I have yet to read but I have high expectations.

What an amazing story based on the letters written between PM Asquith and his socialite mistress Venetia Stanley. With World War one breaking out, the PM writes about everything, including top secret information, and sends it in the normal post to his young girlfriend. The politics and personalities, including Winston Churchill, are brought to life, and the intrigue behind what was happening with at the top show the absolute disregard for the thousands of lives that were being lost, especially in the Gallipoli campaign. So shocking that it is based on truth, with actual correspondence used throughout the book, and a little literary licence to tie it all together. This is another absolute page turner from this author.

He’s done it again – this book is yet another masterful blending of fact and fiction backed by superb and illuminating research, flawless writing, and a creative imagination that should be earning him a bucket load of awards. Robert Harris is such a skillful storyteller that he makes you believe in whatever world he is constructing. He reimagines real people and seamlessly places them among his fictional characters to create a very believable sense of time and place. This thrilling new novel combines a story of scandal, politics, and obsession as Harris takes us back to 1914 and a country on the brink of war. Seemingly with the knowledge of friends and family, 26-year-old bored aristocrat Venetia Stanley 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 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. Asquith doesn’t come out of this well, both for the way he treats the women in his life, and for the disregard he shows for state secrets. He appears to be self-pitying, weak, and more interested in writing to his lover than paying attention during critical cabinet meetings. Asquith’s behaviour verges on being both cruel and obsessive, and I’m surprised Venetia – once past the initial infatuation of being courted by power – didn’t tire of him sooner. While Asquith’s letters to Venetia survive and acted as an inspiration for this novel, Venetia’s letters had to be recreated by Harris. They feel entirely believable and help to immerse us in her world and the incredible situation she finds herself in. I love the way Harris completely immerses you in the world of his novel, whether it’s ancient Rome, the Vatican, the English Civil War, or the Second World War. And while his books wear their research lightly – the detailed observations make it clear how much hard work has gone into making them feel authentic. This should surely be another bestseller. With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in return for a review.

This is a superb new novel from Robert Harris. It blends the serious topic of war with daily routine- albeit it through letters between the Prime Minister Asquith and his mistress, an aristocrat Venetia Stanley. The characters are truly brought to life in this novel as Harris conveys conversations in which the reader feels like they are eavesdropping. We come across Churchill, Haldene and Kitchner and their heated discussions as the war progresses with horrendous casualties. Harris has created a story around the letters between the PM and Venetia and it transpires that Asquith’s letters are authentic which makes this novel even more enthralling. With meticulous research and the potential national security breaches with the letters, Harris has excelled himself with this. This unique perspective on such an important part of history is original and commendable. Harris never disappoints. Long may it continue.

Robert Harris has proven himself as a reliably excellent writer of historical thrillers, and Precipice is the latest triumph to join his distinguished oeuvre. All of the usual strengths of a Harris novel are here, from well-researched but never shoehorned-in period detail via compelling pacing and drama to well-drawn, relatable and compelling characters. What really makes Precipice stand out, however, is in its unusual setting and the ways the writer, a former political journalist, deftly teases out subtle similarities between his chosen period and our modern age. As with Munich, this volume is set on the eve of a horrific conflict, and the impending sense of dread which permeates the early pages of the novel is wryly contrasted with the behaviour of its high society characters, who are almost invariably fixated on their own lives and problems and unable to see the wider political picture despite clear evidence of an oncoming catastrophe. I found the parallels with the run-up to Putin's barbaric attack on Ukraine striking. Similarly, the actions of a prime minister whose extra-curricular activities distract him from the job at hand and create a tabloid frenzy will also be all too familiar to any residents of the UK. Asquith, as well as Venetia Stanley and the fictional Paul Deemer, are the three central characters of the work, although it's peppered with luminaries of the day such as Churchill and Lloyd George. All three of them feel lifelike, flawed and overwhelmingly human: I developed a considerable attachment to them over the course of the book. Asquith's neediness, Stanley's desire for a life beyond that expected of a woman in the early 20th century and Deemer's understated devotion to his work render all three of them a joy to spend time with. The sense of ordinary people attempting to make sense of overwhelmingly challenging circumstances is another that will resonate with the modern reader. Harris masterfully cranks up the tension as war looms and then erupts, but it's the investment in the human characters that lends real emotional weight to Precipice. On the whole, it once again demonstrates Harris's unsurpassed ability to craft literary gold from any time period he sets his gaze upon. Precipice is at once a gripping thriller, a meditative character study and a moving allegory for our times, and it's a tribute to the author's skill that it works equally wonderfully in all three regards.