Show notes
Kent Alexander was the Presidentially-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia during the 1996 Centennial Olympics. After the bombing on July 27, 1996, he spent hundreds of hours working closely with the FBI to find the terrorist. Initially, the media identified Richard Jewell as the culprit. Ultimately, Kent personally wrote and hand-delivered Jewell’s clearance letter. He kept a journal the entire time.
Six years ago, he teamed with former Wall Street Journal editor Kevin Salwen to explore the Olympic bombing story and the three bombings that followed. After five years of research, they penned The Suspect as a character-driven historical nonfiction book focusing on three main characters: Jewell, the colorful blonde bombshell reporter who broke the story, and the crusty FBI agent with a dark past who made the case that wasn’t. Midway through they weave in an additional character: the real bomber.
In 2019, Warner Bros. purchased the film rights to The Suspect for Clint Eastwood’s movie “Richard Jewell movie,” and brought both authors on as consultants. Following its national release, the movie will be out this month on Blu Ray and DVID.
Kent has enjoyed an unusually diverse legal career, beyond his four years as U.S. Attorney. He has served as a partner at King & Spalding law firm; Sr. V.P. and General Counsel of Emory University; General Counsel of CARE (the global anti-poverty organization); Assistant U.S. Attorney; and chief of staff of a U.S. Senate campaign. A graduate of Tufts University and the University of Virginia School of Law, he lives in Atlanta with his wife, Dr. Diane Alexander. They have two grown daughters.
Six years ago, he teamed with former Wall Street Journal editor Kevin Salwen to explore the Olympic bombing story and the three bombings that followed. After five years of research, they penned The Suspect as a character-driven historical nonfiction book focusing on three main characters: Jewell, the colorful blonde bombshell reporter who broke the story, and the crusty FBI agent with a dark past who made the case that wasn’t. Midway through they weave in an additional character: the real bomber.
In 2019, Warner Bros. purchased the film rights to The Suspect for Clint Eastwood’s movie “Richard Jewell movie,” and brought both authors on as consultants. Following its national release, the movie will be out this month on Blu Ray and DVID.
Kent has enjoyed an unusually diverse legal career, beyond his four years as U.S. Attorney. He has served as a partner at King & Spalding law firm; Sr. V.P. and General Counsel of Emory University; General Counsel of CARE (the global anti-poverty organization); Assistant U.S. Attorney; and chief of staff of a U.S. Senate campaign. A graduate of Tufts University and the University of Virginia School of Law, he lives in Atlanta with his wife, Dr. Diane Alexander. They have two grown daughters.
