HQ buys psychologist's 'gripping' debut

HarperCollins imprint HQ has acquired world English language rights for a debut novel called Little White Lies by clinical psychologist Philippa East. Commissioning editor Charlotte Mursell concluded the two-book deal with Sarah Hornsley, née Manning, at The Bent Agency.

Little White Lies is described by the publisher as “poignant, heart-breaking and utterly gripping”.  The story begins with Anne White discovering that her missing daughter, Abigail, has finally been found – seven years after she disappeared on a crowded tube platform. “As Anne struggles to reconnect with her teenage daughter, she can’t stop questioning how much Abigail remembers about the day she disappeared…”

Mursell said: “Taut, thrilling and sophisticated, I devoured Philippa’s startling debut in one sitting. I’m not sure I even breathed between the first page and the last. I’m delighted to welcome Philippa to the list and can’t wait to share Little White Lies with readers all over the world.’

East said: ‘I am absolutely over the moon that my book will be published by Charlotte Mursell and her fantastic team at HQ. From the start, the HQ team have understood completely the story I wanted to tell, and their passion and enthusiasm to share this story with the world has been second-to-none. Little White Lies is all about homecoming, and I know absolutely that my book has found its perfect home here.’

Little White Lies will be published in paperback, e-book and audio in February.