Precipice
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A WORLD ON THE BRINK OF WAR. AN AFFAIR ON THE EDGE OF SCANDAL.
A spellbinding novel of passion, intrigue and betrayal set in England in the weeks leading to the Great War. From the bestselling author of Conclave, Act of Oblivion, Fatherland and Munich.
Summer 1914.
In London, 26-year-old Venetia Stanley - aristocratic, intelligent, bored, reckless - is having a love affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, a man more than twice her age. He writes to her obsessively, sharing the most sensitive matters of state. As Asquith reluctantly leads the country into war with Germany, a young intelligence officer is assigned to investigate a leak of top-secret documents. Suddenly what was a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security that could topple the British government - and will alter the course of political history.
Seamlessly weaving fact and fiction in a way that no writer does better, Precipice is the thrilling new novel from Robert Harris.
About this Author
ROBERT HARRIS is the author of fifteen bestselling novels: the Cicero Trilogy--Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator--Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, An Officer and a Spy, which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Conclave, Munich, The Second Sleep, V2 and Act of Oblivion. Several of his books have been adapted into films, including The Ghost. His work has been translated into forty languages and he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He lives in West Berkshire with his wife, Gill Hornby.
Reviews
PRAISE FOR PRECIPICE:
"In this nuanced and poignant retelling of the affair between HH Asquith and Venetia Stanley, the novelist blurs the line between fact and fiction, illuminating love and power.... The novel's brilliance lies in the way the author has written into the void, giving life and voice to Venetia, bringing her to dazzling life through her imagined letters to Asquith and Harris's portrait of a bright, unconventional and complex young woman seeking to escape the strictures of her aristocratic upbringing." The Guardian
"Fascinating. . . . Themes of national loyalty and the ravages of war permeate the novel, but Harris resists grandiosity, leaning on his background as a journalist to make the stakes feel at once personal and profound. [Venetia] Stanley, in particular, emerges as a fascinating historical figure. . . . Readers will be astonished." Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Robert Harris's enthralling new novel may be one of his best. . . . Harris's cleverness lies in his psychological sophistication, carrying the reader along the twists and turns of this dubious love story . . . while the greater drama of the war in the trenches, vast casualties and the disastrous landing at Gallipoli plays off stage. . . . Harris is masterful at authentic dialogue, across all classes. There is not a false note in this novel." Independent
"[Harris] is a master of the political novel. . . . Precipice is both a harrowing story of the run-up to a terrible war and a fresh look at the much-maligned position of mistress to a powerful man." The Washington Post
"A very good thriller. . . . Harris's best book since Conclave." The Spectator
"I'm not fond of the word masterpiece, but this is a masterpiece." Nigella Lawson on X
"Brilliantly blurring fact and fiction, Sunday Times bestselling author Robert Harris is back in full force." Dead Good Book, The best crime and thriller books of 2024
"Gripping. . . . As always, [Harris] has done his research to recreate a long-gone world, and yet again he tells a good story." Financial Times
"Robert Harris has a knack for lighting on a fascinating episode of history . . . and creating from it a tight and satisfying plot. . . . Precipice is well researched and expertly constructed." The Guardian
PRAISE FOR ROBERT HARRIS:
"Robert Harris is, simply put, masterful." Karin Slaughter
"Robert Harris is a master at producing thrillers of ever-tightening suspense, full of insider analysis of political power and the treatment of momentous events." The Sunday Times
"Harris's books are always supremely readable." The Guardian
"Each Robert Harris thriller is very different but of exemplary consistency." Ian Rankin
"Robert Harris is a master at producing thrillers of ever-tightening suspense, full of insider analysis of political power and the treatment of momentous events." The Sunday Times
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