A very cleverly written thriller about a ghost writer who's commissioned to complete the autobiography of an ex-Labour Prime Minister. This PM, called Adam Lang, has retired after 10 years at the helm, during which he managed - through his unquestioning support of the US - to get the UK involved in a disastrous war with Iraq. But he is of course totally fictional!The previous ghost-writer has died in mysterious circumstances and soon our hero realises his life is in danger too. Da-daaa!
It's a real page-turner, and Robert Harris tells the story brilliantly. It gives him the opportunity to take a swipe at Blair over Iraq with one or two very powerful diatribes, but the characterisation is very thin.
One of the cleverest tricks he manages to pull off is never to name his narrator, the ghost writer, as none of the other characters ever addresses him by name.
An entertaining read, but not very satisfying.
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