Product Description

In the new novel of treachery at the highest levels from the bestselling author of House of Cards, backbench MP Tom Goodfellowe is caught up in a national crisis as the capital is held to ransom by one angry man. Colonel Peter Amadeus is an old soldier with a grievance. He wants an apology from the Prime Minister. But this Prime Minister does not believe in apologizing for anything. For Amadeus it becomes a matter of honour -- and retribution. Soon London is a city under siege, its lifelines cut. Then comes his ultimatum: the Prime Minister must resign -- or London will be destroyed. Only one man stands between the capital and disaster -- Tom Goodfellowe, a backbench MP who can't even sort out his own life, let alone save the lives of others. He is a man torn between ambition, honour and love -- with the fate of London slipping swiftly through his fingers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #85539 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
'Terrific! as good as anything Dobbs has done! superb.' Sunday Telegraph 'Dobbs has given us a splendid diversion, one that makes it worth chucking the TV set out of the window and settling down with a book.' Sunday Express 'A cracking good read -- Goodfellowe is the most affectionately drawn crumpled anti-hero since Jim Hacker.' The Big Issue 'Brilliant! full of magnificently dark political characters.' Daily Mail

About the Author
Michael Dobbs was at Mrs Thatcher's side as she took her first step into Downing Street as Prime Minister, and was a key aide to John Major when he was voted out. In between times he was bombed in Brighton, banished from Chequers and blamed for failing to secure a Blair-Major television debate. He is now one of the country's leading political commentators and a BBC TV presenter of current affairs.

Customer Reviews

My first Goodfellow but not my last
The fact that Michael Dobbs used to be Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party isn't directly relevant to this book, or this review, except that he brings his knowledge of a politician's mind to bear throughout this good read!

This is the first time I have come across Tom Goodfellow, one of the key characters in this story; and I will no doubt look out for him again.

Goodfellow is a man of around the same age as me: he is a Member of Parliament and has been a Minister ... with the accent on the has been! His wife is seriously ill but he has a lady friend. He also has a daughter who flits in and out of the story.

Goodfellow's greatest asset is his brain and its analytical prowess; his greatest liability is that his mouth runs away from his brain and gets him into trouble at all the wrong times.

The basic plot is that a former Army Officer, Guardsman no less, is disgruntled; and he passes on his disgruntlement to like minded former Army officers: three male and one female.

By way of turning the Prime Minister's wife's bath water bright green, bringing central London to a grinding halt, and causing three out of the four huge white chimneys at Battersea Power Station to come tumbling down (Grade II listed, so that was very naughty!), we are treated to the cut and thrust of political life and military disgruntlement.

These officers want change in the military: they want to turn back the clock and make the British Army great again. They use their skills and training to carry their message to the Government: they are very direct.

Although the Prime Minister isn't modelled on Tony Blair, I kept seeing Tony Blair in him. Some of the senior ministers in the Cabinet were dreadful: I hope and pray that our real life Secretaries of State are not in the least like these people. May the Saints preserve us if they are!

The sub plot is Goodfellow's private life: more accurately his life with his mistress. With the best will in the world, I would say that Goodfellow's private life is a mess: he's uncertain of himself and his relationships, he's become an outcast from the centre of his Party and his relationship with his daughter is of the hand shake on meeting rather than big hug on meeting variety.

I won't reveal the outcome of all of this but I will say that the plot takes twists and turns, as it should. There are several snippets of revenge and self indulgence interwoven into the plots and sub plots and they all work very well.

The only bit of the book I didn't like was how Goodfellow brought the saga to ... well, I can't reveal that; but you might agree with me when you get there.

Well worth a read if you're into politico/intrigue/action novels.

All the right ingredients!
This was my first Dobbs book and it certainly won't be my last.

It has a fundamentally sound plot and is very well-written with just the right doses of dry wit. Further, Dobbs provides great insights into the lives of our politcial masters.

I probably would have preferred a slightly fuller close as the book did seem to stop too suddenly for me.

However, this was a very enjoyable and easy read and I can't wait to get my hands on one of Dobbs' earlier efforts.

Another superb Goodfellowe MP book
This is the 3rd Goodfellowe MP book following "Goodfellowe MP" and "The Buddha of Brewer Street". The books are all extremely well written. They are all real page-turners, at the same time the character development, sense of place, and sense of humor are so wonderful, I wanted to slow down and savour each development. The only bad part of reading Whispers of Betrayal was finishing it and knowing that I will have to wait a long time for the next volume.

I follow British politics from afar and, from what I have seen, the characters are very true to life. This is not surprising from the author of the Francis Urquhart trilogy (House of Cards, To Play the King and The Final Cut.)

I am very grateful to my British friend who introduced me to these books and to amazon.co.uk who makes it easy to get each volume as it is published. None of the Goodfellowe books are published in the U.S.