Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind

Koryta Moves to Little, Brown

Just this afternoon I was thinking that there hadn't been a sit up/take notice kind of book deal, one that might have some relevance to the crime fiction world, in a long time. So of course this showed up on the transom:

Michael Koryta's THE LOST RIVER, a thriller with a supernatural twist, in which a filmmaker hired to document a wealthy man's hidden past unleashes the buried secrets of a town that was once America's most luxurious resort, to Michael Pietsch at Little, Brown, in a major deal, for three books, for publication in 2010, by David Hale Smith of DHS Literary (world).

For those who have read ENVY THE NIGHT, the standalone novel published last month, it marked a clear direction change, an opening up of his voice, a signal of what might be on the horizon. Suffice to say, I'm looking forward to reading it - and hoping Little, Brown publishes him well.

...And Speaking of Holt...

They've just lost another author:

New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Winspear's seventh and eighth books in her series featuring psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs, following Jennifer Barth to Harper, for publication beginning in spring 2010, Amy Rennert at Amy Rennert Agency (NA). TV have been sold to Sally Head Productions, producer of the Prime Suspect series, by Sean Daily at Hotchkiss and Associates, on behalf of Amy Rennert.

Barth, of course, brought Winspear over to Holt from Soho Press back in the day, and now the favor is returned as Winspear (like Alafair Burke before her) follows Barth to Harper.

Deals, Etc.

As there are quite a number on the crime fiction front. First, the next book from Blake Crouch:

Blake Crouch's ABANDON, set in a remote mining town high in the Rockies where two backcountry guides are leading a history professor, a journalist, a psychic, and a paranormal photographer deep into the Colorado wilderness to explore the fate of a group of people and an entire town that mysteriously vanished in 1893, to Michael Homler at St. Martin's, by Linda Allen of Linda Allen Literary Agency.

Then a debut thriller also has a northern echo:

Dennis Murphy's DARKNESS AT THE BREAK OF NOON, set in the frozen north where a sergeant of the Yellowknife RCMP must find out why the discovery of a journal from the ill-fated Franklin Expedition has proven fatal for at least two people, to Jennifer Lambert at Harper Canada, in a two-book deal, for publication in May 2009, by Helen Heller at Helen Heller Agency.

Finally, this book's title is straightforward but makes me want to read it straight away:

Dan Wells's I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER, about a 15-year-old who works in his family's mortuary and has an unhealthy obsession with serial killers, and his struggle to control his dark side when a real monster comes to his small town, to Moshe Feder at Tor, in a three-book deal, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (NA).

More from the Scottish Invasion

As this is very good news indeed:

Russel McLean's THE GOOD SON, introducing a troubled Scots PI, who is dragged into a world of lies, violence, long-held secrets, and murky criminal double-crosses while investigating an apparent suicide, to Ross Bradshaw at Five Leaves, for publication in Winter 2008/2009, by Allan Guthrie at Jenny Brown Associates.

It goes without saying that I cannot wait to read this.

About Time Someone Wrote This

But then, I much preferred Rodgers with him than with Hammerstein:

Gary Marmorstein's LORENZ HART: AN AMERICAN LIFE, a biography of the tortured, brilliant lyricist (called "the Poet Laureate of America" by F. Scott Fitzgerald) who composed (with Richard Rodgers) such classics as "My Funny Valentine" and "Blue Moon", to Bob Bender at Simon & Schuster, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, by Dan Conaway at Writers House (NA).

Though I am curious to see if Marmorstein's take will supercede that of Frederick Nolan's from a decade or so ago.

Nisbet to be rediscovered

Overlook's done a pretty good job at getting formerly neglected espionage novelists Robert Littell and Charles McCarry back on the radar. Now it looks like that ethos will apply once more:

Jim Nisbet's untitled noir crime thriller, plus nine novels from the author's backlist, including LETHAL INJECTION and Hammett Prize finalist DARK COMPANION, to Aaron Schlechter at Overlook, by Matt Bialer at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates (World English).

Suffice to say that will be a good way to catch up.

Run Your Way to a Book Deal

For that seems to work for Jamie Freveletti, whom I think I met briefly at ThrillerFest and is a member of the Chicago Contingent:

Jamie Freveletti's RUNNING FROM THE DEVIL, introducing an ultra marathon runner who uses her experience as a bio-chemist to survive in the jungle after a hijacking gone wrong, to Carolyn Marino at Harper, in a six-figure deal, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Barbara Poellee at the Irene Goodman Agency (world).

Siler Tries Nonfiction

One of my favorite crime writers, Jenny Siler, is going in a different direction for her newest project:

Myles J. Connor, Jr., and novelist Jenny Siler's HONOR AMONG THIEVES, pitched as a Catch Me If You Can-style memoir by the Boston criminal mastermind long assumed to be responsible for the biggest art theft in American history, the 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist, to Bruce Nichols at Collins, in a good deal, for publication in 2009, by Dan Conaway at Writers House (NA).

Just how involved Connor may have been in that heist is in dispute - especially as he was in prison at the time it took place - but this promises to be a fascinating book no matter how much (or little) it reveals.

When So Little Says So Much

It's just a one-line deal memo and yet it has the weight of a million paragraphs:

"Film director David Cronenberg's first novel, to Nicole Winstanley at Penguin Canada, in a pre-empt, by Andrew Wylie of The Wylie Agency."

Oh please live up to the promise. Please please please.

UPDATE: The Orlando Sentinel movie blog has a few more details, namely that the book won't be published until 2010 and that it is partially set in Toronto. Said Nicole Winstanley, Executive Editor at Penguin Group Canada: "I wrote David Cronenberg several months ago to inquire about whether or not he’d consider writing a novel. His films demonstrate a deep understanding of the human condition that could translate into fiction brilliantly so I’m delighted that he has decided to take this challenge on and I’m really looking forward to working with him."

UPDATE TWO: The Globe & Mail reports that the deal is "believed to be between low and mid-six figures" and that Winstanley bought Canadian rights "on the basis of a few pages."

But It Left Out the Most Important Point

The deal writeup for a big trilogy sale is plenty interesting:

Stieg Larsson's THE MILLENNIUM TRILOGY, with THE GIRL IN THE DRAGON TATTOO to be the first published from the trilogy, to Sonny Mehta at Vintage and Nicole Winstanley at Penguin Canada, in a significant deal, for publication in Fall 2008, by Emma Ward at Quercus, on behalf of the MacLehose Press (NA).

But some rather important details are left out, namely that Larsson died of a massive heart attack at age 50 in 2004, just nine months before the first book (whose original title was MEN WHO HATE WOMEN) was released in his native Sweden. The second book, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, won the 2006 Glass Key Award. And the entire trilogy sold to the movies, where it's now in pre-production.

Of course, being dead doesn't mean the author should be paid attention, and I sure hope the books end up being good.