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HarperFiction is set to release a new thriller by Sam Bourne, To Kill the President, which features a “volatile demagogue” elected by the US.
Bourne is the pseudonym of journalist and broadcaster, Jonathan Freedland, who writes a weekly column for The Guardian and presents Radio 4’s "The Long View". The title, which is described as "part The Day of the Jackal, part House of Cards for our time", will be published in July.
The book blurb reads: "The unthinkable has happened. The United States has elected a volatile demagogue as president, backed by his ruthless chief strategist, Crawford “Mac” McNamara. When a war of words with the North Korean regime escalates dangerously fast and the president comes perilously close to launching a nuclear attack, it's clear someone has to act - or the world will be reduced to ashes. Soon Maggie Costello, a seasoned Washington operator and avowed liberal, discovers an inside plot to kill the president – and faces the ultimate moral dilemma.”
Freedland said: “Growing up, I lapped up the novels of Frederick Forsyth and Ira Levin, suspense stories that sprung from that day’s headlines. And what could be more intriguing than a plot against a president? As soon as the US election was over, I knew the story I wanted to tell: one that’s part The Day of the Jackal, part House of Cards for our time.”
Publisher Jane Johnson added: “To Kill the President is a hugely provocative thriller, by a writer who has spent years close to the heart of American power. Centering on the highly engaging Maggie Costello, heroine of Sam Bourne’s bestselling novels The Last Testament and The Chosen One, To Kill the President has at its heart a fascinating moral dilemma combined with a heart-pumping narrative.”
North American and translation rights for To Kill the President are represented by Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown.
Sam Bourne’s books have now sold over two million copies, been consistent top five Sunday Times bestsellers, and have been translated into 30 languages. Freedland revealed his true identity as the books' author two years ago. He served for four years as the Guardian’s Washington correspondent and covered the 2016 US election campaign.