Viking’s Moor-ish thriller

Viking has pre-empted a feminist thriller, set in a women’s refuge, authored by a 25-year-old debut writer, Jessica Moor.

The “pulse-pounding thriller", entitled There is No Place (tbc), follows the inhabitants of a women’s refuge after one of their support workers is found drowned in the local river. According to Viking, in the process it examines violence against women and the structures that allow it to continue.

Editorial director Katy Loftus bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Marilia Savvides at Peters Fraser and Dunlop. The manuscript is currently out on submission in the US.

Moor herself worked in the support sector for women and girls affected by gender-based violence, before completing an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Manchester. She said: "I am beyond excited to be working with the wonderful team at Viking to get this story out into the world. In the UK, two women every week are killed by a partner or former partner; my heartfelt hope is that this book will play a part in the wider conversation around this endemic issue."

Loftus said: "Ever since dead women’s bodies have appeared in fiction, we’ve debated whether or not such a novel can have feminist credentials. Well, Jessica Moor has proven it can be done. An absolutely gripping page-turner, her novel blew my mind in the best possible way, shocking me, teaching me, and urging me to share it with every woman I know."