Ebury bags Savin’s 'gripping' debut

Ebury Press has acquired Cosmopolitan’s award-winning features writer Jennifer Savin’s debut novel. 

“Savin’s debut, The Wrong Move, is a gripping and twisty domestic thriller, pitched as a millennial Single White Female for fans of Shari Lapena and Louise Candlish,” said the publisher. “It follows new girl Jessie Campbell who moves into a flat-share with three total strangers – at last, Jessie thinks she’s found a decent place to live and nice people to share it with, but when disturbing things start happening she begins to question: how well can you ever really know the people you’re living with?”

Editor Katie Seaman bought world rights from Diana Beaumont at Marjacq Scripts. She said: “In recent years, domestic thrillers about neighbours have been particularly popular but for most people the threat is even closer to home. 

“When I read Jennifer’s investigative articles on landlords offering free rent for sex and hutching (a term used to describe those sharing their bedrooms for cheaper rent), I knew she’d make a brilliant thriller writer exploring the dark side of renting. In her page-turning debut, she brilliantly conjures up the claustrophobia of living in a flatshare and having to form intense relationships with people you barely know, yet split bills and a bathroom with. I know readers will devour The Wrong Move.”

Savin, named on the PPA New Talent 30 Under 30 list, added: “I absolutely love thrillers so it’s been a dream writing one that’ll be relatable for so many readers, and inspired by both my own experiences of renting and work as an undercover journalist. Due to sky-high living costs, statistics on the number of adult renters are constantly rising – everywhere from London to New York – and it’s thought that 55% of all 25-34 year-olds are currently renting in the UK. But even more terrifying are the figures estimating that a third may be stuck doing so for the rest of their lives – that is, of course, if they’re not cut short by choosing the wrong housemate to begin with...”

The Wrong Move will publish in eBook late 2019 and paperback on 6th February 2020.