Twelve Gets Elementary

Jonathan Karp at Twelve acquired North American rights to the debut novel The Sherlockian by Graham Moore. Jennifer Joel at ICM brokered the deal for Moore, a recent Columbia grad she described as an obsessive mystery fan since reading Agatha Christie in second grade. The book, which is slated for December 2010, follows two parallel mysteries: the first, set in the present, follows a Sherlock Holmes devotée and a literary researcher investigating the death of a Holmes scholar about to reveal secrets from Arthur Conan Doyle’s long-lost diary. The second mystery, set at the turn of the last century, follows Conan Doyle, who, with his author-buddy Bram Stoker, is hunting a serial killer. Deals for the book have also closed in Canada, Italy, and the U.K.

Viking Re-Ups Grossman

Tina Bennett at Janklow and Nesbit has closed on a sequel to Lev Grossman’s The Magicians (Viking, Aug. 2009). Molly Stern at Viking (who edited The Magicians) bought North American rights to The Magician King. The new book picks up with protagonist Quentin Coldwater five years after the original—at the end of The Magicians Coldwater is 23—when he and his friends have become royalty in the fantasy world of Fillory. Coldwater, who is dealing with the challenges of being a member of the ruling class, embarks on a dark quest in the novel, which Bennett called “Voyage of the Dawn Treader [book 5 in the Chronicles of Narnia] as rewritten by Raymond Chandler.” Viking is aiming for a fall 2011 release.

Cooke Lands at Knopf

Knopf v-p and senior editor Jordan Pavlin bought world English rights to the novel Daughters of the Revolution and a collection of short stories, Amor & Psycho, by Carolyn Cooke. Cooke wrote the 2001 short story collection The Bostons (published as a trade paper original by Mariner), which was named one of the 10 best books of the year by the L.A. Times and also nabbed the PEN/Bingham Award. The new novel follows decades of sexual affairs in a mythical New England town, tracing goings-on from the 1960s through to the present. Agent Laurie Fox of the Linda Chester Agency, who sold the book, said it tackles themes of class, gender, sexuality, and race. Knopf is planning Daughters for spring 2011.

Gallery Goes Out of Africa

In her first acquisition at Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books, executive editor Kara Cesare took North American rights to the novel Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum. Michael V. Carlisle at Inkwell brokered the deal. Amaryllis follows a murder in Africa, opening with an American woman being accused of killing her husband. The book, which S&S said recalls work by Barbara Kingsolver and Sue Monk Kidd, follows the yearlong buildup to the murder, and the story of the woman and her four daughters who fled their Midwestern town to wind up in Africa. Meldrum has been an aid worker in Africa.

SMP 'Grasps’ Miley Saga

St. Martin’s Press editor-in-chief George Witte acquired world rights to the true-life tale of Buddy Miley, a former star high school quarterback left a quadriplegic after a gridiron injury, and his brother, Jimmy. The book, In the Grasp, was written by sports journalist Mark Kram Jr., and the deal was brokered by Andrew Blauner of Blauner Books Literary. Kram Jr., whose work has appeared multiple times in The Best American Sports Writing and is the son of the well-known Sports Illustrated writer Mark Kram, follows the relationship that developed between the brothers over the course of some 20 years, as Jimmy took on the role of caretaker and, ultimately, found himself waiting in a hospital room for Dr. Kevorkian to arrive. SMP is planning a 2011 publication.