The Enemy Within
A Tommy Wildeblood novel: Volume 2
Published on 3. February 2022
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-78563-234-1 (ISBN)
Description
'Accomplished and gripping' - The Observer
It's 1984. Tommy Wildeblood, hero of Beneath the Streets, has put his days as a Piccadilly rent boy and scandal-hunting sleuth behind him, to study at the radical Polytechnic of North London.
During a pitched battle against National Front infiltrators at the Poly, he meets handsome young Irishman Liam and embarks on the sort of romantic relationship he never thought he would have. But is it too good to be true? Liam's abrupt disappearance prompts Tommy to question how much he knows about his new lover.
Dusting off his old sleuthing skills, Tommy's hunt for Liam takes him into the dark and violent netherworld of radical politics. As his search moves to an explosive climax, he finds himself in danger of carrying the can for one of the most shocking events of the decade.
With the twin spectres of Aids and nuclear armageddon never far away, The Enemy Within is a gritty thriller built around a story of love in terrifying times. It captures the unique spirit of a dark and brooding age, with a supporting cast including Derek Jarman, corrupt Trotskyist leader Gerry Healy, a young Jeremy Corbyn and even Maggie Thatcher herself.
It's 1984. Tommy Wildeblood, hero of Beneath the Streets, has put his days as a Piccadilly rent boy and scandal-hunting sleuth behind him, to study at the radical Polytechnic of North London.
During a pitched battle against National Front infiltrators at the Poly, he meets handsome young Irishman Liam and embarks on the sort of romantic relationship he never thought he would have. But is it too good to be true? Liam's abrupt disappearance prompts Tommy to question how much he knows about his new lover.
Dusting off his old sleuthing skills, Tommy's hunt for Liam takes him into the dark and violent netherworld of radical politics. As his search moves to an explosive climax, he finds himself in danger of carrying the can for one of the most shocking events of the decade.
With the twin spectres of Aids and nuclear armageddon never far away, The Enemy Within is a gritty thriller built around a story of love in terrifying times. It captures the unique spirit of a dark and brooding age, with a supporting cast including Derek Jarman, corrupt Trotskyist leader Gerry Healy, a young Jeremy Corbyn and even Maggie Thatcher herself.
Reviews / Votes
'Wildeblood is a thoroughly likeable hero' Mail on Sunday'I loved this - the kind of book I wish I'd written' Jonathan Harvey
'Macqueen has created a really memorable main character: brave, clever and brimming with moral indignation, but also vulnerable' John Preston, The Critic
'An accomplished and gripping continuation of Wildeblood's adventures [in] a grim 1980s bedevilled by Aids, Thatcherism and IRA bombings. Cameos by everyone from Jeremy Corbyn to Derek Jarman add texture and wit' The Observer?
'Rent boys. Revolutionary communists. Frankie Goes to Hollywood. And a plot to blow up Mrs Thatcher' Popbitch
'Brilliant. Beautifully drawn. A superb final twist' Boyz
'This rollercoaster queer thriller is a cracking read: a complex love story, an adventure racked with radical threat and emotional trauma, an on-point political history of 80s social anxieties and protests, and a stonking good who-dunnit and who-dunn-what' Scene Magazine
'A moving and profound, emotionally powerful read. Gripping, unflinching and full of twists and turns. The blend of fiction with real history is superbly done' Chez Maximka
'Wonderfully uses fact and real life characters to weave a fictional political thriller, full of grit, danger and fear, but also wit, depth and compassion' Babbage and Sweetcorn
'A gripping thriller which blends fact and fiction, superbly evocative of the times and period, and wonderfully character-driven. Outstanding' AMW Books
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Much Wenlock
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Eye Books
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
332 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78563-234-1 (9781785632341)
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
02/2022
Lightning Books
€7.19
Available for download
Person
Adam Macqueen's books include The Prime Minister's Ironing Board and The Lies of the Land: An Honest History of Political Deceit. The King of Sunlight, his biography of the soap manufacturer William Hesketh Lever, was named by The Economist as one of its books of the year. He has contributed to Private Eye since 1997. He wrote the bestselling history of the magazine which was published in 2011 and edited the recent 60th anniversary celebration compiling the best of its contents through the years. He has also been on the editorial team of Popbitch and The Big Issue.