PMJ secures Bull’s Jane Austen murder mystery series for six figures in four-way auction

Penguin Michael Joseph has acquired a Jane Austen-inspired murder mystery series by début author Jessica Bull in a four-publisher auction.

Jess Leeke, publisher, bought UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Juliet Mushens at Mushens Entertainment in a two-book, six-figure deal.

North American rights have also been sold in a six figure pre-empt to Claire Wachtel at Union Square by Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency on behalf of Juliet Mushens. Across Europe, rights have been pre-empted in Germany by Droemer, Italy by Piemme and a deal is under way in France.

Miss Austen Investigates: The Hapless Milliner, the first novel in the Miss Austen Investigates series set in Regency Britain, will be published in hardback, e-book and audio in early 2024, with a paperback to follow later that year.

The story begins at a ball in Hampshire in the late 18th century, where a young, spirited and witty Jane Austen is plotting to secure a marriage proposal from Tom Lefroy.

Interrupted by the discovery of a milliner’s dead body in a linen closet, she is thrust into a local murder mystery. When her beloved brother, Georgie, is implicated in the crime, Jane has six weeks to expose the real killer, or Georgie will face the gallows.

Leeke said: “Jessica Bull has a lot of respectful fun with Jane Austen and treats her with such affection, it makes for a truly joyful read. Jane’s investigation sends her on a journey through local society as her suspect list keeps on growing – and, as you can imagine, she must use her keen observational skills on the people around her to solve the crime and save her brother. It’s a warm, comforting delight of a novel with a cast and setting readers will want to return to again and again.”

Bull, who began work as a librarian and is now a communications consultant, said: “I’m so excited to join the list at Penguin Michael Joseph alongside so many of my favourite authors.

“Jess Leeke is the perfect partner to bring my version of Jane Austen (and the diverse cast of characters who made up her real-life friends and family) to readers with sensitivity and compassion. Most of all, I’m so grateful to superstar Juliet Mushens for believing in my story right from the start.”

Mushens commented: “As a lifelong reader of Regency novels as well as crime this absolutely was the escapist, witty and clever book I didn’t know I needed in my life. Jess Leeke is the perfect editor and I’m excited to see the team at Penguin Michael Joseph launch Jessica’s career.”