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Transworld has swooped for two thrillers from debut author Rebecca Philipson in a 24 hour pre-empt. Deputy publishing director Thorne Ryan acquired UK and Commonwealth (excluding Canada) rights to How to Get Away With Murder from Stephanie Glencross (David Higham Associates). Transworld will publish the first as a lead debut launch on the Bantam list in hardback, e-book and audio in January 2026. North American rights were snapped up by Kelley Ragland at Minotaur, and translation rights were pre-empted in France, Spain, Germany and Italy.
In the book, Philipson asks the question: "What if a serial killer wrote a how-to manual?" The synopsis continues: "In How to Get Away With Murder, Denver Brady has done exactly that. He claims to be the most successful serial killer of our time—and that’s precisely why you’ve never heard of him. When a copy of his book is found at the home of a girl who was tragically murdered, DI Sam Hansen is given the job of tracking down the elusive author and uncovering his part in the crime. As Denver and Sam’s stories unfold, it becomes clear that there’s more to both than meets the eye. And once Denver’s book goes viral, the pressure to find and bring him to justice brings Sam close to breaking point. But who is hunting whom?"
Ryan said: "As soon as I started reading How to Get Away With Murder, I knew I would stop at nothing to be the one to publish it. Everything about it had me fizzing with excitement: the fantastic concept at the heart of it, the genius ‘book-within-a-book’ element, the mic-drop-twisty plot, the vivid characters and, most of all, Rebecca’s narrative voice, which is one of the most distinctive and freshest I’ve read in a long time. On top of all this, Rebecca provides the reader with a sensitive yet incisive exploration of male violence against women, subverting all our assumptions and expectations around serial killers. Words can’t express how thrilled and honoured I am, and all of us at Transworld are, that she decided to partner with us to launch her writing career."
Philipson said: "I’m honoured and delighted to be working with Thorne and Transworld; I know that my debut is in the best possible hands. I can’t wait to show the world How to Get Away With Murder in January 2026. I hope that readers will love Sam’s sassy candour and Denver’s deliciously dark charisma."
Glencross said: "I had been hoping for a fresh take on a serial killer/cat-and-mouse thriller for ages so I was enormously excited when this was submitted to me. Rebecca is an extremely talented writer, and I am absolutely delighted to be working with Thorne Ryan and the incredible team at Transworld to launch Rebecca’s career in the UK."