This is a political thriller set in contemporary times with relatable characters and believable events. There is a fusion of genres here, as the main protagonists are all essentially unreliable, producing
elements of psychological suspense.

I loved the flashback element to this book and the story was fantastically built on and written.

This was a brilliantly unique political thriller that really grasps your attention from the very first page.
One of the things that made this book so remarkably different from others was the fact that I had rather a strong dislike for the lead character, however it seemed to add so much more to the story. The fact that he was in fact distant and untrustworthy, made both him and the role in which he was playing throughout much more realistic.

The pace of the story was perfect, with a suspense level that keeps you guessing throughout. 
This is an absolute page turner and a definite must read.

It's not often I enjoy or even finish a book where I dislike the character of most of the main protagonists and face it there's not a lot to like among the collection of politicians, spads and hangers on described here. Despite this the plot sucks you in and all the missing grit, admiration and respect are reserved for Quine, his daughter and her lover (handy secret agent).  Excellent escapism. I really hope we see Quineand good family again.

Good political thriller - a prime minister needs to manage special advisors and political rivals, particularly when a gruesome discovery threatens to draw him into scandal. Well written and pacy.

I read this for a blog tour. 

A political thriller with a prime minister under threat, a journalist going on the hunt, a young MI5 agent undercover, dodgy dealings and possible murdered women in the past coming back from the dead.

There's a lot going on here, including at least two different but intertwining conspiracies, both dating back twenty to thirty years, with innocent women suffering at the hands of cruel and manipulative men.

The only male character who doesn't seem to be at least semi awful is ex-journalist Quine, the PM and SPADs, and other politicians are all as smarmy and ghastly as you'd imagine. The female characters fare better, MI5 agent Isla and her partner, Sophie, who happens to be Quine's daughter, are both decent and intelligent people with their own agency. I felt sorry for the PM's wife Carol, who seemed to have given up her own career to follow his, and that's not even a requirement anymore. She's asked to provide money and help him while knowing nothing. He should trust her more.

Then there's the magnificent Mrs T, who deserves her own book about her exploits as I bet she was more than just a Cornish housewife when she was younger. Quine can join in her in one last adventure.

This was very clever and engrossing, but I really wanted to push Jed off a bridge just for being a creep, and have the PM resign and his clearly too good for him wife become leader, and then put things to rights.

This is the first time that I have read a book by Simon Berthon. 
I really liked this book, I found the plethora of fictional characters to be well crafted. The author has managed to provide just enough references to real politicians to add credibility to the storyline. 

This is a book where political intrigue meets journalism and the security services. I won't go into detail about the plot out of fear of spoiling the story. However there are plenty of twists and turns in the narrative to keep things interesting. 

I found Simon Berthon's writing style easy to read and the pacey nature of the story, coupled with a few red herrings made for a novel which was enjoyable to read. 

On the strength of this book I will certainly look out for future novels by Simon Berthon. I give my thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for a copy in exchange for this review.

This was a thrilling, political/ spy thriller. Lots of innuendo. twist and turns, truth and lies. A fascinating storyline with really good characterisation and believable actions. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

When a body or part of a body is uncovered someone starts to panic about the consequences. At the same time it is just the right leverage to get powerful people to do exactly what others want.

Set to the backdrop of a fictional Britain changed and jaded by the political grandstanding, false promises and ramifications of privileged men, the current Prime Minister has reason to be worried about an old friend popping up accusing him of the worst crime. He is eager to keep his nose and name clean and not to go under with the dregs of society. 

Quine is hired to give the PM a nice little PR job in the form of a biography in order to make him shine brighter than the full moon. Not an easy task when there are ruthless powers willing to destroy the very basis of democracy to achieve their goal. But then perhaps the PM isn't as squeaky clean as everyone thinks he is.

I have to say the underlying political story is very much an accurate description of the last few years. Berthon is right on the mark and as sharp as a knife. A political commentary and plot that reflects the manipulation, idiocy and grandstanding, which has and will change the landscape and fragile peace forged by and with the blood of others.

In combination with political power games and a possible career changing crime Berthon gives readers a sharp-tongued read with plenty of machinations and betrayals.

Full of twists and turns and maybe the odd red herring! This book is so fast paced I felt like I was on a runaway train. 
A real political twister it’s just an excellent read. Is the PM really hiding a dirty past or is he being set up? I couldn’t put the book down because I had to know. Espionage is the name of the game in this book and everyone involved is out for themselves. 
Who’s going to triumph? Will the secrets of 30 years ago remain just that or will they be hung out for all to see?

