The Ghost
From the Sunday Times bestselling author
-
-
4.3 • 4 Ratings
-
-
- €5.99
Publisher Description
***OUT NOW, PRECIPICE, THE THRILLING NEW NOVEL FROM ROBERT HARRIS***
'An unputdownable thriller about corrupt power and sex' Sunday Telegraph
'Guaranteed to keep you awake' The Times
A body washes up on the deserted coastline of America's most exclusive holiday retreat. But it's no open-and-shut case of suicide. The death of Robert McAra is just the first piece of the jigsaw in an extraordinary plot that will shake the very foundations of international security.
For McAra was a man who knew too much. As ghostwriter to one of the most controversial men on the planet - Britain's former prime minister, holed up in a remote ocean-front house to finish his memoirs - he stumbled across secrets which cost him his life.
When a new ghostwriter is sent out to rescue the project it could be the opportunity of a lifetime. Or the start of a deadly assignment propelled by deception and intrigue - from which there will be no escape . . .
'Brilliantly persuasive, right up to the last page of its astonishing and unpredictable conclusion' Economist
'Truly thrilling' Sunday Times
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The Web is infinite, which is why we are so partial to our Web-exclusive reviews. We can cover noteworthy books that might have arrived late, might have slipped through the cracks, or were just one book too many for the limits of the real world. We're putting some of them in this issue to remind you how good our web reviews really are.The GhostRobert Harris. Simon & Schuster, $26 (352p) ISBN 978-1416551812Displaying enviable versatility, Harris, who first achieved acclaim with his alternative history, Fatherland, and who more recently showed his mastery of the historical novel in Pompeii, hits one out of the park with this dark paranoid thriller. Former British prime minister Adam Lang (clearly modeled on Tony Blair) is up against a firm deadline to submit his memoirs to his publisher, and the project is dangerously derailed when his aide and collaborator, Michael McAra, perishes in a ferry accident off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. To salvage the book, a professional ghostwriter is hired to whip the manuscript into shape, but the unnamed writer soon finds that separating truth from fiction in Lang's recollections a challenge. The stakes rise when Lang is accused of war crimes for authorizing the abduction of suspected al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan, who then ended up in the CIA's merciless hands. As the new writer probes deeper, he uncovers evidence that his predecessor's death may have been a homicide. Harris nicely leavens his cynical tale with gallows humor, and even readers who anticipate the plot's final twist will admire the author's artistry in creating an intelligent page-turner that tackles serious issues.
Customer Reviews
The Ghost
Robert Harris on top form. A strongly constructed story with a fine twist at the ending, which makes it more than a story of its time. An object lesson in characterisation, pacing and interplay of characters. High on interest, low on stereotypes. Really fine