Sphere to publish Mackintosh's 'best novel yet'

Sphere is publishing a new thriller from Clare Mackintosh called Hostage, due to be a "major" lead title for the publisher in summer 2021.

Lucy Malagoni, Sphere Fiction publisher, acquired world rights in the book as the first in a two-book deal struck through Sheila Crowley at Curtis Brown.

The book is "a key focus title" for the Little, Brown rights team at Frankfurt this year, according to Sphere. International rights for Hostage have sold in 11 territories to date, including" significant" new deals in the US, Spain, Netherlands and Germany. Hostage will be published in hardback, trade paperback, e-book and audio in the UK in summer 2021.

Hostage, a "rollercoaster thriller" taking place over the course of 20 hours, is centred on a flight attendant flying from the UK to Australia and is a twist on the classic locked-room mystery. The synopsis reads: "Mina is one of a hand-picked team of flight attendants chosen for the inaugural non-stop flight from London to Sydney. She’s trying to focus on the task in hand, and not worry about her troubled five-year-old daughter back at home with her husband, or the cataclysmic problems in her marriage. But the plane has barely taken off when Mina receives a chilling note from an anonymous passenger, someone intent on ensuring the plane never reaches its destination. Someone who needs Mina’s assistance and who knows exactly how to make her comply..."

Malagoni said she believed it to be the author's best novel yet. "With the most contemporary, exciting take on a classic locked-room mystery, combined with emotional, heart-stopping intensity, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and the ending gives me chills every time I think about it," she said. "I couldn’t be prouder to be publishing Hostage next year and can’t wait to share it with readers around the world."

Mackintosh's books have been translated into 40 languages and have sold more than two million copies worldwide, according to the publisher. She said: "I love a locked-room mystery and – in normal times – I  spend a lot of time on planes. When I read about a proposed direct route from London to Sydney, I decided it was the perfect setting for a crime novel. The story plays out over 20 hours, and is the tightest, twistiest thriller I’ve written to date. I’m looking forward to welcoming readers on board Flight 79 for what I can promise will be a very bumpy ride."

Crowley added: "I am so excited for Clare’s many fans around the world to read this rollercoaster thriller. Books are so important for entertainment at this time and Hostage has the wow factor."