I’ve been looking forward to Robert Peston’s foray into fiction and The whistleblower delivered everything I hoped for and more. Peston is an articulate and interesting political journalist, with a keen insight into the fiscal and parliamentary world. I have little faith in politicians or government and this book underpins some of my scepticism

The story centres on Gil, a pin ambitious journalist with an eye for the next big story. Following a road accident involving his sister, everything changes for him and the solid ground on which he thought he stood is no longer so firm. He has doubts about the accident and knows that his sister had knowledge that could be a threat. The story is set in the late 1990s just before a general election. Inevitably, there will be real life parallels for some of the fictional characters, and it’s fun trying to work out just who is being depicted. The characters have depth, they’re acutely observed and woven into a story which is a first rate political thriller. The corridors of power don’t come out of this too well and it’s horribly plausible.

The writing is filled with energy and tension, the plot is well constructed and keeps the reader guessing and I demolished this in a couple of sittings. Top class political thriller and can’t wait for more!

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Gripping is a good word to describe this novel. Gil Peck is a top political journalist whose life is torn apart by the apparent accidental death of his sister Clare. She worked at the Treasury but what was she working on at the time of her death and was it really an accident?
Fast paced and scary insight into the links between politicians and big business. Enjoy.

I began this book without expectations and initially was smiling as Peston has so clearly embraced the injunction for new novelist to 'write about what you know'. Set in 1997 the novel's main character, Gil Peck, is a political journalist, well-connected and in with the in crowd on the London political and journalistic scene. So far pretty much like Peston himself. Gil is drawn into investigating the sudden apparently accidental death of his sister and its possible links with big finance. Along the way we have very thinly veiled portraits of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, John Prescott and others.

Overall this is a gripping thriller; only slightly burdened with some necessary explanations of rather dull, but lucrative, tax and financial issues. I enjoyed it and would read more from Peston; it does leave a very bad taste about the operations of politics and journalism, but this feels deliberate on the part of the author rather than accidental.

Of course Robert Peston is a name and face we all know, I have an interest in politics and meaning I was very excited to receive an advance copy of this book.
Right from the very beginning the book grabbed my attention and managed to keep up the pace and anticipation all the way through. Even when you think you’ve worked out what’s going on, there’s another twist or surprise pop up to keep you guessing.
We follow Gil Peck, a broadsheet tabloid politic editor in the run up to a general election. As the book begins he received a call to say his estranged sister has been in an accident. When she dies Gil becomes embroiled in trying to prove it wasn’t an accident, but who could have engineered Claire’s death and what possible motives could they have. Gil is great as a character, he has an enquiring mind, likes a bit on the dark side and has complicated relationships.

Anyone reading The Whistleblower by Robert Peston will wonder how much of himself he put in to the character of Gil Peck. The story concerns what comes out crawling when a stone is turned over. The stone in question is the supposedy accidental death of his older sister Clare and what comes out crawling or rather slithering, is the murky world of big business and politics. In a Robert Maxwell type pension scandal, a clever piece of financial manoeuvering is courted to try and cover up the crisis. It's a scaled up pre-pack agreement without the whiff of bankruptcy but favours have to be called in and a sacrifice made.
For anyone with any degree of scepticism about politics and the press, this novel will feed your frustration. The trouble with The Whistleblower is that it's so close to the truth and in being so, a very compelling read. As a political thriller it's out there with the best. I loved it.
I was quite amused by the concluding sentence, a simple one word sentence, Today. Why? In a move worthy of Gil, Robert Peston was interviewed on the Today programme about the book and it's launch that day! Today was cited in the opening chapter too, you name dropper Robert! I know the concluding sentence was a nod to chronology but.....?

This was outside of my normal genre but I thought it would be good to read something different. I am glad I did. This was very well researched, not surprising given who the author is, and the plot worked well.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Fancied something a little different to read and thought this might do the trick.
My guess was spot on, as this was a really enjoyable read, a nice page turner, prompting me to look for more books by this author.
Recommend.

