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  • The Friends of Harry Perkins

  • By: Chris Mullin
  • Narrated by: Michael Fenner
  • Length: 3 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (50 ratings)

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The Friends of Harry Perkins

By: Chris Mullin
Narrated by: Michael Fenner
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Summary

'Harry Perkins was buried on the day that America declared war on China.'

The definitive post-Brexit thriller, and long-awaited sequel to the bestselling A Very British Coup.

'Brilliant, chilling and all too plausible.' Alastair Campbell

?'Terrific...measured, heart-stopping, moving, clear-eyed'. Stephen Frears

'Brexit Britain was a gloomy place. True, the Armageddon that some had prophesied had not occurred, but neither had economic miracle promised by the Brexiteers. Instead there had been a long, slow decline into insularity and irrelevance. The value of the pound had fallen steadily against the Euro, the dollar and the Yuan. The much vaunted increase in trade with the Commonwealth had not materialised. The Americans, too, were proving particularly obstreperous. Even now after a nearly decade of negotiations no significant agreements had been reached. At the UN there was talk of relieving the UK of its seat on the Security Council.'

Thirty-five years after the publication of A Very British Coup, former Labour MP Chris Mullin has written a compelling and timely sequel.

In a near-future, post-Brexit Britain, the fault lines forged in the white heat of the referendum have become entrenched features of British political life. Britain's standing in the world has steadily diminished as its problems have grown. Into the maelstrom steps Fred Thompson, former aide to left-wing prime minister Harry Perkins and his successor as MP for Sheffield Parkside.

As he ascends the greasy pole of British politics, Thompson must deal with corruption, the threat of the Far Right and personal tragedy. Along the way, he learns that power does not come without a personal price and that shadowy forces are at work behind the scenes...which, this time, appear to be on his side.

At once a gripping political thriller and a chilling prognostication of where we may be headed, this taut, insightful and engrossing novel is essential reading for our troubled times.
©2019 Chris Mullin (P)2019 Simon & Schuster UK
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What listeners say about The Friends of Harry Perkins

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Easily Readable Political Novel

Very straight forward novel with easy to follow story line. Follow on from A Very British Coup.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A gripping political yarn

I listened to this in a constant state of irritation at the below average writing, which contrasts with the gripping story. Clunky sentences, littered with arcane terms vie for attention with the plot, which is formulaic, but at the same time well-paced. I enjoyed it nevertheless, so it served its purpose. If you enjoyed "A very British coup", you'll probably enjoy this. I did and I did.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A GREAT BOOK!

This short book is well written, gripping and very moving in parts - plus potentially prescient. I shall certainly look out for the author's next book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A very Chris Mullin sequel.

A short sequel to a cult classic... is it the first post brexit political fiction?

A few interesting details... we have a Bonham-Carter standing as a lib-dem candidate and a reference to Chris Mullin's former constituency of Sunderland South (although it was redesignated before this book was written).

There's probably a longer book with more layers to it that this should have become but as it stands it's a good read with many parallels to Very British Coup.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Short, romped along

Sometimes a good short story is just the ticket and as there is always a political scandal, it's relevant. Well performed.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A bit too close for comfort

A very timely offering, which I thoroughly enjoyed as it is extremely thought-provoking, and has the ability to make me question my own views. Perhaps it should be compulsory reading! For the British electorate.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Edge of the seat stuff

Brilliant, overdue sequel to a very British coup.
Describes the current times brilliantly. Excellent narration also.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Something different!

I enjoyed this. A little respite from my usual crime fiction. I would have loved it to be longer!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Near future political thriller that will age well

Set some years after A Very British Coup this pacy follow up, while painting a bleak, almost dystopia like post-Brexit near future, is utterly riveting. An impressive retrofitting of the Harry Perkins years into contemporary political history works well enough but you don't have to have read the first for this one to work, though it is recommended to understand the journey the novel's protagonist, Fred Thompson, has been on.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

top class political thriller

this book is very engaging and entertaining
well written and well narrated

I would highly recommend

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