This news will make PI fans happy

I’m thinking especially of this guy, but it’s great news nonetheless:

LA Times bestselling author John Shannon’s THE DARK STREETS, the latest novel in the Jack Liffey mystery series, to Claiborne Hancock at Pegasus, in a nice deal, by the Amy Rennert Agency (world).

Hopefully a paperback deal is included, as it always sucked that Liffey novels haven’t been readily available in that format for some years now.

UPDATE: In his most recent newsletter, Shannon follows up with further details:

After five yearly adventures under the flag of Carroll & Graf, with–let’s say–very little promotional support, no paperback reprints and spotty distribution, despite almost universal raves from reviewers all over the map, Jack took the bit between his teeth, mixed a few metaphors and jumped ship.   

Uncharacteristically lucky this time, Jack landed with both feet on the poop deck of a brand new New York Publisher called Pegasus Books, captained by experienced general editor Claiborne Hancock, who turns out to be a big fan of Jack’s.  The next adventure, tentatively titled Koreatown (but it will change), is set for a fall 2006 publication.  Pegasus promises to follow up with a paperback edition, and they are beginning reprints of Jack’s earlier adventures with the first, The Concrete River. This will explain the large smile you see on Jacks’ face these days, should you run into him.