Precipice
Published on 24. April 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
560 pages
978-1-80494-129-4 (ISBN)
Description
**PRE-ORDER AGRIPPA NOW: THE THRILLING NEW NOVEL FROM ROBERT HARRIS, COMING AUGUST 2026**
THE NUMBER 1 BESTSELLER
A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB AND A SUNDAY TIMES SUMMER READS PICK 2025
A WORLD ON THE BRINK OF WAR. AN AFFAIR ON THE EDGE OF SCANDAL.
'A riveting tale of politics, war and erotic obsession' SUNDAY TIMES
'His most enthralling yet . . . extraordinary' NICHOLAS COLERIDGE, INDEPENDENT
Summer 1914. A world on the brink of catastrophe.
In London, 26-year-old Venetia Stanley - aristocratic, clever, 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 - and suddenly what was a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security that 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.
'The king of the page-turning thriller' i Paper
'Harris's cleverness, judgment and eye for detail are second to none' Sunday Times
'Harris writes with a skill and ingenuity that few other novelists can match' Financial Times
'Harris is a master of historical fiction, a compelling author who brings to life the recent and ancient past' TLS
Robert Harris, Sunday Times bestseller, May 2024
THE NUMBER 1 BESTSELLER
A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB AND A SUNDAY TIMES SUMMER READS PICK 2025
A WORLD ON THE BRINK OF WAR. AN AFFAIR ON THE EDGE OF SCANDAL.
'A riveting tale of politics, war and erotic obsession' SUNDAY TIMES
'His most enthralling yet . . . extraordinary' NICHOLAS COLERIDGE, INDEPENDENT
Summer 1914. A world on the brink of catastrophe.
In London, 26-year-old Venetia Stanley - aristocratic, clever, 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 - and suddenly what was a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security that 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.
'The king of the page-turning thriller' i Paper
'Harris's cleverness, judgment and eye for detail are second to none' Sunday Times
'Harris writes with a skill and ingenuity that few other novelists can match' Financial Times
'Harris is a master of historical fiction, a compelling author who brings to life the recent and ancient past' TLS
Robert Harris, Sunday Times bestseller, May 2024
Reviews / Votes
I'm not fond of the word masterpiece, but this is a masterpiece -- Nigella Lawson Gripping drama -- Jake Kerridge * Telegraph * Brilliantly blurring fact and fiction, Sunday Times bestselling author Robert Harris is back in full force * Dead Good Books - The best crime and thriller books of 2024 * Fans of this hugely popular author should lap up this tale that mixes fact with fiction, as is his trademark * Sunday Express - Best Summer Reads * 'A beautifully crafted novel . . . a dexterous blend of the political and the personal . . . Precipice is Robert Harris's 16th novel, and there hasn't been a dud among them' -- Allan Massie * The Scotsman * Precipice hones in on those vital summer days when Britain hovered on the brink of war, before plunging into the abyss that arguably destroyed European civilisation * Spectator * Robert Harris is one of those authors you know you can rely on. His 16th novel, Precipice, is no exception * The Times * Robert Harris is a sort of genius . . . I am knocked out by the assurance of his portrait of a time, a relationship, and the perils to which Britain's leader exposed himself amidst a supreme historic catastrophe. The book is yet another triumph for the author -- Max Hastings Few have mastered the alchemy of the popular historical novel quite like Harris * i News * Rollicking . . . Harris's best book since Conclave * Spectator *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Cornerstone
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 131 mm
Thickness: 39 mm
Weight
374 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80494-129-4 (9781804941294)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
08/2024
Penguin (Cornerstone)
€8.99
Available for download
Person
Robert Harris is the author of sixteen 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, Act of Oblivion and Precipice. His work has been translated into forty languages and nine of his books have been adapted for cinema and television. He lives in West Berkshire with his wife, Gill Hornby.