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Quercus imprint Maclehose Press has acquired rights to a long-lost novel by Mario Puzo, written a year before he completed his international bestseller The Godfather. The independent publisher has secured UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada. Six Graves to Munich had previously been published under Puzo’s pseudonym Mario Cleri by Banner in 1967.
Quercus’ UK version of the book is due out in May 2009 and will be produced as a £12.99 hardback. A trade paperback for export and airside retailers will also be available, retailing at £11.99. The novel opens in the final throws of the Second World War as American intelligence officer Michael Rogan is being tortured by the Gestapo, who are trying to uncover secrets only he knows. Ten years later, Rogan is determined to avenge the death of his wife, killed by the same men, and embarks on a quest to track down each person involved.
Christopher Maclehose, publisher at the translated fiction imprint, uncovered the book at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Quercus chairman Anthony Cheetham said he was “tremendously excited”. The initial print runs are expected to be 10,000–15,000 for hardback and 20,000–25,000 for the paperback edition.