Fake cancer, fake death, and a fake résumé can’t stop best-selling writer Dan Mallory (fake name, A.J. Finn) from living to see another book published. As the saying goes, scammers gonna scam.
Today, the author’s U.K. publisher confirmed to The Guardian that their plans have not changed in light of the investigation, and another Mallory book remains slated for release in January 2020. The forthcoming novel is set in San Francisco, and involves “a story of revenge involving a female thriller writer and an interviewer who learns of a dark past.†Definitely, not at all, in any way whatsoever, based on real events.
Before the second book’s publication was reconfirmed today, HarperCollins previously released a statement in support of Mallory, noting through a spokesperson that “Dan was a highly valued editor and the publication of The Woman in the Window — a Sunday Times bestseller — speaks for itself.â€
A New Yorker investigation revealed earlier this week that Mallory was the publishing world’s very own real-life Talented Mr. Ripley. Mallory, who writes under the pen-name A.J. Finn, lied about everything from his own health (he does not have a brain tumor or a spinal tumor) to his own family members’ deaths (his mother and brother are alive, despite his previous assertions).
The rights to Mallory’s debut novel, The Woman in the Window, were quickly grabbed by Fox 2000. The movie adaptation, starring Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, and Julianne Moore, was shot last year, and the film’s release has not yet been affected by the scandal. It’s still set to hit theaters this fall.