Precipice

By (author) Harris Robert
Description:

A WORLD ON THE BRINK OF WAR. AN AFFAIR ON THE EDGE OF SCANDAL.

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR

‘A riveting tale of politics, war and erotic obsession’ Sunday Times

‘His most enthralling yet . . . a slam dunk of a plot . . . extraordinary’ Nicholas Coleridge, Independent

‘Gripping . . . Harris also has the John le Carré gift for showing how meetings can become a form of blood sport’ Jake Kerridge, Telegraph

''Splendid'' Max Hastings, Sunday Times

Summer 1914. A world on the brink of catastrophe.

In London, 26-year-old Venetia Stanley – aristocratic, clever, bored, reckless – is having a love affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, a man more than twice her age. He writes to her obsessively, sharing the most sensitive matters of state.

As Asquith reluctantly leads the country into war with Germany, a young intelligence officer is assigned to investigate a leak of top secret documents – and suddenly what was a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security that will alter the course of political history.

Seamlessly weaving fact and fiction in a way that no writer does better, Precipice is the thrilling new novel from Robert Harris.

''The king of the page-turning thriller'' i Paper
''Harris''s cleverness, judgment and eye for detail are second to none'' Sunday Times
''Harris writes with a skill and ingenuity that few other novelists can match'' Financial Times
''Harris is a master of historical fiction, a compelling author who brings to life the recent and ancient past'' TLS


Robert Harris, Sunday Times bestseller, May 2024

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I’m not fond of the word masterpiece, but this is a masterpiece
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Gripping drama
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Brilliantly blurring fact and fiction, Sunday Times bestselling author Robert Harris is back in full force
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Fans of this hugely popular author should lap up this tale that mixes fact with fiction, as is his trademark
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''A beautifully crafted novel . . . a dexterous blend of the political and the personal . . . Precipice is Robert Harris''s 16th novel, and there hasn’t been a dud among them''
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Precipice hones in on those vital summer days when Britain hovered on the brink of war, before plunging into the abyss that arguably destroyed European civilisation
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Robert Harris is one of those authors you know you can rely on. His 16th novel, Precipice, is no exception
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Robert Harris is a sort of genius . . . I am knocked out by the assurance of his portrait of a time, a relationship, and the perils to which Britain’s leader exposed himself amidst a supreme historic catastrophe. The book is yet another triumph for the author
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Few have mastered the alchemy of the popular historical novel quite like Harris
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Rollicking . . . Harris’s best book since Conclave
Biographical note:
Robert Harris is the author of fifteen bestselling novels: the Cicero Trilogy - Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator - Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, An Officer and a Spy, which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Conclave, Munich, The Second Sleep, V2 and Act of Oblivion. His work has been translated into forty languages and nine of his books have been adapted for cinema and television.