Fans of crime writing, may have been excited to see author, Harriet Tyce, join the cast of the latest series of The Traitors. With the launch of series four on January 1st 2026, Tyce’s books also saw a fantastic increase in sales of almost 96%, according to NielsenIQ BookData, seemingly as a direct response to her starring in the show.
The launch episode of The Traitors was watched by an average audience of 6.4 million on New Year’s Day, according to overnight figures from the BBC, with 5.8 million watching each of the following two episodes. Those figures are likely to be much higher now with viewers from catch-up services joining them.
Novelist and ex-barrister, Harriet, has already made waves in Ardross Castle with her successful takedown of traitor and fellow barrister, Hugo, making him the first traitor to be banished at the round table in this series.
Her spot in The Traitors has now also successfully boosted the sales of her books. According to NielsenIQ BookData, weekly sales across all of Tyce’s books are up from 181 copies to 354. Most of these sales are for her recent publication, A Lesson in Cruelty, which was published by Headline’s Wildfire imprint in April 2024. Sales of Harriet Tyce’s books are up 95.6% week on week since her debut as a contestant on the fourth series of the BBC’s Traitors.
Tyce is also due to publish a new novel, The Witch Trial, in February 2026 (pre-order?). Starring in the much-loved competition show, The Traitors, could therefore have the potential to boost sales of her upcoming publication too.
Will Tyce hunt down yet more traitors? Will she be murdered for her prowess? Does she have the potential to be recruited as her traitor herself or will the other faithfuls begin to suspect Harriet and banish her? Will her book continue to soar in sales? Only time and fate (and Claudia Winkleman) will tell.
