This is a great story of insider dealings and how banks work and could crash. Loved the character Gil Peck who is a journalist who notices as the economy is booming strange things are happening and when a small northern bank runs out of money that causes people to panic trying to get their money. He turns to his good friend Marilyn Krol a director of the Bank of England for some answers but the next day she is found dead and the police call it suicide but Gil is not convinced.
As Gil digs deeper he realises there are people who are capable of anything to protect their money and a lot of of illegal conflicts and realises he is danger of bringing the whole financial system down.
Robert Pestons knowledge makes this a roller coaster of emotions and a brilliant insight into the financial world.
Thoroughly enjoying captivating read would highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley & Bonnier Books UK for a ARC for a honest review.

This one wasn’t for me. I felt it flipped between inordinate detail about people’s designer outfits and the actual plot, which went in fits and starts. However, there was an interesting reimagining of the events around the financial crash, which some might really enjoy. For me it didn’t quite hang together but this is very subjective.

I was looking forward to this new Robert Peston book after enjoying the political skulduggery of the last one. However, I'm not sure if I wasn't in the right mood and wanting something a little lighter, but despite the author's best efforts, I really struggled with the first part of the book and getting my head round the financial jargon. This meant that my attention strayed a lot and I didn't really engage with the rest of the story and characters.
Thank you to netgalley and Zaffre for an advance copy of this book
2.5 rounded up to 3

Robert Peston draws on his extensive professional background with this nail biting and tense political thriller, a blend of fact and fiction, featuring ambitious workaholic BBC Business Editor, Gil Peck, always on the look out for his next exclusive, writing a popular blog, Peckonomics. A 2007 Banque of Maghreb story hints at a coming banking meltdown that barely anyone pays any attention to with a booming economy, but Peck starts to sound the alarm through his blog. It all culminates in Peck getting his exclusive when he receives a tip off, he exposes the threat to the entire financial system when a northern bank is forced to turn to the Bank of England after running out of money. His reporting triggers a bank run, with alarmed account holders desperate to get hold of their money, with the bank website crashing.

What is obvious is that others in the banking sector must must be affected too. Peck is traumatised and griefstricken when the following day, one of his closest friends and long term lover, Marilyn Krol, Director of Financial Stability, is discovered in her home having committed suicide, after having informed him he wasn't seeing the whole picture. Peck's suspicions are aroused, what lies behind her death? The deeper he delves, the more the fraught Peck wonders if he ever really knew Marilyn. He is helped in his investigations by his best friend, the Financial Chronicle's Jess Neesken, finds himself in grave danger as he finds himself caught in a deadly conspiracy involving those at the heart of the financial system. The amoral, the entitled for whom the law and country means nothing, the repulsive, self serving and greedy who will stop at nothing, with ties that go back to their university days.

You can really feel the pressures that are piling on the flawed Peck, the deaths, his mother is undergoing treatment for cancer, he has never recovered from the murder of his older sister, Clare, for which there was never any justice, he has to tread carefully with the BBC hierarchy, and he is a target for the likes of the Daily Mail. You could probably guess who the thinly disguised political characters here are based on. Peston's experienced eye reveals the moral vacuum and sociopaths within the British establishment circles, the sleaze, the privileged lifestyles, the over the top parties, Russian oligarchs and more. His central protagonist, Peck, feels like an all too human character, he often does not get it right, but his friends matter to him, he is a determined, and when the chips are down, he remembers his father's advice, don't get mad, get even. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I raced through The Crash, a fitting follow up to Peston’s first book, The Whistleblower. The only thing holding me back in giving it 5 stars is that you do feel the main protagonist, Gil Peck, is Peston’s alter ego and there’s a little too much of an autobiographical flavour to the story (however enjoyable!).

Gil Peck returns in a new investigation as a BBC journalist and financial blogger. When investigating the ‘sub prime’’ scandal and subsequent Bank and financial failures, Gil uncovers corruption, cover ups and misinformation.
Once I had reacquainted myself with the story of sub prime, ( it was very clearly explained in the book) and sorted out the characters, this thriller was unstoppable.
Not always my first choice of genre as I am still trying to unravel plots whilst attempting sleep, I was very happy to have another visit to this time of financial unrest in the company of Gil.
This fast paced thriller is highly recommended.

