Deals

Paul Golob at Times Books has acquired North American rights to an untitled book by L. Patrick Gray III, who succeeded J. Edgar Hoover as FBI head in 1972, and who was forced to resign when he became ensnared in the Watergate coverup. Based primarily on Gray's private first-person accounts written at the time, the book will show how the battle over the post-Hoover FBI succession and the perfidy of the Watergate conspirators destroyed the Nixon presidency, as well as Gray's career. Gray, who had remained silent on Watergate for more than 30 years, spoke briefly to the press in 2005 after the unmasking of Deep Throat and just before his own death. His son, Ed Gray, will complete the book, supplementing the text with documents, tape transcripts and third-party accounts. Jennifer Unter at RLR Associates made the deal, and a spring 2008 publication is anticipated.

Harmony's John Glusman has acquired former Secret Service agent Abraham Bolden's memoir, The Echo from Dealey Plaza; agent Victoria Sanderssold North American rights. Bolden, the first African-American assigned to White House detail, at JFK's invitation, will reveal both the unapologetic racism and the lax attitude toward protecting the president that characterized his tenure. Bolden's outspokenness later led to his imprisonment on bribery charges that were later proven false. Harmony plans a fall 2007 publication.

Sarah Crichton has preempted Dr. Rudy Crew's You'll Be Called On: How We Can Demand the Best from Our Schools, Our Kids, and Ourselves for her imprint at FSG; David Kuhn at Kuhn Projects sold North American rights. Dr. Crew, the Miami-Dade County schools superintendent and former chancellor of New York City schools, will analyze the crisis in America's public schools and address the question of preparing American youth for the global job marketplace. He will also share stories of his own schooling as well as lessons learned from his father, a janitor and jazz musician who raised him alone. The book will be written with Tom Dyja, and FSG plans a fall 2008 publication.

John Parsley at Thomas Dunne Books has acquired North American rights to NPR contributor Gillian Clark's From My Kitchen Window from Michael Psaltis and Peter Steinberg at the Culinary Cooperative, a division of Regal Literary. This memoir tells the story of the author's struggle to succeed as both chef and single parent, and includes the recipes that have worked in all aspects of her life. Clark is chef/owner of Colorado Kitchen in Washington, D.C. A late 2007 publication is expected.

Nichole Argyres at St. Martin's has acquired Deirdre Capone's The Al Capone Family Table: Stories and Recipes from the Last Living Capone; Danielle Svetcov at Levine Greenberg sold world rights. This cookbook will include family recipes, grand-niece Deirdre's childhood memories and previously unpublished photographs of the Capone family. Publication is tentatively set for winter 2008.

Toronto agent Helen Heller has negotiated a seven-figure U.S. rights deal for Ariana Franklin's The Mistress of the Art of Death and its sequel, The Serpent in the Garden, with Putnam's Rachel Kahan. Sold in 11 territories at Frankfurt last year, these books are the start of a series featuring a heroine trained in forensic studies in 12th-century Sicily. Franklin is the pseudonym of an English writer of historical fiction whose first novel under this name, City of Shadows, has just been published by Morrow.