'Definitive' accountancy exposé to Atlantic

Atlantic Books is to publish the "definitive" accountancy exposé by investigative journalist Richard Brooks.

Atlantic’s non-fiction editorial director Mike Harpley bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Bean Counters: The Secret Life of Accountants by Richard Brooks from Karolina Sutton at Curtis Brown.

Bean Counters is the "first book to uncover the shady side of the international accountancy industry", the publisher has said. "Typically perceived as dull, multinational accountancy firms have grown in stature and power since the Financial Crash. As their more glamourous cousins in the banking world have faced an onslaught of regulation, the big accountancy firms have been getting on with making a lot of money – and doing whatever it takes to achieve that end. Safe from censure, they have grown into behemoths that influence governments themselves – involved in tax avoidance, propping up anti-democratic movements, infiltrating government circles, management consultancy, encouraging damaging deregulation and more."

Harpley said: "Following the Panama Papers, all eyes are focusing on how the rich and powerful hide and make their money. Richard Brooks is the first to examine the central cogs in this vast machine: the accountants. He is one of the only journalists I know who has the knowledge, experience and access to write this much-needed investigation. It promises to be one of the most important and revelatory books of the year."

Brooks is a Private Eye journalist who has twice won the Paul Foot award for campaigning journalism. He also writes for the Guardian and has worked closely with the BBC Panorama Team on several programmes.

Atlantic will publish in early 2018.