News

Friday Night Rights

2010-03-12T17:34:00.002-05:00

ARLA's teammates have been on a hot streak these past two weeks!

First up at the plate, Atilla Turgut of the Akcali Copyright agency sold DOROTHY OF MANHATTAN, Adam Fawer's latest novel, to April Publishing in Turkey.

La Nouvelle Agence's Michele Kanonidis sold MOONLIGHT MILE, Dennis Lehane's forthcoming Patrick and Angie mystery (the sixth and final one), to Lehane’s longtime French publisher, Editions Rivages, while Naomi Colvin of Andrew Nurnberg Associates sold it to The House of Books, Lehane's devoted Dutch publisher.

German publishers Schreiber & Lesser stepped up to the plate with offers for publication in graphic form of both SHUTTER ISLAND and "Until Gwen," the short story by Dennis Lehane that begins, "Your father picks you up from prison in a stolen Dodge Neon with an eight ball in the glove compartment and a hooker named Mandy in the backseat," one of our favorite openings ever. Michele Kanonidis of La Nouvelle Agence and Sabine Pfannensteil-Wright of Andrew Nurnberg Associates fielded the offers and brought them home.

Cappelen Damm in Norway renewed rights to MYSTIC RIVER and SHUTTER ISLAND, thanks to Ulf Toregard of the Sane Toregard Agency.

Romanian, Slovenian, and Portuguese readers will get to know THE POACHER'S SON thanks to Reader's Digest. Paul Doiron's publisher, St. Martin's Press, handled those deals.

Putnam's Lance Fitzgerald made a deal with Piemme for Italian publication of NOWHERE TO RUN, and our co-agent Sarah Nundy completed the two-book deal with a contract for BLUE HEAVEN.

Good work, team! We'd pour a bucket of Gatorade on all of you if we could!

First Look At The Poacher's Son

2010-03-12T13:06:00.005-05:00

This month, Paul Doiron is over on First Look, Barnes & Noble's book club, for an online discussion with a select group of readers who were given advance copies of THE POACHER'S SON. They read several chapters each week and then post their reactions, generating some pretty lively debates.

Charlie Spicer, his amazing editor at St. Martin's, is also on the site this week answering reader's questions. He has some very interesting things to say about his work on the book and the publishing process in general, so it's well worth a look!

If you're feeling sad that you'll have to wait until May to get your hands on the book, we do have one advance reader's copy to give away. We'll send it to the person who emails us at info(at)rittlit(dot)com with the best way to poach an egg!

The Man Beneath The Black Hat

2010-03-12T10:51:00.005-05:00

Wyofile has a great in-depth profile of ARLA author and all-around nice guy C.J. Box. Click here to find out how he got his start as a writer, what "C.J." stands for, why he responds to every single letter from his readers (even the grumpy ones), and much more!

Friday Night Rights

2010-02-26T12:54:00.008-05:00

ARLA's agents across the universe have been working around the clock to spread the word of great books in more languages than we can count -- even Canadian! Here's what they've done in 2010 alone:

C.J. Box's Edgar Award-winning standalone, BLUE HEAVEN, has been sold by Aleksandra Matuszak of ANAW in Poland to Wydawnictwo Albatros Andrzej Kurylowicz, while Miko Yamanouchi of Japan Uni sold THREE WEEKS TO SAY GOODBYE (his second standalone) to Hayakawa in Japan. Ulf Toregard of the Sane Toregard agency sold both of those books to Klim in Denmark, along with Chuck's forthcoming standalone, BACK OF BEYOND (St. Martin's Press 2011).

Dennis Lehane's SHUTTER ISLAND (cf. the #1 box office hit!) has new deals all over the place! Ulf Toregard sold it to Lindhardt & Ringhof in Denmark, while Atilla Turgut of the Akcali Copyright Agency sold it to Artemis Yayinlari in Turkey, Ludmilla Sushkova of Andrew Nurnberg Associates Moscow sold it to Atticus in Russia, and Kristine Supe of Andrew Nurnberg's Baltic office sold it to Carobna Knjiga in Serbia. Daniela Petracco of Andrew Nurnberg Associates sold it to Edizioni BD in Italy, while Michele Kanonidis of La Nouvelle Agence sold the graphic novel to Compupress in Greece (don't mention the Euro!).

