TITLE: THE GHOST

AUTHOR: Robert Harris

DATE PUBLISHED: 2007

DATE READ: June 2008

NOTES: A nameless ghost writer is brought in to finish the memoirs of ex- prime minister Adam Lang. His previous collaborator has been found dead (either an accident or suicide) but the terms the ghost writer is offered for the work are just too good to turn down. Needless to say things fail to go smoothly and our narrator is soon engulfed in a search for the truth about Lang’s past. There are obvious parallels with New Labour and the War on Terror and these are all fun to spot and they don’t get in the way of a cracking story. The story is told at a fast pace and is a genuine page turner.

The tone of the book is much more “chirpy” and modern than his previous (historical) novels and this suits the plot. He makes some insightful comments about today’s society and our links with the United States.

All great fun but with some serious undertones.