Publisher Alfred Regnery calls it "ironic" and agent Lucianne Goldberg has called it "high school stuff." Whatever the spin, it's clear that Regnery, who published Mark Fuhrman's bestselling Murder in Brentwood, has passed on the controversial O.J. trial detective's proposal to do a book on the death of Clinton colleague Vince Foster and instead signed up a book on the case by author Dan Moldea. Goldberg has pulled Fuhrman's proposal, which has been circulating to New York publishers, and told PW that they are developing a new proposal, possibly on another high-profile crime.
Moldea was cowriter on Evidence Dismissed, the Pocket title on the O.J. trial by detectives Tom Lange and Philip Vannatter that was highly critical of Fuhrman. Regnery told PW he had been thinking about doing a book on the Foster case for some time, but felt that Fuhrman lacked the political-insider access needed to write it, so he rejected the proposal. Regnery didn't negotiate the deal with Moldea's agent, Ron Goldfarb, however, until after Fuhrman had submitted his proposal.
Regnery told PW he has now essentially passed on his option to do Fuhrman's next book, although he said there was a "loophole" -- a discrepancy between the seven-page outline he was given as the proposal and the 27-page proposal being circulated to New York publishers. He said he would still like to publish another book by Fuhrman, a suggestion Goldberg scoffed at.
Regnery plans to publish Moldea's book in February. And this October will see the release of former New York Post reporter Christopher Ruddy's The Strange Death of Vince Foster from the Free Press. "Ruddy has been covering the case for years; he's essentially become a character in the whole case," said Free Press editor-at-large Adam Bellow. Indeed so; Regnery told PW that Moldea plans to interview Ruddy for his book.
