Susannah Hamilton, Editor at Corvus, has acquired World rights, including translation, to The Angel’s Mark and a second untitled novel by S. W. Perry from Jane Judd.
The Angel’s Mark follows Nicholas Shelby, a trainee physician plying his trade in the City of London, who notices a strange mark on the body of a young boy brought in to a medical lecture. Suspecting – but unable to prove – that the boy had in fact been murdered, Nicholas sets out to discover the truth. Recruiting a mysterious tavern keeper, Bianca Merton, to assist him, his conviction is strengthened as more bodies are found with the same mark.
Desperate to find the killer who is preying on the weak and destitute of London, Nicholas becomes trapped in the middle of a sinister plot, leading ultimately to an impossible choice – to save Bianca or save himself…
Susannah said: ‘The Angel’s Mark caught, and held, my attention from the outset, with its clever and intricate plotting, fantastic writing, engagingly flawed characters and wonderful setting. Perry is a seriously talented writer – Nicholas is a wonderful creation, through whose prism Elizabethan London comes to life like no other novel I’ve read. I’m thrilled that we’ll have the opportunity to work together on The Angel’s Mark, and to follow the characters into a second book.’
Perry, previously a journalist and broadcaster who then retrained as an airline pilot, commented: ‘the Elizabethan era fascinates me: a society living under the threat of religious and territorial destruction, superstitious yet at the same time on the brink of vast scientific and intellectual advances. It’s a fantastic opportunity to be working with the team at Corvus. I know by their commitment to The Angel’s Mark that I’m in good hands.’
Jane Judd said ‘I’m delighted with the passion and commitment that Corvus have for Perry’s The Angel’s Mark, and I look forward to working with them.’
Corvus will publish The Angel’s Mark in hardback in September 2018.
