EXCLUSIVE: The literary estate of #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark has signed with Independent Artist Group, Literate Management, and Curtis Brown Ltd. for representation.

Together, the companies will seek opportunities for the late author’s published and unpublished works across film, television, publishing, and all media and entertainment. Estate representative Elizabeth Higgins Clark will serve as executive producer across all projects.

Dubbed the “Queen of Suspense,” Higgins Clark has been cited as an inspiration to novelists including Harlan Coben, Gillian Flynn, James Patterson, among others. She’s the author of more than 50 bestselling books that have been translated into over 30 languages and sold over 100 million copies in the U.S. alone. Notable titles include Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry (2019), I Heard That Song Before (2007), No Place Like Home (2005), Nighttime Is My Time (2004), Remember Me (1994), All Around The Town (1992) and Loves Music, Loves to Dance (1991).

Higgins Clark’s 1975 debut suspense novel Where Are the Children? cemented her reputation for fast-paced, cliff-hanger-filled storytelling and was adapted as a theatrical feature by Columbia Pictures in 1986.

In total, Higgins Clark wrote over 40 suspense novels, four collections of short stories, a historical novel, a memoir, and two children’s books. With bestselling author Alafair Burke (The Better Sister), she wrote the Under Suspicion series, including The Cinderella Murder, All Dressed in White, The Sleeping Beauty Killer, Every Breath You Take, You Don’t Own Me and Piece of My Heart. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she co-authored five suspense novels, including additional stories in her “Alvirah and Willy” series. Her 1977 novel A Stranger Is Watching was adapted for film in 1982; many more of her works were adapted as television movies over the course of three decades.

Active in the mystery writing community throughout her career, Higgins Clark served as president of Mystery Writers of America and chair of the International Crime Writers Congress and was inducted as a Grand Master at the Edgar Awards. She passed away in 2020 at the age of 92.

Debbie Deuble Hill and Ron Bernstein of IAG, Elizabeth Newman of Literate, and Elizabeth Harding and Kerry D’Agostino of Curtis Brown Ltd. said in a statement to Deadline: “Mary Higgins Clark was a prolific storyteller and a trailblazer whose iconic works continue to thrill readers around the world. We are honored to partner with her estate to bring her stories to audiences in a variety of exciting and innovative ways and to continue building upon her incredible literary legacy.”

Said Elizabeth Higgins Clark, “My family and I are thrilled to be working with IAG, Literate and Curtis Brown to ensure that my grandmother’s legacy of storytelling will not only endure but also expand. We look forward to ushering in a new era of the Queen of Suspense’s reign.”

The Higgins Clark estate joins a literary roster at IAG that includes Entangled Publishing (Fourth Wing), Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale), William Gibson (Neuromancer) and Elle Kennedy (Off-Campus) among many others.

Clients of L.A. boutique Literate include Bridgerton creator Chris Van Dusen, The Walking Dead executive producer Angela Kang, The Pitt executive producer Simran Baidwan, Suits creator Aaron Korsh and CSI franchise creator Anthony E. Zuiker, as well as the estate of Anne Rice (Interview with the Vampire).

Some of Curtis Brown’s award-winning authors include Emily St. John Mandel, Ayn Rand, S.E. Hinton, Jim Collins, Jennifer Lynn Barnes and John Knowles.

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