Hodder & Stoughton secures Furnivall’s historical thriller in two-book deal

Hodder & Stoughton has acquired Child of the Ruins, a historical thriller by Kate Furnivall, in a two-book deal.

Jo Dickinson, executive publisher for fiction, acquired world English language rights in two novels from Teresa Chris of the Teresa Chris Literary Agency. Hodder will publish in hardback, trade paperback, e-book and audio on 31st October 2023.

Child of the Ruins is set during the Berlin Airlift in 1948, when the city was blockaded by Russian troops and the citizens trapped inside had to survive on aid dropped to them day and night from American and British aircraft. Within this confinement, two women are seeking both revenge and to find a missing child, and they will resort to any means possible to get answers. Furnivall is the author of 11 previous novels.

Dickinson said: “Kate’s writing always grips me from the very first page. Her descriptions are so vivid, and the period detail so impeccably drawn, that I feel I am in Berlin with her wonderful characters. Child of the Ruins is fast-paced and thrilling, but also a powerful examination of the aftermath of war and of a period in history that very few people have written about. We are incredibly excited to publish this novel."

Furnivall said: “I am thrilled at this opportunity to be published by the superb Hodder & Stoughton team and to be working with Jo Dickinson, who is the best of the best. It is a real privilege to work with her.

“I am passionate about this story and about this crucial moment in history in 1948 when the Western world was on a knife-edge. The threat from the Soviet Union was acute and it resonates with what is happening in Europe right now. We owe so much to those who took part in the Berlin Airlift. Everybody needs to know about it. I hope Child of the Ruins will help people understand how we got to where we are today.”