London-based illustrator Euan Cook has created a stunning cover treatment, chapter illustrations and map for The Thieves’ Revenge, the epic finale in J. J. Arcanjo's much-loved Crookhaven series.
As a graduate from the prestigious University College Falmouth, and spotlighted as one of Creative Reviews ‘new designers to watch’ Euan has quickly become a go-to artist for numerous fiction projects. With his clever use of colour and skilful techniques in character creation, he creates covers that leap from the shelf and invite readers straight into the action.
The Crookhaven books follow Gabriel and his friends at the secretive Crookhaven School for Thieves – a place where young recruits learn to break the rules for all the right reasons. The series has built a devoted fanbase and will soon make the leap to the screen as a BBC Television series in 2026.
It's Gabriel's fifth and final year at Crookhaven School for Thieves, and the crew have only one thing on their minds. This year, they must take down Gabriel's parents - the infamous leaders of the criminal organisation, the Nameless - once and for all. How will the crew balance this goal alongside their last year of studies, which includes a new class called Groundwork, and the most difficult break-in to date: infiltrating Crookhaven itself? Most importantly, can they find a way to lure two of the Underworld's most notorious villains out of the shadows, without anyone getting hurt...?
The final book in the 'criminally good' Crookhaven series, the secret school where students are taught to do wrong, so that one day, they can put the world to rights.
Euan says:
"It's been a genuine pleasure to illustrate all the Crookhaven covers and interiors. From the very beginning the strong structure of the cover design and atmosphere of thieves making plans and carrying out heists from the shadows meant the covers were really well defined. Each book provided an opportunity to show new members of the crew and play with some really strong colours, using them to lean into the structural composition while also trying to maintain the shadowy atmosphere. Light and dark became key and some of my favourite bits have a cinematic vibe, like the silhouette of Gabriel swimming underwater on the cover of the second book.
The two-tone theme continued in the interior artwork. It's always a huge amount of fun to do maps and these ones had loads of fun details and suggestions from the author. I was inspired by the idea of negatives, the type of old fashioned blueprints you might see being used to plan a heist in a movie, and I'm really pleased with how they turned out. Seeing all the books together in print is extremely satisfying, everyone seems to like a different cover best, which feels like a sign of success! It's great to know that they are finding an audience and people will be poring over the maps and looking for their favourite characters on the covers. Personally I really enjoyed reading the books and it's no surprise that they have ended up being so popular."
Grab your copy of The Thieves’ Revenge, published by Hodder Children’s Books, HERE. Take a look at the Crookhaven map that Euan created for this title.
For more information about working with Euan Cook, please email info@arenaillustration.com
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