We’re thrilled to announce that Ava Glass’ new thriller Alias Emma has been acquired by Penguin Random House / Century in the UK and PRH / Bantam in the US in two lightning-fast two-book deals.
Publisher, Selina Walker, acquired UK & Commonwealth rights in two books with the first in the series to be released in summer 2022. North American rights were snapped up by Anne Speyer for Bantam, Penguin Random House, and an additional five international deals will see Alias Emma translated into German, Spanish, French, Dutch and Portuguese. Additionally, Alias Emma has caught the eye of a “renowned producer” who has optioned the book for Film & TV.
Ava Glass is a penname of Christi Daugherty, a former crime-scene reporter turned bestselling author, whose books have been translated into 25 languages. Her YA series, Night School, is an acclaimed international bestseller. She lives in the south of England, and at one time worked for the British government.
In a world where constant surveillance is our reality, how can a spy on the run hope to travel across London without being seen?
Nothing about Emma Makepeace is real. She’s not even Emma Makepeace.
She is the traumatised, 27-year-old daughter of a dead Russian spy, who risks her life every day because she loves her country and because, deep down, she wants to die. And she has an impossible assignment.
Emma must covertly travel across one of the world’s most watched cities to bring the reluctant son of Russian spies into protective custody – so long as assassins from the Motherland don’t find him first.
With London’s famous Ring of Steel hacked by the Russian government, the two must cross the city without being seen by the thousands of CCTV cameras that document everything on the streets.
This means they cannot use bus, tube, car, or train. Travelling on foot and operating without phones or bank cards that could reveal their location or identity, they have 12 hours to make it to safety.
This will take all of Emma’s skills of disguise and subterfuge. But Emma’s handler has gone cold and there is no one left to trust. Just one wrong move will get them both killed…
Selina Walker commented: “It is a really, really fun and accomplished read with similarities to ‘Killing Eve’. This is escapist fiction at its very best, and we will be pitching it hard as a female-led thriller which everyone can enjoy.”
Madeleine Milburn added: “I am thrilled that Century is going to launch Alias Emma, the first in a meticulously plotted, utterly addictive, explosive new female spy series that fans of all things espionage will devour. I’ve worked with Christi for over a decade now, and this is the series she was always meant to write, with her first-hand experience of this world and her track record of authoring a YA international bestselling series that also took the world by storm.”
Christi Daugherty said: “I’ve had the character of the spy Emma Makepeace in my head since I worked for the government over 10 years ago, so I’m thrilled that Alias Emma has found such a perfect home with Selina Walker and her fantastic team at Century. Selina is a legend in British publishing and I can’t wait to go on this journey with her. To also have the opportunity to work with Anne Speyer at Ballantine Bantam Dell is beyond amazing. I’ve admired her work from afar for years. Add into the mix the publishers around the world and I can honestly say, this is the ultimate dream team!”
