Boing Boing: Gunfire and crooked betting over next Harry Potter book

Friday, June 3, 2005

Gunfire and crooked betting over next Harry Potter book

There's madness afoot over the new Harry Potter book. A UK tabloid tried to score a stolen advance copy and bungled it, amid gunfire (gunfire!). Also: bookmakers had to stop taking odds on who dies in the next book when a string of high-odds bets came in from the town where the book is being printed.

A Northamptonshire police spokesman said a person "in possession of firearms" had attempted to sell a copy of the new Potter novel.
Police said a firearm was allegedly later discharged at a property in Kettering...
Bookmakers were forced to suspend betting on the victim's identity late last month amid fears that the manuscript had been leaked.
Suspicions were aroused because of a string of bets on the death of (redacted for spoilers -- select text to see) the Hogwarts head teacher, Professor Dumbledore.
The flurry of bets came from the town of Bungay in Suffolk, where it is thought the book is being printed.

Link

Update: Tiara sez, "JK Rowling herself has posted in response to the bets - she's not saying anything, as to her it would be a great spoiler, but she says to keep 'those barrels of salt handy'."

posted by Cory Doctorow at 11:09:35 AM permalink | Other blogs' comments

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