William Heinemann to publish a new novel by international bestselling author Thomas Harris

William Heinemann is excited to announce the acquisition of the highly anticipated new novel by Thomas Harris, the international bestselling author of The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. Jason Arthur, Publisher of William Heinemann, Hutchinson and Windmill, acquired the UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Anne Sibbald of Janklow & Nesbit Literary Agency. The book will be published in hardcover and ebook editions on May 21, 2019, and narration for the simultaneous Penguin Random House Audio publication will be performed by Thomas Harris himself. Grand Central will publish in the U.S., and publishing partners across the globe will be announced in the coming weeks. The title and cover are to be revealed this autumn.

The new novel will be Thomas Harris’s first standalone thriller since Black Sunday was published in 1975.

In addition, Jason Arthur has secured ebook rights in the backlist titles Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Hannibal Rising, and all four novels, already available in physical editions, are now available for download in the UK for the very first time. 

Jason Arthur says: ‘I’m thrilled to be publishing this new novel by Thomas Harris. Hannibal Rising was the very first book I published when I joined William Heinemann back in 2006, and it was such a huge excitement for me as Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs ranked (and still rank) as two of my favourite thrillers of all time. There is no doubt in my mind that Thomas Harris remains one of the most notable writers of the last four decades, and the publication of his first novel in thirteen years – his first non-Hannibal novel in over forty – will be a significant publishing event.’

Thomas Harris says: ‘I’m very pleased that Grand Central and Heinemann are publishing my new novel.’

Thomas Harris is the author of five novels with worldwide sales of over 30 million copies and may be best known for his character Hannibal Lecter. All of his books have been made into films, including most notably the multiple Oscar winner, The Silence of The Lambs. Harris began his writing career covering crime in the United States and Mexico, and was a reporter and editor at the Associated Press in New York.   

The new novel will be published by William Heinemann in hardback and ebook on 21 May 2019 and in Arrow paperback in 2020.