Warner Bros. has made a preemptive bid for big screen rights to Shining City, an upcoming novel about a milquetoast dad who unwittingly inherits a prostitution ring, according to Variety.

Donald De Line will produce the project based on Seth Greenland's novel, scheduled to debut from Bloomsbury next year.

De Line said of the manuscript "I flew right through it", praising it for treating working women with respect and dignity.

"Shining City" is Greenland's second book. Sony optioned "The Bones," his first novel, for John Calley to produce and David Mamet to direct.