HarperCollins to press on with second Mallory novel

HarperCollins says it has not changed its plans to publish a second novel by Dan Mallory after he admitted lying about having cancer.

The former publisher at Sphere, who writes under the pseudonym A J Finn, was the subject of a New Yorker expose this week, accusing him of falsifying parts of his life. In a statement to the magazine, he admitted having “stated, implied, or allowed others to believe that I was afflicted with a physical malady instead of a psychological one: cancer, specifically”. He claimed it was a way of covering up his struggles with bipolar disorder.

His debut thriller, The Woman in the Window, became a bestseller after it was signed by HarperCollins in 2016.

Mallory has a two-book deal and HarperCollins told The Bookseller there has been no change to its publishing plans for his second novel. 

His as-yet untitled follow-up is expected to be published in January 2020. According to the New Yorker it involves “a story of revenge involving a female thriller writer and an interviewer who learns of a dark past.”

In a statement earlier this week HarperCollins said: “We don’t comment on the personal lives of our employees or authors. Professionally, Dan was a highly valued editor and the publication of The Woman in the Window – a Sunday Times bestseller – speaks for itself.”