A new novel that portrays Sherlock Holmes, in retirement at 93, suffering some loss of his fabled memory, uncharacteristically subject to emotion and struggling to come to terms with a mysterious case from his past, was signed as part of a two-book deal by Coates Bateman, a new editor at Nan Talese's Doubleday imprint. The author is L.A.—based Mitch Cullin, who has been a devoted Sherlockian ever since childhood, and the North American rights deal was made with agent Peter Steinberg at JCA Literary. Steinberg said that both Bateman and Talese had "flipped" for the book, called The Moon Reflects the Sun, and offered a two-book buy, which helped clinch the deal against strong auction opposition from other publishers.