Pan Mac lands historical locked room mystery in 'whirlwind' pre-empt

Pan Macmillan has scooped Death on the Lusitania and one other novel in the Patrick Gallagher historical crime series by husband-and-wife team R L Graham.

In a rapid pre-empt, senior commissioning editor Alex Saunders acquired world rights from Jon Wood of Rogers Coleridge & White.

Death on the Lusitania is described by the publisher as "both an immersive historical crime novel and a fictional retelling of the Lusitania’s final voyage when it was sunk by a German U-boat off the southern coast of Ireland in 1915 as it sailed from New York to Liverpool".

The novel marks the start of a series featuring Patrick Gallagher, with each book introducing new historical moments from the opening decades of the 20th century. It will be published in hardback, e-book and audio in early 2024, with a paperback to follow later in the year.

Saunders said: "Death on the Lusitania is a gripping novel steeped in high-stakes and atmosphere. The story is packed full of tension, not only from the mystery that plays out on board but also due to the global events that backdrop the novel – the First World War which is raging in Europe. R L Graham skilfully blend real-life history with crime fiction and themes of espionage on a truly global scale."

R L Graham is a husband-and-wife team of historians and writers, with an interest in the Belle Époque and the years leading up to the First World War, as well as the post-war re-ordering of the world. They added: "We are thrilled to be working with Pan Macmillan on this exciting project. Death on the Lusitania is a book we have loved writing, set in a period of political tension between Britain and the US as well as the First World War."

Wood stated: "I just loved Death on the Lusitania from the first page. A locked room mystery on a doomed ocean liner. A rich cast of characters – everyone with a secret to hide. Set against a backdrop of the overpowering drumbeat of war. And all done with historical authenticity."