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Pennant makes true crime pay

26.03.08 Jessica Killick

Independent sports publisher Pennant Books is plotting a rash of true crime titles this autumn following its publication of Colin Stagg's autobiography Pariah in December.

Wensley Clarkson, who has also written for John Blake and HarperCollins, has been commissioned to write Billy Hill: Godfather of London (£16.99, h/b, July), a biography of the 1940s and '50s gangster. M.d. Cass Pennant described the deal as a coup for Pennant: "It is a massive thumbs up to have an experienced author who has sold over a million copies to say: 'Hey, I can do business with Pennant Books.'"

Pennant will follow the Hill biography with a further 12 true crime titles this autumn, including Carol Anne Davis' Youthful Prey: Child Predators Who Kill (£8.99, p/b, August); The E . . . List: Notorious Prison Escapes by Paul Buck (£16.99, h/b, August); Blaggers Inc: Britain's Biggest Armed Robberies by Terry Smith (£16.99, h/b, September); Martyrdom: Radicalisation and Violent Extremism among British Muslims by Dr Jon Cole and Dr Benjamin Cole (£16.99, h/b, November); and His Killers in the Shadows: The Monstrous Crimes of Robert Napper by forensic psychologist Professor Laurence Alison (£16.99, h/b, February 2009).

Cass Pennant himself is a true crime author. His autobiography Cass, detailing his years as a central figure in West Ham Football Club's notorious Intercity Firm, was published by John Blake in 2000.

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