The Whistleblower: The explosive thriller from Britain's top political journalist

Description

THE HUNT FOR A KILLER LEADS ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP... ________________________ 1997. A desperate government clings to power; a hungry opposition will do anything to win. And journalist Gil Peck watches from the sidelines, a respected commentator on the sport of power politics. He thinks he knows how things work. He thinks he knows the rules. But when Gil's estranged sister Clare dies in a hit-and-run, he begins to believe it was no accident. Clare knew some of the most sensitive secrets in government. One of them might have got her killed. As election day approaches, Gil follows the story into the dark web of interests that link politics, finance and the media. And the deeper he goes, the more he realises how wrong he has been. But power isn't sport: it's war. And if Gil doesn't stop digging, he might be the next casualty... 'Brilliant. Politically insightful, scary, satirical, beautifully paced and has a great cast of characters led by its narrator, Gil Peck.' - The Times 'This enjoyable, intelligent thriller will be catnip for news junkies.' - Guardian 'An intelligent, elegant and gripping thriller.' - RORY CLEMENTS

Robert Peston is ITV's political editor, presenter of the politics show 'Peston', founder of the education charity, Speakers for Schools (www.speakers4schools.org), and vice president of Hospice UK. He has written four critically acclaimed non-fiction books, How Do We Fix This Mess?, Who Runs Britain?, Brown's Britain and his latest, WTF?, which was described by the Financial Times as 'mandatory reading' for anyone seeking to understand Brexit, Trump and the collapse of confidence in western liberalism. For a decade until the end of 2015, he was at the BBC, as economics editor and business editor, and in the 1990s he was at the Financial Times, as political editor, financial editor and head of investigations. At the BBC he played a prominent role in exposing the causes and consequences of the credit crunch, banking crisis and Great Recession. Peston has won more than 30 awards for his journalism, including Journalist of the Year and Scoop of the Year (twice) from the Royal Television Society. The Whistleblower is his first novel. His blog is itv.com/robertpeston, on Facebook he is facebook.com/pestonITV and he is @peston on Twitter.

'Brilliant. Politically insightful, scary, satirical, beautifully paced and has a great cast of characters led by its narrator, Gil Peck ? THE TIMES 'There's a winning energy as the action zips around between the different elite milieux, and Gil - plainly the young(ish) Peston - is a fascinating mix of self-criticism and self-congratulation ? SUNDAY TIMES 'An engaging tale of government secrets...this debut novel is a hell of a read ? The Observer 'This enjoyable, intelligent thriller will be catnip for news junkies ? GUARDIAN '[A] cracking debut. This is House of Cards country, with double-dealing seen as a way of life . . . His dark view of the Westminster jungle is hugely refreshing ? DAILY MAIL 'A rollicking read . . . His portrayal of 1990's London is fun and dripping with drink, drugs, private members clubs and an eye for designer clothes, while news junkies and political addicts will enjoy trying to put the real names to some of the characters ? EVENING STANDARD 'A cracking read . . . Peston's portrayal of champagne-fuelled 1990s London is vivid and lifelike . . . His enthralling debut thriller takes us right into the heart of a fictional government machine and media circus. ? FINANCIAL TIMES 'Secrets, spies, sex, betrayals, murder and a scandal that leads all the way to the top of British politics . . . A gripping read ? RADIO TIMES 'A romping thriller ? INDEPENDENT 'A gripping thriller . . . Fascinating and disturbing ? DAILY EXPRESS 'This compelling story includes characters drawn from major players in politics and the media. Peston has dug deep into his experiences for this tale of power, money, sex and dodgy dealings ? THE SUN, Pick of the Week 'The authentic incidental details about how politics and journalism really work are fascinating ? DAILY MIRROR 'Wicked fun . . . Remarkably vivid in his descriptions of London in the 1990s, evoking the time and many of the places within the corridors of power with flinching accuracy ? CRIMETIME 'An intelligent, elegant and gripping thriller ? RORY CLEMENTS, Sunday Times bestselling author of HITLER'S SECRET 'Robert Peston is a classy writer and this is a really compelling thriller that peels back the curtain to take you right to the heart of the political action. A genuine page-turner ? TOM BRADBY, bestselling author of SECRET SERVICE 'Incredible, unputdownable, riveting, revelatory, brave. Wow. Exudes authenticity. So timely and courageous. A strident, erudite, compelling cri de coeur. ? DAMIEN LEWIS, Sunday Times bestselling author of SAS Great Escapes 'A riveting tale of power, wealth, intrigue and sex. Great storytelling combined with lavish helpings of Peston's unique insight into how Britain really works ? NICK ROBINSON 'A compelling, gripping page-turner of a thriller. Robert has brilliantly drawn on his three decades watching politics from the inside and turned all that gossip, insight and intrigue into a cracking read ? ED BALLS 'Robert Peston's first work of fiction marks the debut of a truly brilliant thriller writer. The pace, intrigue and plot will keep you turning the page - and guessing - till the end. An exceptional book from one of the great journalists of his times ? MATTHEW D'ANCONA 'About the political intrigue around Whitehall correspondent Gil Peck, whose sister is killed in a suspicious hit-and-run accident ? INDEPENDENT, 'Books to look out for in 2021' 'The journalist's debut thriller is set amid dodgy interests in 1997, with New Labour on the brink of power. ? GUARDIAN, '2021 in books: what to look forward to this year'