Coronet acquires Morley's 'in-depth and candid' account of Nilsen interviews

Coronet, an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton, will publish an inside account by former investigative journalist Michael Morley of his interview with serial killer Dennis Nilsen. 

Joelle Owusu-Sekyere, commissioning editor, acquired world all-languages rights from Luigi Bonomi of LBA. The imprint will publish The Dennis Nilsen Tapes: In Jail with Britain’s Most Infamous Serial Killer on 24th June 2021.

In 1992, alongside forensic psychologist Paul Britton and an undercover police film crew, Morley spent two days inside the high-security Vulnerable Prisoner Unit at Albany Prison on the Isle of Wight, and subsequently became the only journalist ever to record and broadcast an interview with Nilsen, who was convicted in 1983. Morley overcame two 11th-hour government attempts (in the High Court and Court of Appeal) to stop ITV in the UK screening extracts of the interview.

The Dennis Nilsen Tapes will offer a never-before-seen account of Morley’s "chilling" two-year correspondence with the Scottish serial killer, and new details of that historic and life-changing face-to-face meeting, says the publisher. 

Owusu-Sekyere said: "I am delighted to be publishing Michael’s story at Coronet. He will be opening up about his letters from Nilsen for the very first time, and his story is truly intriguing. With public interest in Nilsen at a high, following David Tennant's chilling portrayal of him in 'Des', I'm looking forward to what will be an in-depth and candid exploration into Dennis Nilsen’s true character and the enthralling impact he had on Michael’s life."

Morley commented: "I’m thrilled Coronet are publishing my unique investigation into the mind and crimes of Britain’s most notorious serial killer and necrophile, some parts of which I reveal in the upcoming 2021 documentary on Nilsen, due to be screened globally on one of the world’s largest streaming platforms. The book goes beyond the historic interview I filmed with Nilsen in prison that the government tried to ban and, with the help of the world’s foremost criminologists and offender profilers, provides new insight into what Nilsen did, and why he did it."

Morley is the author of crime fiction novels, who has been published under his own name and that of Sam Christer.