Macmillan moves to Century with 'chilling' psych thriller

Gilly Macmillan has moved from Piatkus to Century and Arrow with a new "brilliantly chilling" psychological thriller, The Nanny.

The Nanny, billed as "a dark unpredictable novel of family secrets about the lengths people will go to hurt one another", explores what happens when a young woman returns to her family home widowed and vulnerable with a daughter of her own. Her life is thrown into turmoil when her beloved nanny Aggie re-appears having disappeared without trace some 30 years previously. "But is this really Aggie?" asks the blurb. "And what does she want now that she’s back?"

Agented by Helen Heller of the Helen Heller Literary Agency, Emily Griffin bought UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada in The Nanny and one further thriller. North American rights have been sold to William Morrow. Century wil publish in hardback and e-book early 2019 and in Arrow paperback in spring 2020. 

Griffin said of Macmillan, the author of What She Knew, The Perfect Girl, Odd Child Out and I Know You Know, that she had admired her writing "for many years" and knew from the opening pages that The Nanny was "special" with something "new and distinctive" to offer.

"So many parents entrust their children into the care of others – whether a child-minder, a nursery group, babysitter or nanny – but how do they know that they are safe? The Nanny offers something new and distinctive for readers who love unreliable characters, twisting plotting and dark family secrets. It has gripped everyone at Century and Arrow and we can’t wait to introduce scores of readers to this addictive novel," she said. 

Macmillan added: "I am absolutely thrilled that Emily and her team chose to publish The Nanny. It is a real privilege and a wonderful opportunity to work with the amazing teams at Century and Arrow to get this book out into the world and into the hands of readers."