The Crash is a clever, pacy, entertaining, well-written story which melds fact and (hopefully!) fiction, with the global financial crisis of the late 2000s as the background. Robert Peston calls on his detailed knowledge and experience of finance, business, economics and politics - including his reporting of the UK banking crisis of 2007/8 - to weave a compelling, absorbing and mostly believable tale, although occasionally the boundaries of plausibility are subject to severe stress-testing. The overall impression is that most of the supposedly great and the clearly not-so-good amongst the cast of bankers, financiers, hedgefunders, business leaders, media moguls, politicians, civil service mandarins, PR consultants and various media types are motivated entirely by self-interest, whether that is the pursuit of self-enrichment or power or fame or perhaps all three. The author skilfully paints a picture of the entitled rich at work and play, and of those seduced by the proximity to power and wealth - a world in which surely no normal person would wish to live.

The main protagonist, Gil Peck, is a BBC journalist who specialises in business and economic affairs and was formerly employed in a similar role with a major financial newspaper. He is from a secular North London Jewish family, is left-leaning and is an alumnus of Oxford University. There are no prizes for spotting the biographical similarities with the author. A number of the other characters in the book are clearly recognisable as thinly disguised real-life personalities from the period, alongside others who are identified as their real-life selves. I found almost nothing to like about any of these characters although they did provoke a macabre fascination. The fact that these people have all known each other for years (“I went to university with him/her” is an oft-repeated line) is not a revelation but a stark reminder of the incestuous nature of the elite, self-serving clique that runs the country. The undoubted verisimilitude which adds hugely to this book’s entertainment value also makes for a somewhat depressing read given the ongoing widespread disillusionment with those in powerful positions in politics, high finance and business with their seeming lack of honesty, integrity and basic human decency.

I have given this book a four star rating. The fifth star is withheld because I found the endless references to the fashionable designer labels nestling inside the clothes of Gil Peck and those he encountered, as well as the detailed descriptions of the many expensive wines they quaffed, to be hugely irritating. Rich people wear expensive designer label clothes and indulge their taste for expensive wine - I get it. The details of those labels and wines are of zero interest to me as they add absolutely nothing to the narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

After enjoying The Whistleblower I was eager to read The Crash, which is the second book in the authors Gil Peck series. It is now 2007 and Peck is a BBC Correspondent and the story covers the banking crisis that year. Robert Peston had drawn on his vast experiences and knowledge through journalism and politics and, in my opinion, come up with a cracker of a read here. For me, the book began fairly slowly, and I think the pace started to really pick up once Peck found out his on off girlfriend had committed suicide. I liked the well thought out and intricate plot line, especially when it went off in ways I didn't expect which genuinely threw me. Peck and Jess are likeable, believable and I felt I could easily relate to them. I enjoyed the glimpses into Peck's personal and home life and his relationships with family. I loathed most of the other characters who are self serving, out to protect themselves and their own interests - Robert Peston has done his job well to write characters I feel this way about. I loved the authors writing style, it is easy to follow, very engaging with plenty of thrills. My thoughts on reaching the end of this book are how much is fact and how much is fiction? Overall The Crash is a very good political thriller which I would recommend. I hope there will be another book to follow - I'd definitely want to read it.

4 stars ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐

Can’t make up my mind about this one.
Good storyline etc, but it just didn’t grab my like it should and as I expected it to.

I definitely felt as if I was reliving certain events in the story. Very masterfully written with truth and fiction combing to make an excellent book.
Hope there will be future books

There was an old American TV series called Dragnet. It kicked off with, "The story you are about to see is real. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." Reading Robert Peston's The Crash caused me to recollect Dragnet and I wondered if Peston would have ironically altered the opener to, "Only the names have been changed to protect the guilty." It is easy to identify various 'fictional' characters in this fast paced political thriller which takes us back to the banking crisis. The Crash follows hot on the heels of his other novel featuring ace political reporter Gil Peck in The Whistleblower. A novel in which Peck's sister Clare dies in suspicious circumstances. I am afraid Gil Peck is a bit of a Jonah and another woman associated with him dies in The Crash. For any devotee of the Today Programme, WATO, PM or the Ten O'clock news then you'll already have the political intrigue bug which Peston's two novels feeds in spades. You don't have to read The Whistleblower first to thoroughly enjoy The Crash but I am pleased I did as it contextualises some things. I do hope Robert continues with the Gil Peck novels as I like the stone being lifted to see the rotten heart of power, wealth and corruption which lies beneath, it's fiction after all, isn't it?
I previously gave The Whistleblower a big fat 5 star rating and it has to be the same for The Crash. Keep up the good work Robert!

