Clive happens upon an old lover, Marina, interpreter to the Russian President, who plays games and is apparently slow to recognise him. When they meet each other over the table during talks the next day, both will be surprised, but able to not show an inkling. But I’m afraid the character stereotypes are in abundance and give away a rather romantic view of life in Russia, where I have also lived and worked.

Being set in 2017, the novel feels contemporary, but the subject matter doesn’t have to deal with the war against Ukraine, which would be a different kind of book. However, it was the supporting acts that I found so fascinating, from the Russian president who sees himself as a surrogate father, to the awful FSB chief General Varlamov (who reminded me of Beria) who hates Marina, and the President’s Aide Lev, her only friend in the Kremlin. Her chance comes when her former flame Clive Franklin (Hugh Grant, if they ever film it) arrives in Moscow as the translator for a British delegation.In 1957 he had resigned from the Labour Party and had been adopted as Conservative candidate in 1959. On its initial submissions, even though it was in the hands of a top literary agent, the novel hit the buffers. In 1955, he was the first editor-in-chief of Independent Television News and was responsible for introducing American-style newscasters to British media and pledged to transform television's attitudes to politicians. a successful author and former television presenter of Collecting Now, married Gleb Shestakov in 1993 and then Julian Ayer in around 2001. Clive Franklin is a Foreign Office translator, summoned at the last minute to accompany the British prime minister to a meeting with the Russian president.

Yes,” Clive said, looking at George, at his Adam’s apple straining against the white shirt and cobalt-blue tie. Having studied Russian and Soviet Studies at University, I have always been fascinated by the country and its politics.Clive is a man of great experience and expertise, having translated for countless diplomats at G20 meetings and the UN etc. He is clear that he wishes to be considered a translator, not an interpreter and slides into the job with ease.

He appeared on 'In the News' and 'Viewfinder' on BBC, and became Independent Television News's first editor-in-chief, but later rejoined the BBC. Alas, the beautiful view from his study to the church on the hill and the graveyard where he is buried has now been obliterated by a housing estate for the rich.

Crawley was well known on the television screen and had been a much-favoured young minister in the Attlee government when he was a Labour MP for Buckingham, 1945-51, as Under-Secretary for Air. The Metropol gets a good look in, with its curious coloured marble and which was made so famous through the Amor Towles’ novel A Gentleman in Moscow, where the hotel was a character in itself.

Her twin daughters are due to come home from university to celebrate her fiftieth birthday and one wants to bring a new boyfriend.My decision was made: I would step way outside my comfort zone and go for broke, set the novel in the present day, at the highest level of government, and make it a clash between the Kremlin and Downing Street. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too. It follows the idea that wars between nations are primarily going to be fought on a technical footing rather than via physical fighting. Soon, he’s back down south, they’ve kitted him out with a new diplomatic passport, new suit etc, and a four week supply of insulin, for Clive is diabetic; everything has been catered for.