WH Allen triumphs in 15-way auction for Murder in the Middle Ages
WH Allen has acquired Murder in the Middle Ages: A New History of Old Crimes by Stephanie Brown, a criminologist at the University of Hull, BBC New Generation Thinker, and co-founder of Medieval Murder Maps.
Amanda Waters, commissioning editor, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Matt Turner at Rogers, Coleridge and White, in a “hotly contested” 15-way auction. In the US, rights have been pre-empted by executive editor Marie Pantojan at Random House. The book will be published in spring 2028.
“Murder in the Middle Ages takes readers back in time to examine real murders throughout the medieval period,” the publisher says. “Following the investigations of Thomas de Lincoln, a coroner in York, the book explores how our medieval ancestors dealt with murder, criminal investigations and the dispensation of justice.”
Brown said: “At its heart, this is a book about the living, not the dead. It explores what happens when a community is confronted with death. The book began with a simple question: how do you investigate a murder in an age before police or forensics? The answer led me into a world where neighbours, jurors and coroners worked together to piece together what had happened. I hope the book shows that medieval justice was not primitive nor chaotic, but structured, participatory and deeply human. I am delighted to have found a publisher whose vision for the book aligns so closely with my own, and who immediately understood what I wanted it to achieve.”
Waters said: “I am thrilled to welcome Stephanie to the list. Combining brilliantly immersive writing with academic expertise, Stephanie has created a book that is propulsive, eye-opening and utterly bewitching.”