Set in Spring 1997, this story is set in a parallel universe where instead of John Major seeking a further term for the Tories we have Sir Peter Ramsey, and instead of Tony Blair sweeping to a landslide victory we have Johnny Todd. That said, in this fictitious account there are plenty of characters that give the story, which revolves around the newspaper industry and political reporting, a very authentic feeling, and the pace is fast and furious. There is human interest, political intrigue, blackmail, attempted murder and murder, all with the well described background of London in the late nineties

I understand that this is Robert Peston’s first fiction book, but I am sure it will not be his last, and although this is a genre which has already been explored by masters of the art, I think that Robert has shown that he is able to compete very competently indeed.

Reviewed from a pre-publication draft obtained through Net Galley.

I’ve always liked listening to Robert Peston on the news and hoped that his talking style would cross over into his writing skills. Fear not, he’s just as good. A fast paced story. Highly recommended

Superb story of Gil Peck, investigative journalist trying to seek the truth and also avenge the death of his beloved sister and treasury adviser. Robert Peston brilliantly mixes the personal and the political in this face paced journey through grief and rage leading up to the 1997 election. Familiar political and media figures of the time are thinly disguised and the line between Tony Blair and David Cameron is a very thin one in his portrayal of Johnny Todd and his new labour. Unusually for a political thriller, Gil is a beautifully drawn flawed hero and Peston is not afraid to create strong female characters and sometimes give them the best lines... Jizzelica forever!

Set in 1997, in the run up to a general election in Britain, our protagonist is a financial journalist called Gil Peck. Believing that his work is the greatest priority in life, Gil has become estranged from his family as he focuses on bagging the biggest and most sensational political stories - regardless of who is involved. But Gil is suddenly pulled back into the bosom of his family when his sister dies. Claire worked at the Treasury and there are many rumours flying around after her death. With a nose for a story and also suspicious about how Claire died, Gil launches his own investigation into a world of politics, money, corruption and murder.
For a story with so many important characters, Preston has kept up a rapid pace and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.. Due to his experiences as a political journalist, Preston has added a sense of authenticity to his novel and part of the fun is trying to recognize scenarios and characters.
This is my first book by Robert Preston and after finishing, I'm eager to read more of his work! Let's hope that he continues to write such exciting and page turning fiction.

A reasonably decent political thriller written by someone who is certainly in the know. Robert Peston has, for years, been a political journalist who enjoys getting up the noses of politicians.

The novel is set in 1997 in the run up to a general election. Gil Peck is a cynical journalist always looking for his next scoop. He roams the corridors of Westminster and engages in late night drinking and drugs sessions with other hacks, business leaders and members of parliament. When his sister, Clare, a powerful civil servant, is killed in a traffic accident, he begins to suspect foul play. A document he pilfers adds weight to his suspicions.

This is a fast paced novel littered with political references and caricatures of MPs, journalists and business executives. It deftly depicts the insidious nature of the relationship between politics and the press. where the needs of the electorate are of a secondary concern.

In summary, quite a clever read which is possibly a little to close to reality with some of the characters. I have to say I found the constant product placements a major irritant but it's still worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was quite disappointed by this book, and am surprised it got past the lawyers as the characters are so close to real people in politics and newspapers.

Overall, it was an easy book to read, but I thought the author had been rather lazy in his characterisation. This was politics and journalism of 1997, without much amendment! The main character, Gil, was the caricature journalist - alcoholic, drug-taking and desperate for a story at any cost. And the story was pretty predictable.

I think Robert Peston could do better than this!

A complex at times political thriller but lots of edge if you’re seat stuff andintrigue,written very obviously by an author with vast experience,overall a good read

I took a chance on this as I'm really not politically minded and hoped it wouldn't be too wordy and technical for me.
The storyline it's self is good and a variety of characters but it was very political jargon heavy so didn't hold my interest in places

The Whistleblower is, in the end, quite a good political thriller. Journalists don’t always make good novelists, but Robert Peston has made a decent fist of this, his first work of fiction.

