Three words!

Everything is at a standstill. Phone lines are down and there is no power and only one person knows why.
However he has just committed suicide watched by his best friend Charlie.

What has Sebastian been involved in and can Charlie find out before the world ceases to be.

The Peak - an historic hilltop district of Hong Kong giving stunning panoramic views of the city.

Senator Sebastian Abler is an Australian government minister and his old friend Charlie Westcoff go way back to school days. They are extremely close, as close as brothers. Sebastian’s job is to promote foreign direct investment in Australia and the pair are in Hong Kong for a meeting when a Chinese businessman gives him a message - ‘It’s done’. It transpires this links to Sebastian’s past and Chloe Zheng and what unfolds next is truly horrifying for Charlie. Why? Everything before has seemed so normal and crucially, what does the message mean? There’s a time bomb ticking and least of all is this – does Charlie know Sebastian as well as he thinks he does? Charlie swings into action to try to piece it all together to find out what an earth Sebastian has done because it’s possible tomorrow when you wake up, it could be the end of the world.

Phew. Can I breathe now? This is one cracking, outstanding, excellent political thriller debut and if that’s a genre you like, this is a MUST read. Explosive sums the plot up well as we head into the murky, shadowy and devious underworld of espionage where any methods seem to be on the table in order to obtain information. There’s everything from loyalty to treachery and betrayal although at the heart of it there’s deep love. Politics and power, coverups, cyber power, secrets, manipulation and extreme danger. It’s extremely tense and suspenseful with multiple twists and turns that keep me eagerly reading on, gripped by the action. The plot is very well connected, complex and very believable. The tone it’s written in makes me totally buy into it. It’s very dramatic and real as it builds to a great conclusion.

The backdrop to much of the drama is Hong Kong, which is fantastic as it adds to the atmosphere with its frenetic energy matching the swift pace and intrigue of the plot. It’s obvious the author knows it very well.

Overall, this is an excellent political thriller and one heck of a debut which I have no hesitation in highly recommending.

PS. There are inevitably a lot of acronyms as you would expect in a political thriller. Many are unfamiliar to me as it’s Australian and of course, Chinese but I have no difficulty in figuring out what they mean and it is no way detracts from the plot.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

Political thrillers are miles away from my usual genres however this one grips you from the very start. I absolutely couldn’t put it down- even reading well through one night. It’s many things, a thriller, political, a love story, a story of betrayal, a story of great loyalty, blind loyalty some would say!

The end is as thrilling as you would expect, it’s left me feeling quite shaken, realising this could all happen, it could be reality not just fiction! A brilliantly written story.

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

A strong political thriller concerning the Australian government. High flyer Sebastian Adler kills himself shortly after meeting with a Chinese diplomat. His best friend Charlie Westcott witnesses this and is highly shocked. What follows is an explanation of what brought Sebastian to commit suicide, seen mainly through Charlie’s lengthy report, requested by senior government officials. Hard to read at times and it would help to know something about Australian and Chinese politics and government beforehand. Judging from the book, they’re mostly an unlikeable lot! For fans of Frederick Forsyth.

As a lover of politics and a lover of thrillers, this was definitely one which I couldn't wait to request and read.

And boy did it deliver..... Do you know one of those books which just draws you in from the initial chapter and you know you won't be able to rest until you know what happened - well this was one of those.

The book tells the story of Sebastian, a handsome politician on the rise, perhaps all the way to Prime Minister if his Chief of Staff and political attack dog has anything to do with it. However, a relatively innocuous meeting ends in disaster with the uttering of three small words in Mandarin... what do these words mean? and, more importantly, why have they caused Sebastian to carry out a devastating act?

Well, read on as Guthrie takes us through the world of politics, spycraft, love, jealousy, betrayal and a million other things as we follow Sebastian and Charlie through Australia, China, Hong Kong to a thrilling dramatic conclusion.

This was everything I loved in a book and I just wish there were more books like this out there. The only thing that I never knew when I picked it up was that it was set in Australian politics which I am not too familiar with however this does not detract from the story at all.

Really loved this one and would recommend to anyone with an interest in politics, thrillers and espionage.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

A dark and disturbing read.

"The Peak" opens in the present day. Charlie Westcott is the Chief of Staff for Sebastian Adler, a rising star in the Australian government and currently Minister for Trade. They have been friends since school, and like lifelong friends, are privy to each other's secrets - or so Charlie thought until one day, following a meeting with a Chinese business man, Sebastian shoots himself in the head. At the same time, large parts of western Australia are hit by a cyber attack, shutting down communications and infrastructure.

Charlie is immediately plunged into a maelstrom of events, as he faces questioning by the security services, the government and others. Why would a high-flying minister suddenly take his own life? At the request of the head of the intelligence service, Charlie begins to write down his version of events, and this forms the basis of the book. It's clear from the start that secrets and jealousy have been part of his relationship with Sebastian since they first met., but as the narrative slowly unfolds, we learn just how deep and dark those secrets are - beginning at school and following the pair as they build their lives across China, Hong Kong and Australia. We learn secrets that Charlie kept for Sebastian, but we also learn about the many secrets Sebastian kept from Charlie. It's a many-layered tale of how far people will go to protect the ones they love, and how once decision leads to tragedy.

"The Peak" is a political thriller. There are few, if any, likeable characters in the book. There's ambition, jealousy, greed, guilt and love. There's also a keen insight into the geo-political manoeuvrings that exist in the Asia Pacific area, and beyond, as well as the lengths governments will go to to stay ahead of their rivals.

A taught and compelling tale recommended for fans of Tom Fletcher and Frederick Forsyth.