Rosie de Courcy, commissioning editor at House of Zeus, has pre-empted two novels by crime novelist and Irish TV journalist Sinead Crowley. De Courcy bought UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) for The Belladonna Maze and a second novel from Sara O'Keeffe, on behalf of Aevitas Creative Management. The Belladonna Maze is out in September 2022 in trade paperback in Ireland and hardback in the UK.

The Belladonna Maze follows three generation of women who inherit a country house in the west of Ireland, haunted since the famine of the 1840s, and is published in September 2022

Crowley said: "Rosie de Courcy has edited some of my favourite books, and I'm both delighted and honoured to be working with her and the Head of Zeus team. I loved writing The Belladonna Maze during the strange months of 2020. It was a joy to open my laptop at night and escape to Grace's world and I can't wait to share that world with readers."

De Courcy said: "It is always thrilling when a distinguished author surprises you with something completely new and unexpected. From the very first page I knew I wanted to publish this lovely novel."