An unputdownable real-life political thriller set in the House of Commons
John Preston is a former Arts Editor of the Evening Standard and the Sunday Telegraph. For ten years he was the Sunday Telegraph's television critic and one of its chief feature writers. His most recent book, A Very English Scandal, was published to great acclaim in 2016 and turned into BAFTA-winning BBC drama series.
The shocking true story of the first British politician to stand
trial for murder
*Publisher's description*
This is a brilliant, sad, startling nonfiction novel about the
Jeremy Thorpe murder-plot scandal. It is as funny and dark as
anything by Evelyn Waugh or Jonathan Coe. And in these post Cyril
Smith/Jimmy Saville days, it's so timely and relevant
*Jon Ronson*
A terrific book and brilliantly researched. John Preston writes
wonderful dead-pan prose and reveals the depths of depravity, the
absurd power of snobbery and the old boy networks of the time
*Claire Tomalin*
A brilliant exploration of an extraordinary political scandal...
deeply researched, fluently written, and darkly comic, it reads
like a thriller
*Ben Macintyre*
I loved it; eccentric, dark, humane and English in the very best
sense. It's going to be a sure fire-hit
*Alain de Botton*
The most forensic, elegantly written, compelling account of one of
the 20th century's great political scandals... a real
page-turner'
*Observer*
Very funny and endlessly extraordinary... makes for amazing
reading
*Guardian*
Impeccably researched... full of shocks, surprises and
laugh-out-loud moments. Preston revives a forgotten era and delves
into the personalities behind the headlines.
*Times Crime Club*
Retold with masterful skill... It grips like a detective story, as
compelling as BBC2's Life of Duty and every bit as dirty in what it
exposes about the upper echelons of society in the Sixties and
Seventies
*Daily Mail Book of the Week*
This brilliant account made me feel I was hearing the tale for the
first time ... Preston is an enthralling narrator
*Mail on Sunday*
Gripping ... cack-handed assassins, buffoonish policemen, dodgy
Home secretaries and sozzled judges. The conclusion of an
Establishment cover-up is hard to avoid
*Daily Telegraph*
The unbelievable truth... Preston is a natural storyteller ... he
provides the context for actions that seem unbelievable today
*The Times*
Wonderfully readable ... John Preston is the ideal author, having
researched for years many minor characters and talked to dozens of
well-known political and literary friends and enemies of Thorpe
*Standpoint*
Fluent, readable ... a vivid tableau of the players in Thorpe's
long, tragic downfall
*Evening Standard*
I spent a thrilling 48 hours reading it. The narrative is so vivid,
the characterisation so brilliant... I thought I knew all about
these events, but the full horror of them has only now become
apparent
*Antonia Fraser*
A gripping account of the Jeremy Thorpe case. The details make one
laugh out loud or gasp with amazement
*Spectator*
The whole affair is retold here compellingly and fluently, bringing
to life the cast of characters with some verve
*The i*
Nothing comes close to the eyepopping outrageousness of the gay
murder shenanigans that engulfed and almost destroyed a Liberal
leader. Reads like a comic thriller
*Rachel Johnson*
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