A really great strong thriller. I thought it was well written and a great story with great characters.

I really enjoyed The Whistleblower so I was keen to read The Crash and it didn’t disappoint. It was interesting to see how the book followed real events and the crash of the subprime market and all the after effects. Robert Peston used his knowledge well to create despicable characters and show the level of underhand deals that go on!
Well worth a read.

Having enjoyed The Whistleblower a lot, I was delighted to have an early opportunity to read and review The Crash. We have advanced about 10 years and our flawed hero Gil Peck is now BBC Business Correspondent. Who could this character possibly based on. Surely not the author given the copious amounts of drug taking and sexual relationships crossing numerous ethical lines?

The banking system is teetering on the brink following unhealthy, greedy investments - a cabal of bankers, an ex-PM of Modern Labour, a newspaper proprietor, a Russian oligarch, dodgy business and PR types, the Saudis… they are all apparently up to no good and when Gil’s on-off lover Marilyn, who is high up in the Bank of England, dies in mysterious circumstances, it all kicks off!

A racy read which keeps you guessing as to whether there can be any winners and which promises more. Brexit themed follow up anyone?

I just love the way Robert Peston writes.
His conversational, down to earth style is engaging in itself and the plot is a solid thriller that will keep you turning pages into the night.

A really good read. I have read the previous book and enjoyed it. This one took me a while to get into - I needed to sort out the characters and the various story lines. It becomes a gripping thriller with insider information on the workings and interweaving of banks, government and television which the reader feels must be supported by the author’s own experiences. Of course, there is no way of telling where fact and fiction collide - but it all makes a good story.
Thoroughly recommended

My thanks to Robert and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance of the publication date.
This is a rollercoaster of a story. Early in the book, there is an explanation of the Subprime mortgage market which was complex but essential for the storyline. Describing it as “the emperor’s new clothes” was excellent.
Journalist Gil Peck is a Marmite character who is now a business editor with the BBC.
Gil claims that he is able to compartmentalise his work and personal life. Yet in his quest for the next big story, he continues to make ill-considered decisions which will impact on his family and friends.
The story is set against a backdrop of organisations which believe that they are too big to fail, where they gamble with other people’s money and if they lose, hey ho, they already have their 7 figure bonuses.
The storyline gradually reveals the close ties between politicians, bankers and businesses where personal interest is their top priority.
There are plenty of twists, turns and red herrings in the course of the book and the end does not disappoint.
For those readers who recall the financial crisis in the 2008, this book will leave you pondering how much is fact and how much is fiction.
Greed, Corruption, Politics, Finance, Investments, Power, Money, Blackmail, Fraud, Charity it has it all.

The Crash, is the second novel by Robert Peston to feature his dynamic protoganist Gil Pecker and is set 10 years after the shocking events of The Whistleblower.
Set in 2007, in the early days of the global recession, Gil Peck is a well-respected financial journalist.
While Gil has come to realise that family and friends are hugely important in his life, he continues to prioritise his work in the media to break sensational financial news. But Gil receives a cruel reality-check with the death of a good friend and soon finds himself, plunged into a world of politics, money, corruption and murder.
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.
There are numerous characters within the story, and 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.
Let's hope that he continues to write such exciting and page turning fiction.

The Crash by Robert Peston was fast, intense and gripping. He paints a very plausible, corrupt, and frightening context to the big banking crash and the culpability of our elected leaders and those who give them power and/or share in it. This is a hard book to read in the context of our current disillusionment with government and the increasingly evident lack of integrity and honesty of those who “lead” our country. Gil is a great character, really well fleshed out with all of his strengths and insecurities. Jess is the touchstone of humanity and good sense, providing balance against all of the madness and carnage. A really good read. Four sound stars from me

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 can see Mr Peston getting a ribbing for some of the content involved 🙂