Faber seizes Armitage’s debut novel based on audiobook in 24-hour pre-empt

Faber has snapped up Geneva, actor Richard Armitage’s debut novel, in a 24-hour pre-empt. It was originally an Audible Original audiobook.

Editor Sara Helen Binney acquired UK and Commonwealth rights for print and e-book from James Gill at United Agents. The hardback and e-book will be published on 12th October 2023.

According to the publisher, the audiobook has already hit the top of Audible’s bestseller chart, with over 35,000 downloads in the first six weeks and staying in the top five for months.

The synopsis reads: “Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sarah Collier has started to show the same tell-tale signs of Alzheimer’s disease as her father: memory loss, even blackouts. So she is reluctant to accept the invitation to be the guest of honour at a prestigious biotech conference – until her husband Daniel, also a neuroscientist, persuades her that the publicity storm will be worth it. The technology being unveiled at this conference could revolutionise medicine forever. More than that, it could save Sarah’s life.

“In Geneva, the couple are feted as stars – at least, Sarah is. But behind the five-star luxury, investors are circling, controversial blogger Terri Landau is all over the story, and Sarah’s symptoms are getting worse. As events begin to spiral out of control, Sarah can’t be sure who to trust – including herself.”

Armitage, best known for his roles in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy and “Captain America” said: “I’m so bowled over by Faber’s enthusiasm for Geneva. My goal in my creative life is to give everyone, especially non- or reluctant readers, an experience that will hook them for a life of reading and listening. My passion is to coax people into a deep storytelling experience – I want to be one of those authors who always takes care of the reader.”

Binney commented: “This book grabbed me from the very first page. The whole Faber team fell hard and fast and we’re incredibly excited to be publishing it, building on Audible’s brilliant production last year. Richard has created a spectacular thriller and his heroine Sarah Collier is what makes it so exciting.

“She’s a superb creation, tough and brilliant, a woman who knows what she wants. Watching her sense of who she is – and who she can trust – be thoroughly shaken up made me root for her right to the very last page. I can’t wait to press her story into readers’ hands in October!”