Debut Italian Thriller Attracts European Pubs
Longing for Blood by Dario Correnti, which sold to Italian publisher Giunti Editore after a four-way auction, has now made its way to other houses in Europe. The thriller, slated to be published in Italy in early 2018, has also sold to Penguin Verlag (Germany) and Grijalbo (Spain), with all rights being controlled by Italian based Piergiorgio Nicolazzini Literary Agency (PNLA). In the novel, a Northern Italy town is rocked when it becomes the site of a series of gruesome murders. The two journalists investigating the crimes think the killer is copying the first known Italian serial killer.

Bestselling Vatican Exposé Makes Rounds
Francesca Chaouqui's In the Name of Pietro, which was published on February 7 by Sperling & Kupfer (Italy), has been sold in Albania, Slovenia and Serbia. The book, which is now a bestseller in Italy, is being handled by Vicki Satlow, who controls all rights. Chaouqui was part of Pope Francis’ commission to clean up the Vatican’s financial affairs, and found she was the only one on the committee who actually wanted reform. She was later accused of leaking documents. The book is a first person account of her time in the Vatican.

South African Novel Continues to Rack Up Sales
Evening Primrose by Kopano Matlwa, the new title for Period Pain (which we initially reported on last month), has recently sold to btb Verlag (Germany) and Catedral (for Spanish and Catalan rights). The book, which is handled for foreign rights by Pontas Literary & Film Agency, is about a young woman who fulfills her childhood dream to become a doctor, only to find that the reality of her job, working at a state-run hospital in South Africa, does not match what she envisioned. The book was originally published in South Africa by Jacana Media.

American YA Novel Hits Foreign Rights Milestone
See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng, which publishes this month in the U.S. and Germany, has now been sold in over 20 territories. We originally reported on it in 2015, and Jessica Craig at Barcelona-based Craig Literary controls all foreign rights. In the book, 11-year-old Alex comes to idolize the famous Carl Sagan after his father dies.

Italian Novel Moves to Greece & Spain
The new novel by Antonella Lattanzi, A Dark Story, has sold to Psichogios in Greece and Roja y Negra/Penguin Random House in Spain. Mondadori is publishing the book in Italy next month. Italy’s Maletesta Agency controls all rights to the novel, and said there is also film interest in the project. The title revolves around the disappearance of a man with a secret family who abused his wife; it explores who might be responsible for his vanishing.