Rosanna Forte, publishing director of Fontana, has acquired Emma Nesporova’s The Relics, a ‘richly layered and atmospheric’ medieval murder mystery set in an Essex village in the aftermath of the Peasants’ Revolt.

Rosanna Forte bought world English language rights to Emma Nesporova’s debut novel from Joanna Swainson. The Relics is due to be published in summer 2027, with rights already sold in Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic.

The blurb reads: “When a curious map is discovered on the body of a dead man in Dedding church, manuscript illuminator Christina is summoned to provide her opinion on the strange artefact. But as it seems that those with power have no intention of uncovering the truth behind the murder, Christina finds herself drawn into an investigation far darker and more complex than she could have envisioned.

“With the aftermath of the Peasants’ Revolt and a previously unsolved murder hanging over the village, Christina quickly discovers that Dedding is a hotbed of lies, collusion and conspiracy and that the tendrils of power and corruption reach very deep indeed.”

Emma said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be working with Rosanna and her team at Fontana. I have wanted to write a novel set in the Middle Ages for a very long time – a world which is at times as hauntingly familiar as it is utterly bizarre.

“I hope readers enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you to Joanna and everyone at Hardman & Swainson for their enthusiasm for and belief in the book.”

Rosanna Forte said the novel “captivated me instantly with its claustrophobic and rich setting, its sweeping cast of characters, and its authoritative insight into a fascinating moment in medieval history. Emma delivers a masterfully plotted and complex mystery that kept me guessing until the final page. I’ve been looking for a murder mystery with this intensity of atmosphere for a long time and so I’m very excited to be publishing The Relics at Fontana.”

Joanna Swainson added: “I’m so happy Rosanna will be publishing Emma’s wonderful debut, The Relics. The medieval setting is brilliantly captured, the mystery is satisfyingly complex, Christina is the best kind of heroine and the novel is a thing of beauty. Fontana feels like the perfect home for it.”

The full bookseller article can be read here.