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Austrian cellar horror investigated in new books

20.06.08 Graeme Neill

Publishers are to tell the full horrific story of Josef Fritzl, the man at the centre of the Austrian incest case, with forth­coming titles from HarperCollins and John Blake.

HC non-fiction publisher Carole Tonkinson saw off 10 rival publishers to acquire UK and Commonwealth rights in journalists Stefanie Marsh and Bojan Pancevski's book. She paid a substantial six-figure sum to secure the as-yet-untitled hardback, and will publish in April 2009.

John Blake, meanwhile, is rushing out House of Horrors by Nigel Cawthorne for 4th August (p/b, £7.99), with extracts to run in "several newspapers". Michelle Signore, editor-in-chief, said that House of Horrors would be an "in-depth look" at the entire case. "The author has been to Austria so he has lots of first-hand primary evidence," she said. "It's a look into the psychology behind what happened."

Signore said she believed people were interested in the case because it was "beyond the scope of understanding". "People are horrified but I think they want to try to understand what happened as well."

Tonkinson said HC's writers would provide a "unique perspective" on the episode. Pancevski is the central and eastern European correspondent for the Times, and the first English-speaking journalist to report on the story; Marsh also writes for the Times.

"It's a horrifying and bewildering story and the book will be a look at how such a thing could come to pass," Tonkinson said. "The authors have said they will write it like a true crime book. It will be exhaustive, original, gripping and will avoid voyeurism, sentimentality and cliché."

Fritzl shocked the world when it emerged in April that he had imprisoned his daughter in a dungeon in his cellar at their family home in Austria for 24 years and fathered seven children with her.

Tonkinson said Pancevski and Marsh intended to interview members of the Fritzl family. "We don't want to do a cheap exploitative job, and will give the writers time to finish it," she added.

Book HarperCollins Graeme Neill John Blake

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