Harvill Secker Acquires Stunning Literary American Thriller in Pre-Frankfurt Deal

Debut The Stand-In by Tanen Jones will publish in February 2020.

In a pre-Frankfurt acquisition, Harvill Secker Editorial Director for Crime & Thrillers Jade Chandler has snapped up UK & Commonwealth rights to a stunning literary thriller from debut American author Tanen Jones from Lorella Belli at the Lorella Belli Literary Agency Ltd on behalf of Erin Harris and Melissa Sarver White at Folio Literary Management. The Stand-In will be published in February 2020.

The Stand-In follows the story of estranged sisters Leslie and Robin Voigt who must reunite in order to claim a substantial inheritance from their recently deceased father. However, there’s a problem: Leslie tracks down her sister, only to find her dead.

When a chance encounter brings Mary, an aspiring actress, who spends her nights waitressing at a seedy restaurant, and Leslie together, they strike a risky bargain: Mary will impersonate Robin for a week, and in exchange, Mary will receive Robin’s half of the cash. But once Mary steps into the life of a dead woman, she quickly discovers Leslie is not the person she claims to be. 

A tangled web of deception and betrayal, The Stand-In’s dramatic twists and shocking conclusion leave the reader chilled to the bone.

US rights were sold to Ballantine, an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group, with

auctions for other territories on going.

©Rachel Thalia

Jade Chandler, Harvill Secker Editorial Director, says: ‘I was completely hooked from the opening line of Tanen’s outstanding debut novel. The story she weaves is clever, complex and utterly chilling, with huge twists that I didn’t see coming. If you loved The Girls by Emma Cline, or Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, then this is for you. I’m delighted to be publishing Tanen Jones from the start of what promises to be long and lustrous writing career.’

Author Tanen Jones says: ‘I couldn’t be happier to join Harvill Secker’s incredible list of crime and thrillers.  Thank you to Jade and the rest of the team at Harvill Secker for putting your trust in The Stand-In – this is a dream come true.’