Chapters (97)
- Cover
- Back Cover Text
- Praise
- Booklist
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Eighty-Eight
- Eighty-Nine
- Acknowledgments & A Personal Note
- Excerpt
The line moved. His thoughts shifted to considering setting up direct deposit for Europe, as he’d done with his US and South American agents, when his phone rang.
It was Roz. At last.
“Is this a good time?” she asked.
“Hang on.”
Ben looked around. Too many people in the bank. The call was important. He gave up his place in line and stepped outside, finding privacy and shade near a palm tree adjacent to the parking lot.
“Go ahead,” he said.
A woman transferring her toddler from her van’s car seat to a stroller looked at him and he pointed at his phone, then turned away.
“Okay, go ahead, Roz. What did they say?”
“All right. Sidney in legal has zero concerns because it’s an old case. It’s been prosecuted. There are few legal risks in that regard.”
“I figured that.”
“And Adam says the publisher likes this one, too, and the fact the case is all but unknown to US and international readers, and your books have a global audience.”
“Canadians will know this case, even if it is twenty years old.”
“Right, and that’s another advantage. Your numbers are strong in Canada and a book by you on the case would be well received.”
“So it’s all good?”
“Yes. You have a green light. And Adam said they’ll restart the clock on the deadline for the outline. It’ll be sixty days starting Monday. I’ll put it in the updated memo to you.”
“I’ll have the outline done before sixty days, but thanks for that.”
“And your Canadian editor wants you to call her ASAP to discuss it a little further. Everyone’s excited about this, Ben.”
After the call, Ben got back in line. He was now fifth but it didn’t matter because he was relieved.
Finally, he’d landed on a book.
At home Ben looked through his emails for one from Emily Moore in Toronto, found her signature box with her number and called it.
They’d met a few times at BookExpo in New York and the International Festival of Authors in Toronto. She was among the most talented editors he’d worked with.
“Hi, Ben, this is such good news. Everybody here’s so pleased.” Emily’s voice was warm and positive. “At the same time, it’s such a terrible case.”
“I know. But everything I write is a terrible case.”
“That’s true,” she said. “Listen, I wanted to have this call to let you know we’ll help you in any way we can.”
“Thank you. I welcome it. I don’t know a lot about Canada. I’ve been to the big cities for book events—Vancouver, Montreal and, as you know, Toronto—but other than that, Canada’s a big, alien land to me.”