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Headline has signed The Queen of Fives, a "twisty and stylish” new novel from Alex Hay.
Editorial director Frankie Edwards acquired world rights from Alice Lutyens at Curtis Brown. Headline Review will publish the novel as a lead hardback early in 2025, with Graydon House publishing simultaneously in the US.
The book is set in fin de siècle London, between the slums of Spitalfields and the grandeur of Berkeley Square. “Quinn le Blanc, the city’s most talented con woman, has just five days to pull off the seemingly impossible: to trap a nobleman into marriage – and lift a fortune from the richest family in England”, the publisher teased. “But as she enters the inner circle of the corrupt, charismatic Kendals, Quinn realises that she may not be the only one playing a game of high deception.”
Edwards said: “Nothing is quite as it seems in the world of the Queen of Fives, and we’re pulled heart and soul into her exhilarating game from the very first page. With the verve and wry wit that enthralled so many readers of The Housekeepers, Alex marries clever intrigue with the bold spirit of the era, truly unforgettable characters and just the right measure of darkness in his new novel. Quinn le Blanc is a real one-off.”
Hay added: “I’m over the moon to be working with the phenomenal Frankie Edwards and the wonderful team at Headline again – and for us to be joining forces with brilliant Melanie Fried and Graydon House once again too. Their combined vision and brilliance made publishing The Housekeepers such an incredible joy, and I am so thrilled that we will all be bringing a new book into the world together. Writing The Queen of Fives has been the most gleeful and absorbing experience, and I can’t wait for it to reach readers in 2025.”