Zaffre, the flagship commercial fiction imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired White Smoke by Nick Brucker, ‘a page-turning heist set among a group of duplicitous conmen and thieves, who are determined to steal the Vatican’s most remarkable treasures’.
Publisher Ben Willis won a highly competitive seven-publisher auction for UK & Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) in a six-figure two-book deal from Alexander Cochran at Greyhound Literary. White Smoke, which will publish in the UK next year, has also caused great excitement internationally, with rights sold in five translation territories at auction and pre-empt already, to Xander (Dutch), Piper (German), Agave (Hungarian), Newton Compton (Italian), Planeta (Spanish), with other markets also under offer including Finland.
Nick Brucker is the pseudonym of Edinburgh-based speculative fiction writer Nicholas Binge. His latest novel, Dissolution, was hailed as one of the best books of 2025 by The New York Times and is being adapted into a major motion picture by Sony Pictures, with Oscar-nominated screenwriter Eric Heisserer (Arrival) penning the script. Nick’s breakout novel Ascension published in 2023, is also being adapted for film.
Nick Brucker said: “I’ve always wanted to write a heist novel, and the idea of loveable criminal underdogs taking on the rich and powerful feels more relevant in today’s world than ever. Then the Pope passed last year, the Vatican entered conclave, and our news was filled with cardinals in robes and zucchettos and intricately frescoed buildings. I knew I had my setting. Where better to stage a robbery than the centre of history’s greatest riches, complete with ancient keys, Renaissance-era tunnels, and centuries of church intrigue? I’m absolutely thrilled to be paired with Zaffre to bring this madcap caper to UK readers and bookshops.”
Ben Willis said: “Nick Brucker’s White Smoke is an unbelievably ambitious heist novel that delivers on every level. It is fast-paced, twisty, tense, funny – all while having a very big heart. I was completely taken in by these conmen and women, lost myself in the ancient tunnels of Vatican City and felt the pulse-racing tension of the final scenes as though I myself was witnessing it play out in St Peter’s Square. But when the smoke clears, it is the unique characters that will stay with readers. I have a feeling Nikola, Dante and the team are going to sneak their way into a lot of readers’ affections when we publish next spring.”
Alexander Cochran said: “From the moment Nick’s unabashedly entertaining heist thriller landed in my inbox, I knew we had something very special. I’m absolutely delighted that we’ve found Nick, and his brilliant cast of double-dealing cons and thieves, the perfect UK home with Ben and the team at Zaffre. We’re thrilled to see White Smoke receive such incredible attention internationally, and we’ve been delighted by the strong interest already for film and TV too, with UTA handling these rights following our UK auction.”
White Smoke will be published in hardback, audio and eBook in 2027.
