The House
The most utterly gripping, must-read political thriller of the twenty-first century
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'A prescient page-turner about secrets, lies, ruthless ambition and betrayal' SARAH VAUGHAN
'A rare view from the inside of the Machiavellian machinations for power . . . Fascinating' HARRIET TYCE
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In their remarkable debut political thriller, Tom Watson, former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, and Imogen Robertson open the doors to The House, a place of ambition, hope, friendship . . . and betrayal.
Once allies, Labour MP Owen McKenna and Conservative Minister Philip Bickford now face each other across the House of Commons as bitter enemies. Then the reappearance of a figure from their past forces them to confront the choices that led to the tragic downfall of their former housemate, Jay.
Late one night, Owen receives a visit from a lobbyist who promises to protect him from the consequences of his actions in exchange for one, small favour - or to have his reputation and career utterly destroyed if he refuses. But that favour will sell out everything Owen believes in.
As rivals gather and whispers of wrongdoing fill the corridors of Westminster, it's clear that someone knows the truth about Jay's Icarus-like fall from grace. Now, the former friends must face one terrible truth...
Someone is responsible, and a reckoning is overdue.
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'Politics red in tooth and claw. Watson and Robertson capture, with scalpel precision, the neurotic allure of the Westminster power game' LUKE JENNINGS
'Few people know more about what goes on behind the political scenes than Watson, and it is all unveiled here, in a snappy, twisty page-turner' HOLLY WATT
Tom Watson
Tom Watson lives in Chicago with his wife, daughter, and son. He also has a dog, as you could probably guess. The dog is a Labrador-Newfoundland mix. Tom says he looks like a Labrador with a bad perm. He wanted to name the dog "Put Your Shirt On" (please don't ask why), but he was outvoted by his family. The dog's name is Shadow. Early in his career Tom worked in politics, including a stint as the chief speechwriter for the governor of Ohio. This experience helped him develop the unique, storytelling narrative style of the Stick Dog books. More important, Tom's time in politics made him realize a very important thing: Kids are way smarter than adults. And it's a lot more fun and rewarding to write stories for them than to write speeches for grown-ups.
More by Tom Watson
Imogen Robertson
Imogen Robertson studied languages at Cambridge and was a TV director before her first novel Instruments of Darkness was published in 2009. She is the author of The Crowther and Westerman crime series and The Paris Winter. Her novels have been shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger three times. You can find her online at www.imogenrobertson.com or on twitter @RobertsonImogen
More by Imogen Robertson
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