I first heard about Precipice by Robert Harris on the radio, and as someone who loves historical books—especially those with a political element set in Victorian London—I thought this one would be right up my street. And I wasn’t wrong! From the very first page, Harris’ prose transported me straight back in time. His descriptions are so rich and immersive that you can practically hear the clip-clop of horses on cobbled streets and smell the smoke curling from gas lamps. It’s like stepping into a time machine. The cast of characters is unforgettable—whether you love them or loathe them, they leave a lasting impression. In fact, I kept thinking that this book would make a brilliant film. The pacing is spot on, too. When the tension ramps up, you really feel it, which is a testament to Harris’ skill as a writer. The story is told from multiple perspectives, but it’s never confusing. Even though it’s a work of fiction, I found it fascinating to read about real historical figures and events, particularly how everyday life continued even in the midst of political and wartime chaos. At times, the book is deeply poignant—after all, it touches on young men marching off to war and the uncertainty surrounding political decisions of the time. Perhaps Harris didn’t quite capture the full complexity of the politics, or did he…..but that didn’t take away from the impact of the story. One of the most intriguing aspects was the letters between Venetia Stanley and Lord Asquith. As these were the true element of the book. By today’s standards, they’re quite shocking, but that only adds to their fascination. Overall, Precipice is a gripping and atmospheric read, packed with historical detail, political intrigue, and emotional depth. If you love historical thrillers, especially those with a strong political angle, I’d highly recommend giving it a go!

Remarkable that a PM in the middle of a war can be so distracted by affection for a woman less than half his age. It is of course possible, as reckless as it seemed, that he needed the lady in order to help make his decisions. Anyway from his actual letters, he seemed so cringingly needy. There are some great pen pictures of leading politicians of the day including a bullying and ego-driven Churchill. Great fun though I found it a bit relentless and was glad to have finished despite it teaching me a lot of the days leading up and well into the great war

“The Past is a foreign country, they do things differently over there”. Hartley’s famous line is perfectly illustrated by this book. 1914 is just over one hundred years ago but so much has changed, for example there were twelve post deliveries every day in London, and commonly at least three everywhere. Without this useful facility the events central to this story could not have happened. Herbert Henry Asquith is a married man of sixty-two; his paramour, the honourable Beatrice Venetia Stanley, is twenty-six. She is a member of the aristocracy, he is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Their love affair initially takes place within the rather hedonistic whirl of the rich and entitled upper class world of parties, dances and week end stays in castles. Asquith, known to the in-crowd as ‘Prime’, is more restricted than many others due to his public profile (although in the absence of TV and cinema he can freely walk around unrecognised outside the Westminster bubble) and their opportunities to meet are constrained. They can usually meet in the back of his ministerial car, shutters drawn – driver discreet, at least once a week, but otherwise it is snatched moments during those stays. Their relationship is sustained, therefore, by the exchange of letters (often two or three a day). It is not just an Affaire do Coeur because Venetia is clever and intellectual companion. The book begins in July 1914, where the prospect of War in Europe suddenly rises to the top of the political agenda. Prime’s time is becoming more constrained just at the point where he needs her intellect as a sounding board and councillor. His correspondence, and his talk when they meet, is becoming more occupied with Matters of State and more indiscrete, including details of War Cabinet discussions, military actions and diplomatic transmissions. In other words she becomes party to the most secret information. The possibility that this might be happening comes to the attention of MO5(g) a secret government agency and Sergeant Deemer of the Metropolitan Police, is assigned the task of monitoring the situation, including intercepting and copying all their letters passing through the postal system. Is there a risk that this information can be leaked to the enemy? Obviously, any other people would be arrested, but the Prime Minister and the daughter of Lord Sheffield are not ‘other people’. Deemer must continue to investigate. Robert Hariss is a hugely experienced writer of Historical thrillers, blending real events and real people with fictional ones. Here, however, the fiction is a minor part of the story, because the relationship between Prime and Venetia is a matter of historical record and, indeed, a cache of their letters (500) exists and provides much of the text here. The records of the War Cabinet and other departments of government are also available, as are the names of all the important players, including Vernon Kell the head of MI5 who is identified as Deemer’s boss in the book. Essentially, therefore, the only fiction is Deemer’s investigation, and that is fairly routine, even pedestrian. The book might be classified as History, or Romance but I don’t think it can be called a Thriller. Nevertheless, it is a well written story, entertaining and illuminating for most readers. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Interesting and based on reality Robert Harris tells a good story, always keeping the interest going. It is a change for a book not to contain bad language or sex. Lord Asquith is Prime Minister, he is married to Margot and although they support one another, the marriage seems stale and loveless. He meets Venita, an attractive young woman, who is part of a group the Coterie, they behave in outlandish ways, when one of them drowns there is an inquiry by the police. Lord Asquith values Venetia's opinion and often brings or sends top secret papers to her, for her opinion. They often go for a drive in his official car, on occasion he has thrown official papers out of the window. Some of these papers are found and handed into the police, they are painstakingly put back together, only six people has access to these papers and all deny throwing them away. A policeman called Deeming is sent to investigate and uncovers the affair between Asquith and Venetia. Asquith becomes more besotted with Venetia and writes to her daily awaiting her replies. The insight into the privileged lives of the upper class is interesting. The progress of the war and the mistakes made is unbelievable, at the end the number of casualties is horrific. Thank you Robert, NetGalley and Hutchinson for this ARC

I found the plot tedious. Prose were trying too hard with some of the language and the blurb and cover paint the story to be something it’s not. More a romance drama than anything else. I know it’s loosely based on a true story but I did not find this book engaging.