel essay on “seaside recovery”.

Picking up the award for Young Journalist of the Year 2012

JOURNALISM

Emily worked as a journalist before her first novel was published.

She started off as a trainee reporter at the Bristol Post, later becoming the paper’s website editor and deputy news editor. She left the Post in 2014 to study for a masters degree in creative writing at Bath Spa University, and to finish her debut novel.

During her time at the Post she was named Young Journalist of the Year in the 2012 Regional Press Awards – won in part for an investigation revealing a violent former henchman of Robert Mugabe working in a Bristol care home.

WRITING WORKSHOPS

Working with good friend and fellow writer Alison Powell, Emily co-founded Bristol-based WriteClub in 2016, running creative writing workshops. Emily left the business a couple of years later when she had her eldest daughter, but you can check out the latest workshops on offer from WriteClub here.

Frequently asked questions

Start with If I Die Before I Wake. My books aren’t a series, so you can read them in any order, but this is my debut novel and a strong entry point into my writing.
Psychological suspense with a strong emotional core - often described as book club fiction. My novels focus on relationships, secrets, and the ripple effects of past decisions.
No, my novels are standalone and can be read in any order.
Yes! You can sign up here. Enjoy exclusive updates, giveaways, behind-the-scenes insights and reading recommendations when you become a member of the Emily Koch VIP Readers Club. As a thank you for signing up, I’ll send you a FREE short story.
It’s pronounced with a guttural “ch” sound, a bit like the Scottish “loch.” On radio it’s sometimes misheard as Emily Cox, Emily Cook, Emily Cock, or Emily Kotch. Maybe even Emily Cough or Emily Kosh! It’s a tricky word. I wrote a whole article about it here.