“If London is a collection of villages, I am the pedlar who wanders between the communities of politicians, financiers and businessmen, trading nuggets of information until I have enough to tell a tale that you’ll pay to read.”

My thanks to Bonnier Books Zaffre for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Whistleblower’ by Robert Peston in exchange for an honest review.

Robert Peston is a leading British political journalist and this is his debut novel. It is a political thriller set just before the 1997 General Election.

I read this without prior knowledge of the plot as with this kind of thriller I feel that it is best read ‘cold’.

The novel is narrated by Gil Peck, a political journalist at the fictional Financial Courier. He has OCD and is quite fastidious, including always commenting on fashion choices. This and his sharp inner dialogue that dissects the savage nature of the world he inhabits reminded me a little of 1990s icon, Patrick Bateman, though without the serial killer tendencies.

Many of the novel’s politicians, financiers, and media personalities appear to be thinly veiled versions (or amalgamations) of known Individuals. Add to this that elements of Peston’s own life has informed the background for his protagonist, this can be considered, at least in part, a roman-à-clef.

While thrillers about journalism, political and financial shenanigans aren’t to everyone’s taste, I do enjoy them, especially when as well written as this.

I found ‘The Whistleblower’ a fast-paced, intelligent thriller that captured perfectly those heady days of the spring of 1997. The dialogue is cracking and there were veins of wry humour and satire running through the narrative.

I expect that I will be recommending it to my reading group as a selection next year as it is not only an engaging novel but offers plenty of scope for discussion.

I was excited to learn that ‘The Whistleblower’ is the first in a trilogy featuring Gil Peck and will be eagerly awaiting news of his next book.

A story told in the first person of a political journalist that shows a fascinating life and times a man with comples family relations traumatised by the death of his sister due to road accident. However, the events and circumstances the lead up to her death causes her brother to have suspicions due to her position as a senior treasury official with a proposal to tax pension dividends, at present tax free, would affectinsolvent pension fund but provide a welcome eind fall for the treasury. What with false leads and the convoluted involvement of ministers, corporations, takeover bids, in many way reads like a detective story with a good insight into the relations betwern politicians and the press. Not being a real detective and without the authority of one, the journalist could only achieve a small measure of justice and hope for a comeuppance of guilty parties in due time.

The Whistleblower takes place in the immediate run up to the 1997 election and the protagonist, Gil Peck is the Political Editor of a prestigious newspaper. His sister is killed in what at first appears to be a simple traffic accident but then there are hints that her death might have been linked to a possible political scandal.
This is a fast paced book with lots of twists and turns and a myriad of different characters who can be quite difficult to keep track of. Despite all his faults, a poor brother, drug taking etc, Gil Peck is a likeable character and his determination not to let go of the story despite all the obstacles put in his way keeps the story moving along.
This wasn’t up to the standard of Michael Dobbs but it was an enjoyable political thriller
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

A splendid political thriller from a man who knows his stuff! The fun is recognising real figures thinly disguised in a complex plot of shenanigans in the Westminster bubble and newspaper world. The seemingly accidental death of a top civil servant whose brother is the political editor of a top financial paper sets it all off. The pace never flags and all builds to the shock denouement and the realisation that the status-quo survives all. Excellent!

I enjoyed this book. The story is fast-paced and gripping, if a little predictable. I found it off-putting to have to imagine the 1997 election with different protagonists, however; I kept looking for the "Tony Blair character" or the "John Prescott character". Also off-putting is the similarity of Peck to Peston (not in all matters I hasten to add). Overall an entertaining book, but I wouldn't rush to read other books by Robert Peston.

Political thrillers are not my usual reading genre, but I was intrigued by the synopsis and by the author of this title.
Set in 1997, the Labour party are in position to win the next election. Political journalist Gil Peck is devastated by the death of his sister Claire who worked in the Treasury and becomes convinced that her death is not an accident..
Gripping from the beginning, I kept up with the action, characters and politics - which sometimes can be made difficult by some authors. I have to say that the characters seemed under developed, but maybe in the sequel they will have more personality.
Certainly not a book to be devoured at speed as many subtle twists could be missed..

