Go Set a Watchman: Harper Lee “elder abuse” inquiry closed

The inquiry into whether author Harper Lee was pressured into publishing a To Kill A Mockingbird sequel has been closed.

The Alabama Securities Commission led the investigation, which helps prevent financial fraud against 88-year-old Harper Lee.

After an agent interviewed Harper Lee, the commission’s head said he was satisfied she wanted a second book published.

The new work – Go Set a Watchman – will be Harper Lee’s first release since the 1960s.

The surprise move prompted some suggestions Harper Lee was manipulated into publishing the decades-old manuscript, which was discovered by her lawyer in the author’s possessions last year.

“We closed the file. Let’s just say that she was able to answer questions we asked to our satisfaction from our point of view,” said Joseph Borg, Alabama Securities Commission director.

The New York Times reported that the investigation was sparked by requests from a doctor that the state investigates whether Harper Lee was capable to have consented to the release of the work.

Harper Lee herself was “extremely hurt” by allegations she was manipulated, her lawyer Tonja Carter said.

To Kill a Mockingbird was published in July 1960 and has sold more than 40 million copies around the world.

Go Set a Watchman was written before To Kill A Mockingbird, and features many of the same characters, with an adult Scout Finch returning to her native Alabama from New York to visit her father.