Penguin acquires three new novels by YA author Cynthia Murphy in a six-figure deal

Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Random House Children’s UK, has acquired three new novels by YA author Cynthia Murphy in a six-figure deal.

Editorial director Amina Parchment-Youssef secured UK and Commonwealth rights from Hannah Babcock at Penguin Random House US. Murphy is represented by Stephanie Thwaites at Curtis Brown.

Penguin will co-publish with Delacorte, an imprint of Random House US, launching the first of the three books, Keep Your Friends Close, globally in September 2025, with two more thrillers to follow in 2026 and 2027.

Described as an "explosive dark academia murder mystery", Keep Your Friends Close is set in the world of Win Lose Kill Die (Scholastic).

"In Keep Your Friends Close, Chloe Roberts is ready to be queen bee at Morton Academy," the synopsis says. "She’s a shoo-in for head girl and the lead spot in the school’s secret society: Jewel and Bone. But her life comes crashing down when her best friend betrays her. Things take a darker turn when Chloe discovers the Book of Crime and Punishment—a record of every misdeed committed by Morton students and the fitting penalty. But when entries in the book start to match up with murders of Jewel and Bone members, Chloe realises she’s caught in a deadly game."

Murphy is joining YA authors Karen M McManus and Jennifer Lynn Barnes on Penguin’s "House of YA Thriller Road Trip" tour, visiting London for the Young Adult Literature Convention, as well as other UK cities. Proof copies will be available at each stop.

"I am thrilled that my books will be published with Penguin in the UK and that I get to be part of such a driven team," Murphy said. "When I heard their plans, not just for Keep Your Friends Close but for my career, I knew that I was embarking on something special."

Parchment-Youssef added: "It is rare to deeply admire an accomplished and successful author from afar and then have the opportunity to publish their new work, but that’s exactly what happened here. I knew from the moment I read the slick page-turner that is Keep Your Friends Close, met the standout protagonist that is Chloe Roberts and connected with Cynthia in person that I desperately had to acquire her for the Penguin YA list, in collaboration with Delacorte."