LoveReading Says
One of our Books of the Year 2014.
A tale of spying and political machinations as a new British ambassador to Washington is about to be announced. There are several candidates who must be whistle clean. A mid-ranking government minister with a past in the secret service is asked to look into their backgrounds. He has two brothers, one working for the American secret service. The tale is very convoluted, seeming unconnected and vague but does come together a little more than half way through with the resolve coming as a complete surprise at the very end. So keep your wits about you, stay with it and be enthralled.
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The Madness of July Synopsis
From Radio 4's James Naughtie, a sophisticated thriller about loyalty, survival and family rivalry deep in the Cold War, drawing on decades of experience as a political insider in Westminster and Washington.
It is a sweltering July in the mid-1970s, and for Will Flemyng, foreign office minister, the temperature is rising with each passing hour. A mysterious death has exposed secret passions in government, bringing on a political crisis that will draw him back into a familiar world of danger and deceit. For Flemyng has a past. He was trained as a spy for a life behind enemy lines and now he's compelled to go back. In the course of one long weekend he must question all his loyalties: to his friends, his enemies, and to his own two brothers. Only then can he expose the truth in London and Washington. When he has walked through the fire.
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James Naughtie Press Reviews
Additional praise for The Madness of July:
'Clever, fast-paced and beautifully written, this is a sophisticated and hugely satisfying thriller that grips from the first page to the last. A tour de force.'
Kate Mosse
'Good writing, vivid scene-setting and knowledgeable descriptions from an insider at ease in the corridors of power.' Literary Review
'A fast-paced read full of intriguing insights into the impact of political life, from a man with 30 years' experience of the corridors of powder.' Daily Mail
'A book about political ambition and the often forgotten role of emotions in politics... the Scottish scenes are timeless and contain the best writing... An endearing book. We are teased a bit, led up the garden path and treated to some of Naughtie's verbal richness. A book to be read on the sleeper train to Edinburgh.' The Times
'The plot bubbles on nicely while it carefully provokes a picture of politics... the combination of insider knowledge, essential kindliness and a satisfying denouement make it highly effective.' Reader's Digest
'Tense, admirable... A book bursting with enthusiasm. it's the authorial fizz that sustains the book, pushing it along at a boisterous lick.' Financial Times
