Boxer-turned-barrister to publish first novel with E&T

Non-fiction independent publisher Elliott & Thompson is to make its first foray into crime fiction with Killer Intent, the first in a new thriller series by debut author Tony Kent.

Lorne Forsyth, chairman of Elliott & Thompson, acquired world rights in a four book contract with the author. Killer Intent will be published in January 2018 with a paperback release in the summer of that year.

Kent is a criminal barrister and has been involved in numerous "high profile" cases. He took up boxing at a young age and had a brief spell in the professional circuit before pursuing his legal career. 

The publisher said: "In Killer Intent Kent has fulfilled a long-held ambition to write a thriller. His debut novel combines the many facets of this exceptional author – a unique insight into the criminal world, an intimate knowledge of the intensity and power of hand-to-hand combat, and the story-telling skills of a brilliant raconteur.

"Killer Intent is one of the most exciting debuts of 2018, and the first of a major new series. This slick and assured thriller was an instant sensation when the proofs were launched recently at the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival at Harrogate. The publicity campaign continues over the autumn and runs through to spring 2018."

Forsyth added: “The moment I started reading Killer Intent I knew that Tony Kent is an extraordinary new talent. Tony is the real deal: a top-class criminal barrister with a wealth of life experience and all the flair of a natural storyteller. The result is an unputdownable thriller that had me gripped from the start. We can’t wait to put his brilliant writing into the hands of readers around the world.”

Elliott & Thompson is an independent publisher best known for non-fiction including the number one Sunday Times bestseller Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps that Tell You Everything You Need to Know about Global Politics by Tim Marshall, Foxes Unearthed: A Story of Love and Loathing in Modern Britain by Lucy Jones, and Classic FM books including John Suchet’s Mozart: The Man Revealed.

Killer Intent will be published on 25th January 2018.