Salam moves to Baskerville with two ‘exquisite’ gothic mysteries

Anbara Salam, author of Things Bright and Beautiful (Fig Tree) and Belladonna (Fig Tree), has moved to Baskerville in a two-book deal.

Jade Chandler, publishing director of the John Murray Press imprint, bought UK and Commonwealth rights to the two gothic mysteries from Hattie Grunewald at The Blair Partnership. The first, Hazardous Spirits, will be published in October 2023.

Set in 1920s Edinburgh, Hazardous Spirits tells the story of Evelyn Hazard, a young Scottish woman living an unremarkable middle-class life. One day, Evelyn’s quiet existence is shattered when her staid, reliable husband Robert suddenly announces that he can communicate with the dead, the publisher’s synopsis continues.

As the couple are pulled into the spiritualist movement that emerged following the mass deaths caused by the First World War and the Spanish Flu, dark secrets from Evelyn’s past threaten to surface. Faced with the prospect of losing all that is dear to her, Evelyn finds herself asking: is the man she loves a fraud, a madman or – most frighteningly – is he telling the truth?

Chandler said: “I am over the moon that the very talented Anbara Salam is joining the Baskerville list. From the first line of Hazardous Spirits, I was captivated by Anbara’s sparkling, exquisite prose, the powerful dilemma that sets up the novel and the beautifully evocative period setting.

“This is a gothic literary mystery that fits perfectly with our aim to publish books that haunt the imagination; Hazardous Spirits is a bold new direction for Anbara and the perfect book to curl up with on a dark autumnal evening.”

Salam said: “It is a dream opportunity to be joining Baskerville and to be part of this fresh list of literary talent. As well as her editorial expertise, Jade has so much passion for the pleasure of reading, I’m thrilled to be working with her.”

Grunewald commented: “Every new book from Anbara is a fresh delight – I find I’m discomforted by the complex morality and psychology of her protagonists in a way that haunts me long after I close the book. So to find her a new home at Baskerville seems a perfect fit. We were won over by Jade’s passion for Hazardous Spirits – and I’m sure readers will be equally enraptured.”