This was an interesting read, which on the whole I enjoyed. It gave me some insight into politics, and the secrets within, which I found rather fascinating. 
The start of the book drew me in quickly but then took a while to go back to it and develop that side of the plot. So as a thriller storyline, I would have preferred this to be continued sooner
The ending wasn't unexpected but still satisfactory.

A time to lie by Simon Berthon is a well plotted, fast paced political thriller that I would definitely recommend. Robbie Sandford newly elected prime minister is looking forward to a post Brexit boom when he is approached by a special advisor for the chancellor, Jed Fowkes, with an ugly secret from 30 years ago. A body part has been found and Jed claims that Robbie killed a young girl and he helped him clear up the evidence, unfortunately Robbie had some issues with blackouts in his youth and doesn't remember this, he hopes it wasn't true. 
Robbie hires a trusted 'hack' who will discreetly find out what happened 30 years ago to set the PMs mind at rest, he finds out plenty more than he bargained for leading to action packed car chases, faked suicides and plenty of twists. 
The characters are the Oxbridge crowd who now run the country, very well written as believable politicians. The plot is intricate, taking in not only 30years of friendship history, but overseas links and the lengths people go to for power. Overall a thoroughly enjoyable read. 

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the ARC

This is a political thriller set in contemporary times with relatable characters and believable events. There is a fusion of genres here, as the main protagonists are all essentially unreliable, producing
elements of psychological suspense.

Flashbacks to the 1990s evoke interesting historical social and political events adding authenticity. The short chapters and fast-pace keep the reader guessing. There are many twists, people who are not what they seem to make this an absorbing read. The ending is impactful and leaves the reader with a final disturbing twist.

I received a copy of this book from HQ via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I love a good political thriller and this one is full of suspense all the way through!

Prime Minister Robin Sandford has his own ideas on policy and there are those in his team who disagree.. When a hand is found, Jed Fowkes - Special Advisor to the Treasury - and long time friend of the PM reminds Robbie of past times when they flat-shared with another, and how the discovery of the body part is likely to lead right to his door. With his career in the balance, Robbie needs help so uses a roundabout way to involve MI5 finding he's really in the midst of the world of intrigue, espionage - and murder.

This is a rollercoaster of a read! If you are among the few who still believes everything that comes out of a politician's mouth then this will change your way of thinking. A riveting tale and one I just had to keep on reading; each time I thought of setting it aside, there was another question that I just HAD to find out the answer to! This is a writer who knows his stuff and has constructed a gripping story with a believable scenario, populated with beautifully rounded characters. A stunning read, thoroughly enjoyed and one I'm not only happy to recommend but also give five glowing stars. Definitely an author to add to my list.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

A Time to Lie is a sinister political espionage thriller, set at the heart of British government in Westminster, Central London, at a time when Robin ”Robbie” Sandford was the most influential and powerful man in the country—the Tory Prime Minister. A workman on a stretch of bankside wasteland is excavating an old service road when he discovers what appears to be a crudely dismembered human hand, belonging to a female, buried in the ditch and wrapped in a piece of old shower curtain. It dates back  more than thirty years. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Special Advisor to the Treasury (spAd) and long-time friend of the PM, Jed Fowkes, having been flatmates, along with banker Mikey Miller, during their university days, reminds Robbie of the past and the stuff they got up to in their younger, wilder years. Fowkes claims that the hand belongs to a Hungarian woman that Sandford had killed, with Jed then deciding to cover for him. Robbie has no recollection of this at all, and although he did use to suffer from blackouts and panic attacks, which impacted his memory, he isn't sure whether to believe Jed or whether he possibly has a motive behind coming back into his life and telling immediately telling him this disturbing story. Sandford is troubled enough by it, and the major effect it could have on his political career, that he enlists the help of disgraced former journalist, Joseph ”Joe” Quine, whom he trusts. 

Under the guise of penning the PM’s memoirs, Joe finds himself in peril as he dredges up the past, as instructed by Sandford, and looks into prominent figures from his formative years. He even gains some intelligence through MI5. Meanwhile, Sandford attempts to stabilise himself and focus on the day to day political tasks. He had vowed to be a leader governed by morality and nowhere was this more evident than in new policy created to ban arms sales to sketchy regimes. As would always be the case, this was welcomed by the British electorate but sowed the seeds of discontent within the Conservative Party itself. One such dissenter, had he been told about the move, was Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Henry Morland-Cross. Has Sandford’s past come back to haunt him or is this all an elaborate hoax with a yet unidentified endgame? This is such a riveting and compulsive thriller; it's well written and moves at breakneck speed in some parts and slows to give extra attention to detail in others, which makes for a thoroughly immersive and engrossing read. It's a highly topical tale about power and its ability to corrupt and includes illegal trafficking, murder, intrigue, treason, treachery and a complex, convoluted web of deceit. All of this is set against an authentic backdrop, with a plethora of exciting twists, explosive reveals and a palpable sense of tension throughout. Highly recommended.

