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S&S pre-empts Typhoid Mary title

27.01.12 | Bookseller staff

Simon & Schuster has pre-empted a historical novel about Typhoid Mary for a six-figure sum. 

Senior commissioning editor Jessica Leeke bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Fever by Mary Beth Keane from Jenny Meyer on behalf of Chris Calhoun. S&S plans to publish in spring 2013. The title has also been acquired through pre-empts by Scribner in the US, Piemme in Italy and Presses de la Cite in France.

An Irish immigrant to the US, Mary Mallon was a cook in 1900s New York. She was forced to live in isolation after being identified as an asymptomatic carrier of the typhoid fever virus, unwittingly infecting those she cooked for. She was once  described as "the most dangerous woman in America". The narrative also takes in events such as the "Titanic" sinking, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, and the "General Slocum" ferry disaster.

Leeke said: "Keane presents us with a very cleverly wrought conundrum: was Mary Mallon a selfish monster or a hounded innocent? It's up to the reader to decide. Fever not only benefits from an intriguing real-life hook in Typhoid Mary, but as a work of historical fiction it is truly rich and authentic . . . As we've seen with titles from The Postmistress to The Help, historical fiction is so popular at the moment."

• Bookseller Staff
• Rights deal
• Simon & Schuster
• Typhoid Mary