Vatican-set heist thriller goes to Zaffre for six-figures in seven-way auction
Zaffre has won Nick Brucker’s “page-turning" and "unbelievably ambitious" Vatican-set heist novel in a seven-publisher auction, with the title selling in five territories in the run-up to London Book Fair.
Ben Willis, publisher at the Bonnier Books UK imprint, triumphed in the "highly competitive" auction, buying UK and Commonwealth (excluding Canada) rights to White Smoke and another title in a six-figure deal with Alexander Cochran at Greyhound Literary. The novel is set among a group of duplicitous conmen and thieves who are determined to steal the Vatican’s most remarkable treasures.
White Smoke, which will publish in the UK in 2027, has to date sold in five translation languages at auction or pre-empt: German (Piper), Dutch (Xander), Italian (Newton Compton), Spanish (Planeta) and Hungarian (Agave). Several other markets are also under offer, including Finland.
Brucker is a pseudonym of Edinburgh-based speculative fiction writer Nicholas Binge. His latest novel, Dissolution (HarperVoyager), is being adapted into a motion picture by Sony Pictures, with Oscar-nominated Eric Heisserer (Arrival) writing the script.
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Brucker said: "I’ve always wanted to write a heist novel, and the idea of lovable criminal underdogs taking on the rich and powerful feels more relevant in today’s world than ever. Then the Pope passed last year, the Vatican entered conclave and our news was filled with cardinals in robes and zucchettos and intricately frescoed buildings. I knew I had my setting. Where better to stage a robbery than the centre of history’s greatest riches, complete with ancient keys, Renaissance-era tunnels, and centuries of church intrigue?"
Willis called White Smoke "an unbelievably ambitious heist novel that delivers on every level. It is fast-paced, twisty, tense, funny – all while having a very big heart. I was completely taken in by these conmen and women, lost myself in the ancient tunnels of Vatican City and felt the pulse-racing tension of the final scenes as though I myself was witnessing it play out in St Peter’s Square. But when the smoke clears, it is the unique characters that will stay with readers. I have a feeling Nikola, Dante and the team are going to sneak their way into a lot of readers’ affections when we publish next spring."
Cochran said: "From the moment Nick’s unabashedly entertaining heist thriller landed in my inbox, I knew we had something very special. I’m absolutely delighted that we’ve found Nick, and his brilliant cast of double-dealing cons and thieves, the perfect UK home with Ben and the team at Zaffre." Cochran added that White Smoke was getting "strong interest" for film and TV following the UK auction.
