Thieves have reportedly stolen a manuscript of EL James' latest novel, "Grey," which retells the hit "Fifty Shades of Grey" story from the point of view of its title character. According to the BBC, the publisher fears that the latest novel from the best-selling author may be leaked to the public.
Kent Police has launched an investigation after publisher Random House discovered that a copy of "Grey" had gone missing on Monday, June 8. Still, the publisher confirmed that the novel's release won't be delayed despite fears it could be sold in the black market.
"Grey will be published on June 18 — Christian Grey's birthday — as planned," said a spokesman.
Random House and solicitors for the publisher have refused to give any other information about the missing book.
"We have no comment to make due to an ongoing police investigation," a spokesman for the publisher said to the BBC.
A Kent spokesman told People, "We cannot go into further details as it may form part of the investigation."
The spokesman added that the stolen book could have been obtained from a warehouse or while on its way to a warehouse.
James announced the book on Instagram earlier this month. The author said that she was moved to write the new novel by legions of fans who "asked and asked" for more details about Christian Grey's troubled past.
"Christian is a complex character, and readers have always been fascinated by his desires and motivations, and his troubled past," James said in a press release. "It's been a great pleasure to return to my happy place-writing, being with Christian and Ana in their universe."
The original books in James' trilogy have sold more than 125 million copies worldwide. The first film from the franchise made $570 million in the global box office.
