#TheMargaretCode
Huge thanks to the talented designers from @BooksSphere for creating such a brilliant cover for my debut novel #TheMargaretCode

A whodunnit led by an unforgettable detective duo.
Out April 2025 & available to pre-order now: bit.ly/4eNE0CI
November 27, 2024 at 3:37 PM
📚📮#BookPost 📚📮

Very excited to receive this fabulous copy of #TheMargaretCode by @rjhooton.bsky.social

From the minute I read the synopsis for this I knew it sounded like my kind of book!😍

Huge thanks to @littlebrownbooks.bsky.social & Rosanna Forte for sending 📖

#BookSky 📚💙 #Bookblogger
November 28, 2024 at 2:20 PM
Still excited about my debut novel being on the @thecwa.bsky.social Daggers longlist among these great authors & books - as showcased on Waterstones’ website.

It’s fantastic to see #TheMargaretCode take its place in such great company.
May 7, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Many thanks to @crankedanvil.bsky.social for their support of #TheMargaretCode.

I've been fortunate to do well in their competitions & would encourage writers to take part - it's well worth a shot!
February 10, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Signed copies of #TheMargaretCode & the latest brilliant books by @tariqashkanani.bsky.social, @kateellisauthor.bsky.social & Claire McGowan are available from the fantastic @serenitybookshop.bsky.social.

Thank you to everyone who supports their local bookstore.
April 19, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Here’s the advance proof of #TheMargaretCode in 3D technicolour glory!

Complete with keyhole cover & a crossword that Margaret would love.

Thanks to Sphere Books for the clever design.
December 1, 2024 at 6:25 PM
Margaret has made it into a magazine.

#TheMargaretCode is featured in the May-June edition of In and Around Tameside.

Thank you to Mike & his team for including it.
May 6, 2025 at 5:24 PM
My novel #TheMargaretCode will be published in America by Union Square and Co in April.

Same cover design but with a few subtle differences and a striking red.

Available to pre-order in the US: bit.ly/3OScqZI
December 11, 2024 at 3:49 PM
I’m thrilled to share that #TheMargaretCode has been longlisted for a Crime Writers Association award.

It’s an honour to be named among such fantastic authors & novels.

Thank you to my publishers Little Brown, agent Sam Copeland & everyone who has supported my debut novel.
April 16, 2026 at 7:57 AM
Many thanks to award-winning author @naomikelsey.bsky.social for posting this fantastic review of #TheMargaretCode.
If you’re looking for an uplifting crime novel that merges Elizabeth Is Missing with Three Things about Elsie, I highly recommend you preorder The Margaret Code by Richard Hooton - out in April. Wry, compelling, and ever so poignant, it’s a wonderful mystery to curl up with.
December 7, 2024 at 11:18 AM
Thank you so much @debbiehartuk.bsky.social for this fantastic review of #TheMargaretCode 🤩
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

@rjhooton.bsky.social has created a wonderful elderly protagonist in the poignant #TheMargaretCode. I wanted to scoop her up and protect her from her "senior moments".

Published 10/4/25

Reading For Leisure review: tinyurl.com/bdz6at2n
The Margaret Code by Richard Hooton
When a neighbour is murdered elderly Margaret Winterbottom, along with her grandson, decides to investigate. Margaret's memory may be fail...
tinyurl.com
March 20, 2025 at 5:05 PM
June is #NationalCrimeReadingMonth courtesy of @thecwa.bsky.social
I’ve done my bit by writing a cosy crime novel!

If you want to get involved & fancy ‘an absorbingly unusual murder mystery’ then #TheMargaretCode is available from bookshops & libraries 😁

Whatever you delve into - happy reading! 📖
May 26, 2026 at 4:51 PM
#TheMargaretCode has made it into the Tameside Reporter. On page 6 no less.

Thank you @tamesidereporter.bsky.social for featuring me.
March 29, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Thank you to everyone who’s bought a copy of #TheMargaretCode so far 😊

Any reviews posted on Amazon or Goodreads would be hugely appreciated 🙏

And if you fancy ‘an absorbingly unusual murder mystery’ – it’s on sale now! 📖
April 11, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Margaret is half-a-year old - which she much prefers to being 89!

It’s 6 months since #TheMargaretCode was published & I’m grateful for all the reviews, publicity & events.

Here’s a look back from advance copies to different editions.
October 10, 2025 at 7:09 AM
You can read about my journey to publication with #TheMargaretCode in this month’s edition of Writing Magazine – alongside a host of insightful articles.

Thank you to their team for publishing my piece.
May 13, 2025 at 4:47 PM
A box full of Margarets! 😍

Thank you to @littlebrownbooks.bsky.social for the amazing work they’ve done on the paperback of #TheMargaretCode - complete with colour swap cover 👏

It’s published on 29 Jan & available for pre-order now from wherever you buy your books 🙏
January 12, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Love this! Love the sound of #TheMargaretCode too.
December 2, 2024 at 12:22 PM
More coverage for #TheMargaretCode in local magazines, appearing in About Tameside & Mossley Browser ☺️

The support from local publications has been brilliant - thank you so much for featuring my debut novel 🙏
May 9, 2025 at 11:02 AM
I worked on stories as a reporter & news editor at the Oldham Chronicle for 11 years & now my own story is making its headlines.

Thank you to my former employers for featuring #TheMargaretCode

www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-feature...
Former Oldham Chronicle journalist set to publish debut novel
A former Oldham Chronicle journalist is set to make the headlines after scooping a book deal for his debut novel.
www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk
March 21, 2025 at 8:53 AM
#TheMargaretCode has been spotted on display in Forest Town Library in Mansfield where I grew up. I frequented Mansfield’s libraries in my formative years, so delighted to see my novel on the bookshelves there.
April 23, 2026 at 4:18 PM