Set just before the 1997 General Election, the book is narrated by Gilbert Peck, political editor for a major national broadsheet. The death of someone close to him leads to suggestions of some major skulduggery at the top of government which Peck begins to investigate. The book is peopled with some very thinly disguised characters of the time; a charismatic leader of “Modern Labour” with a high-profile spin doctor and a southern-hemisphere newspaper magnate who is trying to move into TV...and so on. This works quite well, although I found the large number of dodgy PR people, MPs, journalists, political advisors and so on rather hard to keep track of some of the time.

I have to say that I found the first 100 pages or so pretty hard going in places. It is a long time before any plot really begins to emerge, with lots and lots of background but not much development. Peston is obviously very familiar with the relationship between politicians and journalists and with the official systems and much less official contacts which exist. It is interesting, but it does read a little like a beginner’s guide to the political lobby system at times (with some fairly extensive instruction on Jewish funerals thrown in for good measure). Add to this an immoral, untrustworthy, self-centred, drug-and-alcohol-fuelled protagonist whom people frequently and justifiably liken to the exit from the human digestive tract and it was a bit of a struggle at times.

However, the book does pick up when things actually begin to happen and I became quite involved in the plot. The well painted background did actually become background rather than a seminar on How Things Work, and was all the better for it. There were some rather unlikely events but I could forgive them, and the way in which the powerful protect themselves, each other and their institutions was very well and rather horrifyingly illustrated.

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.

(My thanks to Bonnier for an ARC via NetGalley.)

It is a long time since I have read a political thriller, but with this one I was instantly hooked. The book is set in 1997. It is entirely fictional, but set in a world which feels familiar. The Conservative Party has been in power for many years and New Labour is offering a fresh alternative and branding themselves as the party of a new hope for the country.

The story follows political journalist Gil Peck. He is very experienced, tenacious and has a nose for story. He knows whose arm to twist and isn't beyond seeming to do a favour for a loathed colleague if he might get some information in return. In fact much of his time seems to be spent balancing his dislike of some of his colleagues with his need to work alongside them.

Gil quickly gets drawn to a story which remains elusive. He keeps glimpsing elements but they seem wildly unlikely and as the story is close to home he is advised to let it drop. But he knows deep down that there is something there and together with his sidekick, Jess, he delves deeper.

This is a fast paced book but not at the expense of some wonderful descriptive writing. The Chinese restaurants are 'formica-furnished' and the headlights of the black cabs are 'the mournful eyes of the hounds of Andersen's Tinder Box'... I like Peston's eye for detail in each scene and we get some great sartorial descriptions.

If you have any doubts about how successfully Robert Peston will have been in turning his hand to fiction, do not worry. This book is well worth a read. I usually don't like following series of books based round a single character, but I would certainly read more about Gil Peck and Jess should Mr Peston decide to put pen to paper once more.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. A brilliant read. Fast paced and gripping from the beginning. A good plot and well drawn characters, though some were pretty awful people! Twists and turns throughout. Highly recommended.

The Whistleblower is a fast-paced, detailed political thriller set in the late 90s on the cusp of a general election. The main character is Gil Peck, a bike-riding journalist who will go to almost any length to secure a story. I particularly loved his sidekick Jess, and his wider family were well portrayed. The author clearly draws on his years of experience as a political journalist and the attention to detail draws you in - right down to the clothing he describes!

The Whistleblower is the fiction debut of journalist and broadcaster Robert Peston. Definitely one for fans of Robert Harris et al, I couldn’t put this book down!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping read. As expected from this author, this book is full of insight into the murky world of politics and journalism.

From the start the story draws you back to 1997, on the cusp of the general election.

Gil Peck is a political editor who finds himself drawn into a family and political crisis when his sister is killed when knocked off her bike.

A brilliant read with characters who keep you captivated; no one is hugely likeable, many are downright horrible, and some are very relatable.

Gil is forced to face his demons as he attempts to find out the truth about his sister’s death.