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

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I really liked Gil, he was determined to get the crux of the story no matter what but he was also concerned about hurting people in the process. Although he has his flaws, he was a great protagonist and maybe his flaws actually helped make him relatable. You can feel the pressure he is under, trying to get the next story, his mother's illness and then the death of Marilyn. Then having to navigate that bunch of killer sharks is bankers and politicians! Geez no wonder he needs a spa day! There is also the shadow of his sister’s death which he has never recovered from. The Whistleblower is fiction but you might think otherwise when you read it. For Tony Blair read Johnny Todd, a Prime Minister in waiting. Any skeletons in his cupboard? You bet! I thought this was very time specific and did well with the nostalgia side like arsene wenger coming in as nobody and and the technology like Nokias and 308s considering this is a 2021 novel. Overall, I found it to be an interesting, multilayered political thriller that maintained my interest throughout. The crime story is the core of the book and what makes it work. They say write what you know and Peston sensibly creates a tangle of politics and finance, all hiding murder. As someone who studied economics, I had no issues following the more detailed sections, but some readers may be as bored by them now as they were then – hence one of the reasons that there was a crash as no one was interested in mortgage issues for the poor.

Robert Peston books and biography | Waterstones

This is an excellent insight into the 2007 financial crash, but, cleverly wrapped in a murder mystery and it really works. I now have a far better understanding of what happened in 2008 and, frankly, the financial system and financial capitalism and multinational financial arrangements are terrifying! As is the cupidity of politicians of all parties.

Pacing (apart from my comment earlier) is good and follows the narrative well. The story is also both interesting and intriguing, and gets on with itself well too and I was held captive throughout my time reading. I can be a bit wary of reading novels by celebrities who have made their name doing something else. However, even though "The Whistleblower" is Robert Peston's fictional debut, I was given confidence by the fact that he has already been the author of a number of non-fiction books and is, of course, a trained and very experienced political journalist. That said, I have also read enough disappointing novels by journalists hoping to make the leap into published fiction to know that not all of them make a particularly good fist of it. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ Overall, I found this an interesting and ultimately exciting political thriller. It’s not a classic, but it’s a good start and I will certainly give Robert Peston’s next book a try.

The Whistleblower by Robert Peston | Waterstones The Whistleblower by Robert Peston | Waterstones

Haughton has chosen a fantastically atmospheric setting for her first crime novel and although her protagonist makes a series of dubious choices, it’s a chilling race to the finish to discover whodunnit. 1979 I already liked Gil when I first met him in The Whistleblower, and or relationship blossoms through this book too. I also like Peston's style of writing. How he writes very intelligent, detailed, stories but manages to get the crux across in layman's terms without patronising the reader. Great characters, gripping plot, and as ever I feel I have managed to learn a lot while also never feeling that I am not reading a novel. AS Gil digs further and askes more questions he finds himself deeper and deeper in a rabbit hole. Most people have their doubts about politicians and journalists and this book definitely feeds the mind for the conspiracies, secrets and lies that abound Parliament and also the tabloids. There are plenty of twists, turns and red herrings in the course of the book and the end does not disappoint.However, I actually found myself really enjoying this...part thriller, part murder mystery, part political tale. There is great deal of financial information covered in the novel, and indeed this is essential for the storyline, but Peston has been careful to include this content in a user friendly manner - so even this reader could comprehend the details. Authentic feeling (which I would expect considering the author) and clever it brings home everything you half guess about what may go on in the higher echelons of power, it is all scarily believable and highly addictive. This was a decent political thriller, following what was essentially the 1997 election with a darker twist. Thought it did a good job of emphasising Tory scandal but wasn’t a fan of the portrayal of Blairites particularly, given it was coming from a political journalist.

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I’m sure readers will be trying to work out which politicians have been rewritten in here and to be honest I didn’t care. I read this book from a pre-publication copy kindly supplied by the publisher, but this is an honest review with no concession to their generosity. It's a thriller but it's also a thought provoking book that tells about the financial crisis of the end of last decade.Beginning to think Fic Fac (mix of Fiction and Fact) is the literary answer to Hip Hop. So much of this book resonates as perceived fact, with probable cause, but whatever your feelings on that front this was a book I just couldn’t put down. As a sequel to the Whistleblower I found this book totally absorbing both as a thriller that triggered the imagination and to the extent I was even picturing some real life names in place of some of the “fictional” characters portrayed (good game). Of its type I thought this book was brilliant, would thoroughly recommend and grateful to NetGalley and BonnierBooks ,Zaffre for the ARC. I’m reading George Orwell’s essays and I do think he has an understanding of England that is really profound. Also, Anna Karenina. It’s an amazing book, I don’t know why I waited so long. Because of such mixed messages, he says, the adolescent Peston “devoured” books by Isaac Bashevis Singer or “almost every Jewish author on the planet”. So Jewish identity, for Peston, “is a big part of who I am, but working out exactly what that is has always intrigued me”.

Robert Peston Jewish News meets: Crash, bang, wallop, it’s Robert Peston

I'd just read Kate Spicer's Lost Dog and was amazed a tthe amount of drugs and alcohol. Gil obviously runs in the same circles. In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people. There were times when I felt a little lost and confused (more my fault than the book I think), but overall this was an engaging read and made me think there must be so much more we don't know about those in politics.The storyline gradually reveals the close ties between politicians, bankers and businesses where personal interest is their top priority. Election Day is looming and Gil is determined to find out the truth and try to get justice for Clare.