Interesting to read a book by Robert Peston, political journalist, and learn about the machinations of politics and what goes on behind the scenes. It shows how the newspapers are in cohorts with political parties and how sleaze is covered up. The main plot is the death of Gil's sister and how it is embroiled with the cover up of the plan to remove tax breaks on pensions. I found it a bit lengthy at the start but got into it as the book continued.

This is a fast paced thriller with some intriguing characters. It was a little dark at times but nothing too difficult to read. I will say some of the politics and the detail went over my head a little but it wasn't distracting from the narrative itself. Given the author I'd like to think a lot of it was authentic if slightly fictionalised, but it was very interesting to learn about the inner workings of parliament and the press and their relationship. I look forward to his next book!

The Whistleblower is an exciting and compulsively readable debut political thriller from the UK's foremost political journalist, ITV News' Political Editor Robert Peston. It's the first in a proposed duology featuring avid cyclist and irascible journalist Gil Peck who very much enjoys sadistically weaponising people’s secrets and exposing them to the world in the form of a scoop. Set in 1997 in the run-up to an election, it follows the political editor of a British broadsheet newspaper known as The Financial Courier as he navigates the corridors of power to bag the biggest stories. Gil's methods could be described as unconventional or even immoral and he is a tenacious, arrogant, ruthlessly driven and wildly ambitious and he knows this game like the back of his hand. He has also been described as like a sledgehammer trying to crack a nut. But when Gil’s estranged sister Clare dies in an apparent hit-and-run while out on her bike, he begins to believe it was no accident. Clare knew some of the most sensitive secrets in government – could one of them have got her killed? As election day approaches, Gil follows the story into the dark web of interests that link politics, finance and the media.

This is a compulsive and superbly woven contemporary political thriller mixed with a family drama and a timely and page-turning thriller revolving around government conspiracies. Gil isn't a particularly likeable character, but what he lacks in that department he makes up for by being a fascinating bloke who has a seemingly insatiable appetite for blowing up politicians’ best-laid plans, regardless of party or ideological allegiance. He enjoys controlling the narrative and wanders ”between the communities of politicians, financiers and businessmen, trading nuggets of information" until he has enough to tell a tale that you’ll pay to read. Combining his unprecedented knowledge of the inner workings of politics, business and power together with his unparalleled sense of a good story - having broken so many over his career - Peston has crafted an insightful, sardonic, terrifying and excellently paced thriller with a distinctive cast of characters, ample use of twists and misdirection, and an engrossing plot centred around the interaction between media, politics, government and the use of spin. Highly recommended.

I spent the first third of the book wondering how much was true and then I was totally immersed in the story. Being of a certain age, i can see parallels between fiction and fact but a cleverly woven story.
I will be looking out for Robert's next book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this pacy political thriller, set in the run up to the general election of 1997. Peston can certainly write and the drama agd intrigue was kept up throughout the novel. I did wonder how much of himself Peston wrote into the main protagonist, Gil Peck, but hope he will write more thrillers in the same vein.

For a lot of years I have followed Robert Peston both on the BBc and later on ITV so I was pleased to be offered a review copy of his first novel
The novel is set prior to the 1997 general election and there are some obvious connections to the politics of that time. The most obvious being "Modern Labour" with charismatic but ulimately self centered leader Johnny Todd.
The Tory party and its senior politicians are portrayed as somewhat ineffective and corrupt and heading for a heavy defeat at the polls.
Inamongst the poitics Peston weaves a story about the seemingly accidental death of a senior treasury advisor and the subesquent investigation by her polical reporter brother. A South African Press Baron is also thrown into the mix which adds to the interest.
Thew plot takes some time to get going but there many insights into the relationships between politicians and the press. Once it gets going the plot gallops along and I burnt the midnight oil in order to to get to end.
Although this is not the best thriller or political novel I have read for a first attemt at the genre it is very readable and I would certainly purchase any subsequent novel by the author.

