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From Publishers Weekly
Displaying enviable versatility, Harris, who first achieved acclaim with his alternative history, Fatherland, and who more recently showed his mastery of the historical novel in Pompeii, hits one out of the park with this dark paranoid thriller. Former British prime minister Adam Lang (clearly modelled on Tony Blair) is up against a firm deadline to submit his memoirs to his publisher, and the project is dangerously derailed when his aide and collaborator, Michael McAra, perishes in a ferry accident off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. To salvage the book, a professional ghostwriter is hired to whip the manuscript into shape, but the unnamed writer soon finds that separating truth from fiction in Lang’s recollections a challenge. The stakes rise when Lang is accused of war crimes for authorizing the abduction of suspected al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan, who then ended up in the CIA’s merciless hands. As the new writer probes deeper, he uncovers evidence that his predecessor’s death may have been a homicide. Harris nicely leavens his cynical tale with gallows humor, and even readers who anticipate the plot’s final twist will admire the author’s artistry in creating an intelligent page-turner that tackles serious issues.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
“Packed with seduction, power and manipulation. . . .”
—USA Today
“The Ghost has got the goods.”
—Stephen King
Inside This Book
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Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
When reading this latest work of his, you cannot avoid making parallels with the real thing,
By
This review is from: The Ghost (Hardcover)
the former PM and his entourage, his political adventures and disasters, and so on and so forth. But the way Harris narrates his story is enticing and thrilling, issuing suspense right and left with a skilled hand: the ambience is right, the dialogue fits, the main characters tally, the spinning is familiar and the cynicism is sharp. I enjoyed the book in a single reading, and I think I'll go back to it with more attention to detail, since it seems to me this is a super parody of Blair and his retinue, and of the publishing world from which the author extracts true images surely derived from real experience. Also, if you missed reading Tino Georgiou's masterpiece--The Fates, go and read it. I'm reading it at a rapid pace because it's so addictive. There is something about his books that bring you in and get you hooked. and I'm loving this one. Highly Recommend!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
INVOKING THE GHOST OF LABOR WASTED,
By NeuroSplicer (Freeside, in geosynchronous orbit) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Ghost (Hardcover)
After a number of historic-fiction masterpieces, ROBERT HARRIS came back with a novel that, although a work of fiction, cuts too close to the bone for comfort. In a thinly veiled reference to the Prime Ministry of Tony Blair, a number of troublesome issues are raised.For fear of spoiling the story one can only ask: why do democratically elected leaders take one after the other unpopular decisions? Who are they trying to please if (clearly) not the people that put them into office? Why even socialist/democratic/leftist parties once elected follow in the footsteps of the right-wing hawks they overthrew by popular demand? As a piece of word-craft I found it not at par with HARRIS' previous work. As a novel of political possibility though I found it brilliant! It happens all the time in third world countries, why not in the central republics? After all, greed and ambitions are universal. RECOMMENDED!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ghost Beware!,
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This review is from: The Ghost (Mass Market Paperback)
Art Matters: The Art of Knowledge/The Knowledge of ArtNatural Law, Science, and the Social Construction of Reality I don't have too much to add to the other reviews but since I enjoyed the book so much I wanted to add my two cents worth. Yes, it is obvious the Prime Minister is based on Tony Blair, the right wing labor man. But, for me, that was not the heart of the story, for it could have been any recent world leader who got caught up in the sphere of American foreign policy. The British ex PM is on an island off New England in the winter where he has complete solitude. The security is also strong. The long time aide of the pm, who was writing the book, is found dead and so a new ghost writer has to be hired. This death leads to an interesting development later in the book. We learn a lot about this writer, his girl friend, his life in London, and his pushy agent who gets him the job. The money is fantastic, and though even contemplating working for this ex pm leads to his girl breaking up with him, he flies off to the States to get to work. The memoirs themselves are not important, but in researching background, especially in the dead man's files, interesting things come up, which contradict the story the ex pm is telling. But as a ghost writer, he knows that the details may not be important, the story that the author wants to tell is what is important. And then the bombshell hits. A former cabinet minister and friend of the ex pm lets out very damaging information that could lead to criminal prosecution. I will not give the details away, but it involves complicity with American foreign policy. The book then becomes both s suspense thriller and a political thriller, rushing to a great conclusion. A great read for lovers of political intrigue, good mysteries, and conspiracy theorists.
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