New "Fifty Shades of Grey" novel stolen a week before release

Police are investigating the theft of a copy of the new "Fifty Shades of Grey" novel just over a week before it's due to be released, the book's publisher said Wednesday.

Kent Police confirmed that "officers are making inquiries after receiving a report that a book had been stolen" on Monday.

Publisher Penguin Random House said it could not comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.

The erotic "Fifty Shades" trilogy has sold more than 125 million copies, and a movie released this year has grossed more than $500 million worldwide. A sequel based on the second novel, "Fifty Shades Darker," is currently in the works.

The first three books followed the romance between S&M-loving young billionaire Christian Grey and college student Anastasia Steele.

"Grey," the fourth in the series, tells the story from Christian's point of view.

"Christian is a complex character and readers have always been fascinated by his desires and motivations, and his troubled past," author E L James said when the book was announced. "Also, as anyone who has ever been in a relationship knows, there are two sides to every story."

Penguin Random House said "Grey" would be published as planned on June 18, Christian Grey's birthday. The book is already topping bestseller lists ahead of its release.

Piracy can be a major headache for publishers of best-selling books. In 2005, thieves stole copies of the much-anticipated "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" from a warehouse north of London and tried to sell them to tabloid newspapers.