Henri Colens has published his debut novel The Heart Of The Party under his pen name, Henri Wild. This futuristic political thriller is the perfect Christmas present for those who love a gripping page-turner, or Old Shirburnians who want to reminisce – one of the chapters is set on the playing fields of The Upper! The e-book is available for download at most online bookstores and the paperback launches on Amazon on 11 November 2025.
The year is 2037. The New Tory Party runs Britain. When a long-serving Prime Minister decides to quit Number 10, Sean Leigh finds himself being groomed to replace him. Young, handsome and charismatic, with a wealthy and well-connected wife, he dreams of changing the country. But when a fellow MP is murdered, Sean must fight to unravel a conspiracy which threatens everything he stands for.
The Heart of the Party takes its cue from classic thrillers such as House of Cards and The 39 Steps – but with one notable difference: “The great fictional politicians are invariably cynical and corrupt,” says author Henri Wild. “My starting point was to turn this around: Could I create a Minister that was actually likeable?” Henri also had fun thinking about how politics might look in the near future. “As ever, the danger isn’t the technology itself, but in how it can be abused. This story imagines what might happen if democracy ignored that danger.”
Henri Wild is the pen name of Henri Colens, a Writer and PR Consultant who worked in the European Parliament for seven years as a Political Adviser and Speechwriter. Born in Belgium and educated in Britain, he now lives in The Hague.
Publisher: Storyhouse Works