The Borough Press (HarperCollins) has won the rights to Imani Thompson’s blistering and addictive debut novel Honey, about a PhD student at Cambridge University who develops a compulsion for murder.

Commissioning editor Jo Thompson acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Nicola Chang in a fiercely fought ten-way auction over the course of Frankfurt Book Fair. Publication is set for Spring 2026 in the UK and US.

US rights were acquired by Marie Pantojan of Random House after a nine-way auction with Anita Chong and Kelly Thompson of McClelland & Stewart co-publishing in Canada. German rights were pre-empted by Rowohlt within 24 hours of submission, with further translation rights in the Netherlands (Ambo Anthos), Spain (Urano World), Italy (Sellerio), Latvia (Zvaigzne) and Ukraine (Zhorzh) now sold.

The novel’s synopsis states: “Yrsa is tired: of her PhD, of the undergraduates she teaches, of the useless or manipulative men in the world. When she flicks a bee into one such man’s San Pellegrino, she has no idea what she’s starting. But that one half-accidental murder awakens a taste for more, and suddenly Yrsa is alive.”

Jo Thompson said: “Imani’s writing is wickedly funny and intelligent. This is a galloping novel about female rage – a serial killer finding her calling – but it’s also a penetrating take on race and justice which deeply rewards and surprises at every turn.”

Imani Thompson said: “I wrote this novel because I wanted to explore race and rage in a way that subverted tropes and stereotypes, and also felt relatable. As such, I’m very happy that people have loved my vengeful protagonist as much as I do. Both Jo and Marie have such exciting visions for the book, and I can’t wait to work with them towards publication.”