Harper Lee’s Lawyer ‘Hid’ the Sequel

A rare books expert claims that To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee’s lawyer has been holding onto a manuscript for the book’s sequel for years, despite the lawyer’s claims of only having discovered the manuscript last August. Justin Caldwell, a rare books expert from Sotheby’s auction house, says he met with Lee’s lawyer, Tonja Carter, and Lee’s literary agent in Alabama in October 2011. Caldwell says he happened upon a manuscript for Mockingbird’s sequel, Go Set a Watchman, while reviewing other manuscripts for insurance purposes. Carter claims to have not been in the room at the time of Caldwell’s discovery and denies any knowledge of the manuscript. Caldwell, however, says Carter “was present in the safe-deposit room” and read the manuscript pages along with him. The publication of Go Set a Watchman was announced only three months after Alice Lee, Harper’s older sister and caretaker, passed away. The book's publisher, HarperCollins, has not said whether Harper Lee was consulted about the book's release.