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Orenda Books has signed an "unnerving locked-room mystery" by S J I Holliday.
Karen Sullivan, publisher of Orenda Books, acquired world English Language rights (excluding USA/Canada) for Holliday’s The Lingering, in a two-book deal negotiated with Phil Patterson of Marjacq Scripts.
The Lingering centres around married couple Jack and Ali Gardiner, who move to a self-sufficient commune in the Fens, hoping for a fresh start. The local village is known for the witches who once resided (and died) there, and Rosalind House, where the commune has been established, is a former psychiatric home, with a disturbing history. Jack and Ali’s arrival sets off a chain of unexpected and unexplained events, and it becomes clear that they aren’t all they seem…
Sullivan said: "The Lingering was pitched as a cross between The Lovely Bones and The Woman in Black, and I was immediately intrigued. This exceptionally plotted, character-driven and wholly believable thriller is both unnerving and tantalisingly twisted, with fascinating themes of control, coercion and retribution threading the narrative, but also remarkably original, with an uncanny sense of place, a bewitching history and some curiously relevant messages.
"I love books that veer in unexpected directions, absorbing the reader and pulling in elements from other genres, and this is a tour de force! [Holliday] is an exceptional writer, and The Lingering is undoubtedly her best work yet … and a perfect fit for the Orenda list."
Holliday said: "I'm delighted that Karen and her team will be publishing me with their much coveted combination of professionalism, enthusiasm and passion. I'm very excited to become an official member of #TeamOrenda."
The Lingering will be published in November 2018.