A Time To Lie by Simon Berthon is a gripping contemporary political thriller that had me intrigued from the start.
The reader enters the echelons of power as we follow the characters through Downing Street. Secrets from the past threaten to topple those in power. The plotline is well thought out, complex and engrossing.
We travel from London to Cornwall and overseas as the action from thirty years ago intrudes on present day.
There are espionage, the iron curtain, court cases and double dealings. As the action twists this way and that we wonder just who is telling the truth. Whom can we trust?
Simon Berthon is a new author to me, writing in a genre that I am unfamiliar with but what a thrilling, gripping read A Time To Lie was. I cannot wait for more from Simon Berthon.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

A really good read about secrets and lies. This was an interesting and intriguing story about the world of politics. I don’t know how realistic it is but it was believable and kept me reading. 

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

A complex political thriller of high stakes. treason, treachery, backstabbing, manipulative plots and counterplots and dark secrets from youthful misdemeanours and sexual depravity. Matters that affects the UK government, concerned with what is true and what are lies. A beautifully written and interesting read but not a pleasant tale of human failings

A really good read.  The prime minister is threatened by an old friend and colleague about an incident in his past. The PM then enlists a discredited reporter to investigate. It's a tale of secrets, lies, double dealing and ultimately power.  The story cracks on at a good pace with more and more revelations to the final conclusion.

Robin Sandford has recently been elected as a Conservative Party prime minister. Very quickly, he is faced with threats that actions he may, or may not, have done thirty years before will bring him down. If he did commit the crime he is accused of, it may have been at a time he was suffering panic attacks so cannot remember what he might have done. A special  adviser to his government, Jed Foukes, was a flat mate when it all might have happened. He places his trust in a former journalist Joe Quine to examine what happened. The idea of political corruption and intrigue behind the book is hardly original but the story developes well and should hold the reader’s interest. The characters are realistic and share characteristics common to other political scandals.

A workman has a nasty surprise when he pulls a package out of an excavation on a building site. It's wrapped in part of an old shower curtain and is a hand, severed above the wrist. It's been there for about twenty-five to thirty-five years.

Robin Sandford - generally known as Robbie - is Prime Minister. He's married to heiress Carol van Koon and they have two daughters, Becca and Bella. Sandford's determined to be a better type of politician: he wants a government that is not just practically good, but morally good. One of the ways he's planning on going about this is to ban arms sales to dubious regimes. Henry Morland-Cross, the Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, wishes that he'd been warned about this: it's easy to see that he wouldn't have been in agreement.

These days we all know that, in government, a Spad is a Special Adviser. We understand that they can be, well, a little weird. Morland-Cross's chief Spad is Jed Fowkes and there's a bit of a twist here: Fowkes and Sandford shared a flat back in the days when such economies were necessary for them and Fowkes has suggested to the PM that 'they' might be responsible for the body from which the hand has been severed. Back then Sandford suffered from panic attacks and blackouts and he honestly can't remember the incident Fowkes describes but there's a further problem. He's not certain about Fowkes' motives for telling him the story. When you're Prime Minister there are few people with whom you can share a story like this and Sandford calls on former journalist Joe Quine for help. He wants the story investigated.

If you're looking for a political thriller you'll struggle to get a better one than this: it's a cracker. You'll get right to the end of the book before you realise what a great creation the character of Robbie Sandford really is. He's a political animal with all the instincts required if you are to rise to the top of that particularly murky pool. We know that an aura of affability and bonhomie is mandatory (no - honestly - I haven't got anyone in particular in mind) but Sandford something to the 'nice man' image: he's an ethical conservative. He wants a better world and - amazingly - he's even prepared to have this story, with its suggestions of rape and murder which could be laid at his door, fully investigated. You gradually get the feeling that our Robbie is not quite as straightforward as you thought.

Joe Quine's damaged goods: he came second in a libel trial and it's cleaned him out. He knows that there's something dodgy about Quentin Deschevaux, the MP for East Somerset, who was the cause of his downfall. He's just taken a year out in Cornwall to write the book but now he's back in London looking into Sandford's problems with the help of his daughter's wife, Isla, who has the sort of job with the security services which doesn't get talked about.

The tension ramps up mercilessly. It wasn't even a case of 'just one more chapter': I didn't notice chapters or anything else. I just kept reading. The ending is particularly satisfying and it was with a sigh of pleasure that I put the book down. As I say: a cracker.