Baskerville wins five-way auction for Pennant's debut mystery novel

Baskerville has won a five-way auction to secure Mel Pennant’s debut mystery novel The Reckoning of Miss Hortense. 

Publishing director Jade Chandler struck a “major” six-figure deal for UK and Commonwealth rights for two books from Nelle Andrew at Rachel Mills Literary. The Reckoning of Miss Hortense will be published in hardback in June 2025, to tie-in with annual Windrush Day, backed by a “highly distinctive major marketing and publicity campaign” the publisher said. 

US and Canadian rights were snapped up in a pre-empt by Lisa Lucas of Pantheon Books, Knopf Doubleday. TV rights are currently the subject of an ongoing auction. 

The novel, set in the year 2000, introduces readers to retired nurse, avid gardener, renowned cake maker and fearless sleuth Miss Hortense who has lived in a quiet Birmingham suburb since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. “She takes great pride in her home, starching her lace curtains bright white, and she can tell if she’s being short-changed on turmeric before she’s taken her first bite of a beef patty,” the synopsis says. “Thirty-five years of nursing have also left her afraid of nobody, be they a local drug dealer or a priest, and an expert in deciphering other people’s secrets with just a glance.” 

It continued: “Miss Hortense uses her skills to investigate the investments of the Pardner network – a special community of Black investors, determined to help their people succeed. But when an unidentified man is found dead in one of the Pardner’s homes, a bible quote noted down beside his body, Miss Hortense’s long-buried past comes rushing back to greet her, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life, one which her community has never let her forget. It is time for Miss Hortense to solve a mystery that she hopes will be her final case but will see her, and the community she loves, tested to their limits.” 

Chandler said: “We are so proud to be publishing Mel’s debut. I fell in love with Miss Hortense and her melodramatic best friend Blossom from the first page of the manuscript and was overjoyed to read on and discover a whole cast of beautifully realised characters. Mel’s background as a playwright means the dialogue just sings off the page. She has imbued the unforgettable Miss Hortense with a quiet power that makes her stand out from other female sleuths like Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher. The whole team at Baskerville is raring to launch this series on a joyful wave of Jamaican rum and Black Cake!” 

Pennant added: “This is a dream come true. I’m thrilled to have a chance to tell this story, which comes from a place that is very personal to me. My grandmother was a Pardner lady and it is the bravery and determination of her and so many of her generation that has been an impetus for this book and series. The Pardner was and still is a powerful tool used by the Caribbean community to support one another and I’m thrilled to get the opportunity to shine a light on it with this collaboration. 

“Jade showed such passion and energy right from the get-go for Miss Hortense and the Pardner network and I can’t wait to work with her and her incredible team. I’m grateful to Nelle Andrew, my wonderful agent and fairy godmother,  who saw potential in me and in this project. And I’m grateful for the support received from everyone on this amazing journey. I’m itching to bring Miss Hortense and the Pardner network to readers.” 

Pennant is a playwright, screenwriter and novelist. She graduated in 2014 with an MA in Screenwriting from the London College of Communication. In 2013, she won the Brockley Jack Write Now 4 award with her play, “No Rhyme” and was involved with the Tamasha Theatre Company – writing for the Barbican Box. She has written audio plays with Tamasha and the National Archives and, in 2018, she was awarded a place on the Hachette X Tamasha scheme for aspiring playwright novelists.