Laura Whitcomb's award-winning novel A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT will be published in Turkey by Bilge Kultur Sanat thanks to Atilla Turgut. Shari Smiley of Creative Artists Agency also optioned film rights to producer Kristin Hahn.

Brazilians and Germans will NEVER WAVE GOODBYE again after reading the forthcoming novel by Doug Magee, thanks to Sextante and Aufbau, respectively. Daniela Petracco and fellow Nurnberger Sabine Pfannensteil-Wright oversaw those deals. Touchstone, a division of Simon and Schuster, will publish in the U.S. this June.

ARLA's own Penn Whaling has sold May-lee Chai's DRAGON CHICA to Gemma Media, a Boston publishing house, and her client Doug Harris's YOU COMMA IDIOT (aka BEST TITLE EVER) will be published by Goose Lane Editions in Canada.

Yeehaw!

Paradise Found

2010-02-26T11:56:00.005-05:00

St. Martin's will publish Douglas Corleone's debut novel, ONE MAN'S PARADISE, in April, and it's already gotten a very nice review from Booklist:

This novel won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award, and it's no wonder. Former defense lawyer Corleone has created a crafty and memorable character and placed him in a suspenseful and layered story. Kevin Corvelli was a defense lawyer in New York until his apathy toward his clients led to the conviction of an innocent man, who was later murdered in prison. Now Kevin is living in Hawaii, still working as a lawyer but doing so purely to pay off his staggering student loan. "I don't like my clients," he tells us, "and I don't care if they like me." But when a law student is accused of murdering his former girlfriend, Kevin discovers that he actually does give a damn whether this particular client is guilty or innocent. This is a solid, well-written legal thriller with quite interesting ethical undercurrents. Kevin's journey begins at personal and professional apathy and ends at some form of redemption. Perhaps the author plans to continue Kevin's transformation in subsequent novels: a sequel to this fine debut would seem almost mandatory.

Running Up The Starred Reviews!

2010-02-26T11:28:00.005-05:00

We're pleased to tell you that C.J. Box's NOWHERE TO RUN has received two more starred reviews!

Kirkus says that "it's great to see the usual Box strengths -- exhilarating landscapes, high adventure, thrilling suspense, surprising moral quandaries -- done to a turn."

Booklist adds, "As Box has become more prolific, his gold standard has become alloyed, but Nowhere to Run, the tenth in the series, ranks with his best books, such as Open Season (2001) and Out of Range (2005). Readers should take note of their surroundings before opening this book: once they start reading, they won't know what hit them."

Shutter Island Hits The NYT Bestseller List!

2010-02-24T10:22:00.003-05:00

I guess everyone wanted to read the book before they saw the movie, because SHUTTER ISLAND has risen to #18 on this week's New York Times paperback trade fiction bestseller list!

Doug Magee Hits The Clubs

2010-02-22T10:36:00.003-05:00

If you're a member of, well, any of the book clubs, you have quite a treat coming for you in the mail this summer!

NEVER WAVE GOODBYE, Doug Magee's gripping debut novel, will be a Featured Alternate in the Mystery Guild, Literary Guild, Book-of-the-Month Club, Doubleday Book Club, Doubleday Large Print Book Club, and BOMC2. For all of you romance fans out there, don't worry -- it will also be a selection in Rhapsody!

[SH]UTTER Insanity

2010-02-22T10:25:00.003-05:00

Well, dear readers, a lot of you must gone to see SHUTTER ISLAND this weekend -- and taken your whole families along -- because it was #1 at the box office this weekend! In fact, the film was both Scorsese's and DiCaprio's biggest opening ever!

Here's more from The New York Times and Deadline.com.

Shutter Island Opens Today!

2010-02-19T10:51:00.006-05:00

We're very excited to tell you that the film adaptation of Dennis Lehane's SHUTTER ISLAND opens today!

The LA Times calls it "a new noir classic" and raves that "director Martin Scorsese has created a divinely dark and devious brain tease of a movie in the best noir tradition with its smarter than you'd think cops, their tougher than you'd imagine cases to crack and enough nods to the classic genre for an all-night parlor game."

