Orion pre-empts crime novel from Oscar winner Moore

Orion has pre-empted the first contemporary crime novel from Oscar-winning “The Imitation Game” screenwriter and novelist Graham Moore, inspired by his experience on a jury.

Publishing director Francesca Pathak acquired UK rights to The Holdout from Felicity Blunt at Curtis Brown, following a deal done by Susan Kamil at Random House with Jenn Joel at ICM for North American rights. The Holdout will be published on 20th February 2020.

“The Holdout tells the story of a woman who persuades all of her fellow jurors to vote not guilty in one of the most sensational murder trials of the decade,” Orion said. “Ten years later, one of the jurors is killed – and our protagonist becomes the prime suspect in the murder.”

Moore won the best adapted screenplay Oscar in 2015 for “The Imitation Game” in which Benedict Cumberbatch starred as Alan Turing. His most recent novel was 2016’s The Last Days of Night (Simon & Schuster), about the rivalry between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse.

He said: “My first book of ostensibly pure fiction is also the most personal story I've told. Serving on a jury in a murder trial was one of the most profound experiences of my life and I'm thrilled to be able to share this book with the world.”

Pathak added: “I read The Holdout overnight and just could not get enough of this novel. Think '12 Angry Men' meets 'Serial' with a fantastic female protagonist. I have always loved Graham’s writing but this book takes it to the next level – people will be talking about the Bobby Nock case for years to come.”