A Very English Scandal: Sex, Lies and a Murder Plot at the Heart of the Establis

John Preston

£8.99

In stock

In 1979, Jeremy Thorpe, the rising star of the Liberal Party, stood trial for conspiracy to murder. It was the first time that a leading British politician had stood trial on a murder charge. It was the first time that a murder plot had been hatched in the House of Commons. And it was the first time that a prominent public figure had been exposed as a philandering homosexual. With all the pace and drama of a thriller, ‘A Very English Scandal’ is an extraordinary story of hypocrisy, deceit and betrayal at the heart of the British establishment.

ISBN: 9780241983898 Category:

Description

The bestselling book that inspired the Bafta-winning BBC drama,starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw

Corruption. Blackmail. Conspiracy to murder. A Very English Scandal has all the hallmarks of a classic thriller with one difference. It’s all true.

In the late 1960s Jeremy Thorp, the charismatic leader of the Liberal Party, was at the height of his political career. But homosexuality had only just been legalized, and a former relationship with a younger man named Norman Scott threatened to destroy Thorp’s carefully curated facade. Helped by fellow politicians, Thorpe schemed, deceived and embezzled until he saw only one way to silence his ex-lover for good.

Meticulously researched and endlessly extraordinary, Thorp’s trial captured the moment that British society discovered the truth about its political class – and learned just how far the Establishment will go to protect its own.

Gripping. A story of cack-handed assassins, buffoonish policemen, dodgy Home Secretaries’ Daily Telegraph

I loved it; eccentric, dark, humane and English in the very best sense’ Alain de Botton

‘Retold with masterful skill . . . It grips like a detective story’ Daily Mail, Book of the Week

Additional information

Weight 0.256 kg
Dimensions 19.8 × 12.9 × 2.2 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

ix, 339 , 8 of plates

Language

English

Edition

Media tie-in

Dewey

941.085092 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K

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