Penguin Michael Joseph acquires 'breathtaking' debut from Orion publishing director Leodora Darlington

Penguin Michael Joseph (PMJ) swiftly moved for the début thriller from Orion publishing director Leodora Darlington with a six-figure pre-empt within 24 hours of submission. 

PMJ publisher Joel Richardson acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in two books from Hellie Ogden at WME. North American rights sold to Maya Ziv at Dutton in a significant deal at auction by Suzanne Gluck at WME.PMJ plans to publish the first, The Exes, in January 2026.

Ogden had previously won the right to represent the book in competition with 11 other literary agents. At the time of writing, translation rights have already sold, by Laura Bonner, in pre-empts in Germany, France and the Netherlands, with the title at auction in Romania. 

The Exes is “darkly compelling and packed with twists” and tells the story of Natalie, whose seemingly perfect life with husband James is on the verge of falling apart after a huge argument. “Natalie finds herself contemplating the unthinkable – but with her romantic history hiding a very dark secret, only she knows how much danger she’s in.”

Darlington has been  publishing director at Orion since July 2022. She was named a Bookseller Rising Star in 2021 for her previous roles at Canelo and Bookouture, and for founding Owned Voices, an organisation that boosts writers from under-represented backgrounds.

Darlington said: “I’m delighted for this book to have found such a brilliant home in the US with Maya at Dutton. I love the vision Joel and Maya have for The Exes, which I’m excited for readers to discover. Hopefully, that portrait of the way in which past relationships stay with us resonates, even if taken to a twisty extreme in this story.” 

Richardson said: “From the moment I heard the pitch for The Exes, I was hooked, but I wasn’t prepared for the breathtaking storytelling, vividly convincing characters, and the jaw-on-the-floor twists and turns. It’s a very long time since I read a book quite like this, and it heralds the start of an outstanding thriller career.”