USA Today proclaims it "technically masterful, as only a film by visionary director Martin Scorsese can be" and adds, "From the first queasy scene, you are drawn into and captured by the ominous goings-on at Shutter Island." It says that "DiCaprio's blend of brooding and unease is riveting" and "the rest of the ensemble is equally terrific."

The Hollywood Reporter chimes in, saying, "Martin Scorsese's 'Shutter Island' is a remarkable high-wire act, performed without a net and exploiting all the accumulated skills of a consummate artist. It dazzles and provokes."

Variety calls the movie "expert, screw-turning narrative filmmaking" with a "topnotch cast."

Better get your tickets now!

Getting A Running Start

2010-02-17T12:46:00.004-05:00

C.J. Box's new Joe Pickett novel comes out in April and it's already gotten two starred reviews!

Publishers Weekly calls NOWHERE TO RUN "outstanding" and a "terrible, beautiful tale of courage and compassion and culpability," while Library Journal says this "well structured novel" is "intense" and "highly recommended."

Click here to read the full reviews.

More U.K. Love For C.J. Box

2010-02-04T12:27:00.003-05:00

We're pleased that C.J. Box's THREE WEEKS TO SAY GOODBYE is making such a big splash across the pond!

The Bookseller, the Bible of the U.K. book trade, recently featured it in their "Ones to Watch" section and had the following nice things to say about it: "Atlantic's new imprint launches with a winner and a big marketing spend. An American in Harlan Coben mould and much praised by his peers, it's a non-stop read right to the end. A tale of corruption, paedophilia, blackmail and worse as at the centre of it is a nine-month-old baby girl. It's quite a tale."

We Know You Only Read It For The Articles

2010-02-02T15:58:00.004-05:00

...but this month you should also read Playboy for a new short story by Dennis Lehane. We might be biased, but we think that "Animal Rescue" is the most alluring thing in the entire issue!

All The Cool Kids Are Doing It!

2010-01-27T19:44:00.002-05:00

Click here to become a fan of THE POACHER'S SON on Facebook!

Four For Four!

2010-01-27T17:08:00.005-05:00

Booklist gave Paul Doiron's THE POACHER'S SON its fourth starred review, saying:

Doiron, editor-in-chief of Down East magazine, is well acquainted with the current political and cultural tensions that crisscross Maine, and his local knowledge drives this fast-paced and twisty narrative. With realistically flawed characters and a strong sense of place -- both on the coast and in the woods -- the novel avoids tourist stereotyping, of Maine itself and its citizens...One hopes this fine novel is the first in a series starring Warden Bowditch, who could quickly become the East Coast version of C. J. Box's game-warden hero Joe Pickett, who patrols the range in Wyoming.

Click here for the full review!

(To answer the reviewer's question, it is indeed the first in a series. We've read a draft of the second installment and can assure you that it's just as exciting as the first!)

A Helpful Suggestion From Books-A-Million

2010-01-26T14:42:00.005-05:00

Libby Hellmann Bakes A Tough Cookie

2010-01-25T10:16:00.004-05:00

Forget Toll House and its famous chocolate chip cookies! According to crime-fiction blog The Rap Sheet, Bleak House has the recipe for the best hard-boiled treats around!

The blog recently had all sorts of nice things to say about DOUBLEBACK, Libby Fischer Hellman's latest mystery from Bleak House Books:

Not at all a cozy, Hellman's new book is one tough cookie. When I think of Libby Fischer Hellmann, her two excellent series come to mind: the longer one about video producer and single mother Ellie Foreman, and the newer one about ex-Chicago cop-turned-private investigator Georgia Davis...Now Hellmann has combined her two protagonists into one strong and moving novel...Hellmann has done such a good job of bringing her dual principals to vivid life in Doubleback, that you believe every word of it.

Click here to read the full review and more!

What Are The Odds?

2010-01-20T09:50:00.003-05:00

Lady Luck must be smiling down on ARLA because, one year after BLUE HEAVEN won the Edgar Award for best novel, THE ODDS by Kathleen George was nominated for the same award!

Mystery Writers of America will announce the winner on April 29th, so keep your fingers crossed until then!

The Poacher's Son Goes Clubbing

2010-01-15T11:50:00.002-05:00

We're pleased to tell you that THE POACHER'S SON will be an Editor's Pick and Alternate Selection of the Mystery Guild Book Club and an Alternate Selection of the Literary Guild Book Club!