Quite a speedy read with some rather formulaic characters. A sort of poor man’s ‘House of Cards’ and Dibdin did it much better. The storyline unrolls just as one might expect and no real surprises or shocks. Thanks to Netgalley.

I found this a great read. I enjoyed the political issues and guessing who was who in the real world!
Given that the author is a political journalist, it felt authentic and the facts about the workings of the parliament and the papers were revealing.
I enjoyed the story but I found that I couldn't remove the author from the main character!
Recommended

This is a superb read strengthened by the expert use of Peston’s intimate knowledge of the political landscape. He has translated his personal knowledge and experience into a well written, authentic mystery. Gilbert Peck is political correspondent for a paper called FC. As with many other moments in the book, the reader will be wondering what real life is represented under disguise in the story. Peck is a damaged figure with drug and alcohol issues. He has difficult relationships in his personal life which he regrets when his sister Clare dies in a road accident which he discovers to be murder. Given her close relationships with senior political figures in her senior civil service role, Peck pursues the culprit. The political background of the weeks involved in the book is the run up to a general election. Anything he discovers and publishes could have a far reaching political effect. This is a riveting story and a remarkable overview of modern politics. I can not recommend it enough. It is a significant achievement.

I prefer Robert Preston as a writer than a journalist. This great read give a good insight to what goes on with political journalist and MPs. I could not put the book down.Gil and the other characters are all stron and believable. I would not be surprised if it is not a made for TV show. I think it is in the public's interest to show on Tele what we are not being told by the MPs we put in power and do not have the same employment contract and conditions as us eg dismissal for gross misconduct lies misleading. It seams they are above all that!

I enjoyed this political thriller, which must surely be partly autobiographical? It was particularly interesting to learn more about how the political stories are fed to the journalists, and how the newspapers are put together. The first half of the book did stall slightly, and it goes into a lot of detail about how pensions are funded: not all readers will appreciate this. I also think readers who are not into politics may not enjoy it as much as I did. I hope Robert Peston writes a second book with the same lead character.

Gil Peck is the political editor who roams the corridors of Westminster looking for the next scoop.
His estranged sister Clare is a high-flying civil servant.
After Clare dies in a tragic accident, Gil discovers a message on his pager " I need your help. Clare. "

As Gil investigates, he discovers conspiracies around every corner.

Set against the General Election of 1992, this political thriller fizzes along.

Robert Peston writes well and I enjoyed this book with the exception of two elements:

His name dropping of Gil's designer clothes which may or may not be ironic;

His gratuitous use of "the C word " which adds nothing to the story and spoils it somewhat

The Whistleblower is a vivid and authentic political thriller.
Gil Peck, its protagonist and narrator, is an unapologetic anti-hero. Like a shark, he cannot stand still - he has to be on the move constantly, chasing scoops and grabbing new headlines. He is a political reporter with links to those in power (an in opposition) in the 1997 fictional Britain (although the fiction is just thinly veiled reality). His contacts are as morally corrupt as he is: sex, drugs, underhanded manoeuvres and few regrets. Everyone in this book has a political agenda and seems to live on knife's edge. The vibe of the late nineties - as Labour led by the then charismatic Tony Blair consolidated its grip on power - is depicted with vibrant authenticity. The frenzied media of that era are depicted honestly and without disclaimers.
On top of his professional intensity, Gil Peck is deeply flawed on a personal level: obsessively washing his hands and mumbling superstitious chants when distressed (which is pretty much all the the time), drinking excessively and snorting cocaine in order to keep going. He has detached himself from his Jewish roots and antagonised his family, and in particular his sister Clare (a high flying government figure). All in all, he is a fantastically fleshed out character. As the story unfolds and he begins to dig deeper in his sister's last cry for help and her suspicious death, his softer, more human side starts to emerge.
If this book was a film it would probably be categorised as a dramatised documentary rather a feature movie. It does feel very real and utterly credible, and that's what makes it unputdownable. Reading it you will feel like you've been let in a big fat state secret.

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.