MURDERS AND ACQUISITIONS

From acclaimed publisher Thomas Dunne, Murders and Acquisitions is a gripping story of greed, rivalry, and revenge in the publishing industry. Perfect for fans of Succession.

Randy Littlewood is taking full advantage of his position as the newly minted husband of Greta Meyer. After the death of her grandfather, Werther Maybach Meyer, Greta became the largest shareholder of the family business, Omnium International, a multi-million-dollar media conglomerate - which includes a publishing empire. But Randy has managed to take control of Greta's voting rights in the corporation, and now his ascent to the upper crust of Manhattan is hampered only by poor cousin Betty back at home.

Betty Maybach, Greta's cousin, fell on hard times after her father's death and eventually moved into her uncle Werther's Upper East Side mansion to become his personal secretary. Left adrift after her uncle's death, she has little to do but waste time in the house now also occupied by the newlywed Greta and Randy.

When Betty discovers Randy's machinations, including a plan to push her out of the house, she does some digging, using her extensive knowledge of the family business. What she discovers is more than she bargained for: not only has Randy sketched out a plan to oust her, but he has also undergone a vasectomy, denying her cousin Greta the right to carry on the Maybach family lineage.

As Betty digs deeper and plans her own escape from Randy's oppression, she learns more than she ever wanted about Werther Maybach Meyer and his business dealings. Soon, Betty is not only fighting for her freedom, but her life .

As an author, Thomas Dunne has written books on history (Norton), humor (NAL, St. Martin's), and one earlier novel (Putnam), which was nominated for an Edgar Award for Best First Novel. However, he is best known as the former head of Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Press/Macmillan, with fifty years' experience in the publishing industry. As an editor and publisher, he put over a hundred titles on The New York Times bestseller list, and his name and dachshund colophon have appeared on at least ten million books. His fiction list included, among many others, books by Dan Brown, Frederick Forsyth, Richard Condon, and Rosamunde Pilcher, as well as mysteries and thrillers from Anne Cleeves, Don Winslow, Steve Hamilton, and Hammond Innis.