If you're not a member of either club, don't fret! It will also be available on BOMC2, the Book-of-the-Month Club's online-only membership club, and if you're a member of any of the numerous other clubs affiliated with the BOMC, you will be able to purchase it on the website of your club. And, of course, you can always pick up a copy at your local independent bookstore!

The L.A. Times Enjoys Its Trip To Shutter Island

2010-01-14T16:32:00.003-05:00

The L.A. Times raved about the new graphic novel edition of SHUTTER ISLAND, declaring:

The graphic version of "Shutter Island" is religiously (and gruesomely) faithful to Lehane's novel and with good reason -- it would be hard to tamper with the circuitry of such a meticulously crafted mystery. The visual demands and page-count realities of the visual medium required tough choices, but de Metter has handled them deftly.

The plot of the original book was purposely confounding in certain dark corners and here those shadowy places are ambiguous in a different but still satisfying way. The climactic sequences of Lehane's book possessed a powerful click as they fell into place and, under de Metter's watch, the dread and revelation remain intact.

Read the full review here.

And Three Makes A Constellation!

2010-01-14T14:50:00.002-05:00

Kirkus Reviews gave Paul Doiron's THE POACHER'S SON its third starred review!

They liken Doiron to C.J. Box, another one of our dear authors, and say, "Like Box, Doiron will have his hands full trying to top his accomplished debut."

Read the full review here.

Another New Star in the Maine Sky

2010-01-11T15:57:00.003-05:00

We're pleased to tell you that Paul Doiron's THE POACHER'S SON has received its second starred review!

Publishers Weekly writes:

Down East editor-in-chief Doiron takes a provocative look at the ties between fathers and sons, unconditional love, and Maine's changing landscape in his outstanding debut....Fans of C.J. Box and Nevada Barr will appreciate the vivid wilderness scenes. Equally a story of relationships and an outdoor adventure, this evocative thriller is sure to put Doiron on several 2010 must-read lists.

Click here to read the full review and more.

Stargazing In Maine

2009-12-17T17:19:00.006-05:00

St. Martin's will publish THE POACHER'S SON in the spring, and we're pleased to tell you that Paul Doiron's debut novel has already gotten its first starred review!

Library Journal says:

A richly imagined portrait of the vanishing wilderness in New England's farthest reaches, Doiron's well-written debut is also a taut thriller and thoughtful examination of the complicated relationship between father and son. Of a piece with Castle Freeman Jr.'s All That I Have about a Vermont sheriff, this will also appeal to fans of CJ Box's Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett.

As Dark As A Lump Of Coal But A Much Better Stocking Stuffer

2009-12-17T17:09:00.005-05:00

We think BOSTON NOIR, the anthology edited by Dennis Lehane, would make the perfect gift for any book-loving loved ones, and it seems that the fine people of Boston agree. The book has been hanging out on the Boston Globe bestseller list for the past few weeks and is currently in the #3 spot.

C.J. Box's UK Invasion

2009-12-02T11:51:00.005-05:00

Box-mania is in full swing across the pond as THREE WEEKS TO SAY GOODBYE makes it UK debut!

Here's a sampling of the rave reviews:

Here is a book that comes festooned with expectations and praise from abroad, with hopeful comparisons made to such American giants as Harlan Coben. Are the comparisons justified? The answer is resoundingly in the affirmative -- this novel is absolutely terrific. -- The Good Book Guide

I don't have a lot of crime fiction or thrillers on my shelf -- it's not a genre I've particularly hankered after -- but CJ Box could have well converted me. I hope he takes off over here as he has done in the States. He deserves to. -- Bookrabbit.com

A thriller with a difference with no murder to solve and no fugitives' from justice. One which will break your heart but leave you compelled to keep turning till the last page. -- The Liffeyside Blog

C.J. Box writes like an Edgar winner. Tight pages turn and turn," adding "Character development remained strong, pace fast and the writing always switchblade-sharp" and "the novel was narrated convincingly and with terrifying plausibility. -- Critical Mick

C.J. Box isn't just sitting back and basking in the glow of all of this adulation! He's written an article for The Guardian about his top ten US crime novelists and one for Crime Time on the rising popularity of the high-concept thriller in the UK.