Ant Middleton to publish debut thriller with Sphere

Sphere is publishing a debut thriller by Ant Middleton, TV star of "SAS: Who Dares Wins" and bestselling non-fiction author behind First Man In and The Fear Bubble.

Sphere Fiction publishing director Ed Wood acquired two thrillers from the Middleton from Amanda Harris, director of Publishing at YMU (formerly of Orion).

Anticipated by Wood as quite possibly "the biggest thriller debut of the decade", Cold Justice will be Middleton's first novel. Publishing in autumn 2021, the main character, Mallory, is ex-Special Forces – "forced to leave after a fatal, vengeful decision. Now he walks the world, helping those in need, running away from a past he’d rather forget and the killer inside him."

Middleton himself served in "the ‘holy trinity’ of UK elite special forces", the Royal Marines, 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers and the Special Boat Service, before finding fame as the front man for Channel 4’s hit show "SAS: Who Dares Wins".

He is best known for his non-fiction, his two memoirs (both published by HarperCollins) between them shifting a combined 666,843 copies to date through Nielsen BookScan for £6.02m, and The Fear Bubble not yet out in paperback. First Man In earned Middleton a Nielsen Gold Award (which is given for books selling more than 500,000 copies in print and e-book).Through the TCM for print alone, it has sold 248,146 copies in hardback and 234,798 in paperback.

Wood commented: "Ant Middleton is without question the biggest new star this country has seen in years. He’s an inspiration to millions, someone unafraid to speak out, who has been to hell and back and now wants to raise people up. His vision, and his authenticity, will make this the biggest thriller debut of the decade."

Middleton said: "I have been blown away by the response and support I’ve received for my books, it’s been incredible. I am genuinely passionate about my publishing so I’m excited to work with Ed at Sphere and write my first thriller, a book that will reach even more readers around the globe. Some say I’ve lived life to extremes, and lots of my life already reads like fiction. I know Cold Justice will bring those unbelievable, real-life stories to vivid colour. I can’t wait to get started and introduce Mallory to the world; we’re all ready for a new kind of hero."