If you've been chomping at the bit ever since Stephen King's recommendation and can't wait for Dutton to decide when it's going to publish the Meg Gardiner backlist it just acquired, here's some partial relief: Trafalgar Square Publishing, which imports UK editions of books that haven't been signed to American publishing houses, ordered a new batch of two of Gardiner's novels, Kill Chain and Cross Cut, before the deal with Dutton was finalized, and will continue to sell that inventory. "As this stock will be shipping to us soon," says publicist Beth Noonkester, "our UK edition will be available before the new US mass market edition from Dutton. Once we've sold through our stock of the UK edition, though, we will not be ordering any additional copies of the books." Also, since first posting this item, we've heard from Jeff Golick at BBC Audiobooks America, who says you might still be able to find their versions of two more Gardiner novels, China Lake and Mission Canyon, at your local library.

PS: When the deal was first rumored, we shot an email off to Gardiner asking what influenced her decision to go with one American publisher over all the other bidders. "I'd say it was Dutton's eagerness to support both my entire backlist and my upcoming novels," she wrote back this afternoon, her life finally settling back into order, "and also the praise I was hearing for Ben Sevier. I have a great relationship with my editor at Hodder & Stoughton, Sue Fletcher, and I want an equally strong working partnership with my US editor."