The Whistleblower: The explosive thriller from Britain's top political journalist

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For those readers who recall the financial crisis in the 2008, this book will leave you pondering how much is fact and how much is fiction.

The Whistleblower by Robert Peston | Goodreads The Whistleblower by Robert Peston | Goodreads

A good analysis and some solid suggestions on how to move forward from the passionate and intelligent Peston. I listened to this on audio book so the fact that it is narrated by Robert gives it a real immediacy and a real animation in the delivery which seems heart felt. Of course this book focuses on Brexit and a wee bit on Trump but really just looking at the commonalities between both popular movements that made the result happen. Dr Robert’s diagnosis: it’s not good. But you knew that. The moment Terri-Mae caved into the Quitters at her party conference and promised a definite leaving date, she might as well have pissed her negotiating position up the wall. So far, so bleedin obvs, but what’s interesting is the floppy haired love god’s imprecations not to take this out on those who voted leave, or to pigheadedly hope it’s the catastrophe some predict. It wasn’t. The story plods along and the protagonist Gil is incredibly irritating to spend time with. It’s never a good sign to have to continuously tell your reader that “I know this sounds boring but trust me, it’s REALLY IMPORTANT”. If you find yourself repeatedly writing that than maybe it’s a sign you should find a more interesting scandal for your debut novel. In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding. Overall, I found this an interesting and ultimately exciting political thriller. It’s not a classic, but it’s a good start and I will certainly give Robert Peston’s next book a try.

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The analysis of what caused Brexit and indeed why many cozy London political journalists didn't see it coming was I think the best part of this book and Peston is refreshingly honest in his inclusion of himself in that group. The weird thing about being OCD is you can be OCD about some things and not about others. When I was young, my brain was utter chaos. There were just thoughts going everywhere the whole time, it was total noise. I could control it when I was writing, but my book collection was always like the way I thought, everything was everywhere – and still is. I am not normally a fan of political thrillers, but seeing that The Whistleblower was written by one of my favourite broadcasters, the award-winning journalist Robert Peston, I thought I’d give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was considering this is not always the case when journalists decide to try their hand at fiction. Set in the run-up to the 1997 general election, he seamlessly weaves thinly disguised, real-life people into the narrative, and paints a warts-and-all portrait of what goes on behind the scenes at Westminster. If you were following the news at the time, the atmosphere of hope and desire for change will be instantly recognisable. This was an excellent read , Robert Peston's easy manner of writing making the chapters flow easily and fluidly.

Robert Peston | Waterstones The Whistleblower by Robert Peston | Waterstones

I rang a minister and it did get sorted, but there were lots of similar stories about people dying in their beds, and you can’t say, ‘Oh, it’s just a story’. These kinds of life and death situations bring different kinds of pressures.” The Whistleblower is, in the end, quite a good political thriller. Journalists don’t always make good novelists, but Robert Peston has made a decent fist of this, his first work of fiction. This book was written in 2017 just after the unpredictable general election of that year and reading it felt akin to being a visitor from the future arriving at the author's shoulder as he wrote it. This did not in any way lessen the interest in, or relevance of, the book but there were some subjects that time had overtaken (understandably) In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people. Pacing (apart from my comment earlier) is good and follows the narrative well. The story is also both interesting and intriguing, and gets on with itself well too and I was held captive throughout my time reading.The book briefly considers Trump and Corbyn but not in any great depth. It finishes with several of his own suggestions for a more balanced workplace and what could be done to reduce inequality in society. Excellent analysis of recent events, economic, cultural and political, that have resulted in Donald Trump as President of the USA, and the Brexit mess in the UK. (I think everyone can agree that Brexit is a mess, whether you support Leave or Remain. We can disagree on why, but it's undoubtedly been a shambles.) And then, the next day, Marilyn Krol, a director of the Bank of England, commits suicide. At least that's what it appears to be. I don't usually read books by celebrities as I think there's better authors out there not getting the credit they deserve. Yet Robert Peston writes with an enjoyable and knowledgeable style. As a journalist he knows how to create a riveting story and as such I judge him on his words and not his name. This is a brilliant and exciting read that I really enjoyed.