S&S scoops Khashoggi book

Simon & Schuster has landed The Killing in the Consulate: The Life and Death of Jamal Khashoggi by Channel 4 News’s Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jonathan Rugman.

UK and Commonwealth (excluding Canada) rights were acquired by deputy publishing director Ian Marshall from Martin Redfern at Northbank Talent Management. The Killing in the Consulate is scheduled for publication in August 2019. 

Washington Post columnist Khashoggi was killed on 3rd October, 2018 inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The Killing in the Consulate contains exclusive interviews with those involved, including Khashoggi’s fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, and the author is given unique access to the Turkish investigation into Khashoggi’s murder, said the publisher. 

“The book tells the story of Jamal Khashoggi’s life as a journalist and insider at the Saudi royal court, before he falls out of favour with the kingdom’s new Crown Prince and flees into exile in America. It details the struggles in Khashoggi’s personal life as his friends are jailed and Saudi Arabia descends into witch hunts at home – and war in Yemen,” said the publisher. “It also examines the broader diplomatic context – the rivalry between Turkey and Saudi Arabia for leadership of the Islamic world, and Washington’s response when its Saudi ally, the world’s biggest arms importer, is accused of ordering the killing of Khashoggi.”

Rugman said: “It was shocking to return to Istanbul to report on the killing and dismemberment of a fellow journalist, and the attempt to cover up the crime. My book bears witness to Jamal’s life as well as to his death. His story needs to be told and it should never be forgotten.”

Marshall added: “This is such a crucially important book, and I was delighted to bring Jonathan to Simon & Schuster – all the way from his office in the ITN studios next door. While this was a shocking event that made headlines around the world and has huge geopolitical significance, it is also a personal story of a man who left behind a grief-stricken partner when she had been looking forward to getting married. Jonathan brilliantly weaves the two strands of the narrative to make a compelling read.”