Head of State
Written by Andrew Marr
Narrated by Steven Crossley
3/5
()
Unavailable in your country
Unavailable in your country
About this audiobook
Two corpses. A country on the edge of a political precipice. A conspiracy so bold it would make Machiavelli wince. Andrew Marr’s debut novel imagines what really might be going on behind the door of 10 Downing Street.
When a young investigative reporter is found dead on the streets of London few people notice. But when another body – minus its head and hands – is washed up on the banks of the Thames, its grisly condition arouses a little more interest.
There appears to be no connection between the two dead men. But, unsuspected by the electorate, there is a shocking and dangerous secret at the very heart of government. While the United Kingdom approaches a crucial and delicately-balanced referendum on Europe, a group of ruthlessly determined individuals will stop at nothing – including murder – to prevent the truth from getting out.
Andrew Marr’s first novel is a gleefully twisted spin through the corridors of power. Making full use of his unrivalled inside knowledge of the British political scene, Marr has threaded his wickedly clever thriller with a distinctive strand of pitch-black humour, to offer an irreverent glimpse behind the parliamentary curtain.
Andrew Marr
Andrew Marr is a former editor of The Independent and BBC Political Editor. He currently hosts BBC 1’s Andrew Marr Show, and presented Radio 4’s Start the Week from 2005 to 2012. His acclaimed television documentary series include Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain and Andrew Marr’s The Making of Modern Britain. He is a hugely successful non-fiction author, and his first novel, Head of State will be published in 2014.
More audiobooks from Andrew Marr
Elizabethans: How Modern Britain Was Forged Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A History of the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A History of Modern Britain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Making of Modern Britain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Trade: A Short History of British Journalism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Head of State
Related audiobooks
Beyond the Red Wall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Decade in Tory: An inventory of idiocy from the coalition to Covid Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Funkytown Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everything in Moderation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brexitland: Identity, Diversity and the Reshaping of British Politics Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A State of Emergency: The Story of Ireland’s Covid Crisis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thanks, Johnners: An Affectionate Tribute to a Broadcasting Legend Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fall Out: A Year of Political Mayhem Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Teal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sunday Times Investigates: Reporting That Made History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFailures of State: The Inside Story of Britain’s Battle with Coronavirus Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Time and Tide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne Party After Another: The Disruptive Life of Nigel Farage Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Life in Questions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Noble Liar Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Life of the Author: John Milton Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInside Story: Politics, Intrigue and Treachery from Thatcher to Brexit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Third Man: Life at the Heart of New Labour Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now?: 2018 Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bulldozed: Scott Morrison's fall and Anthony Albanese's rise Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Settlement Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow To Fix Northern Ireland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThis Is the BBC: Entertaining the Nation, Speaking for Britain, 1922-2022 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBritain Alone: The Path from Suez to Brexit Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Illiberal Europe: Eastern Europe from the Fall of the Berlin Wall to the War in Ukraine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Stories Old Towns Tell: A Journey Through Cities at the Heart of Europe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJavelin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Java Ridge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Plot: The Political Assassination of Boris Johnson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Thrillers For You
The Teacher Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fairy Tale Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Silent Patient Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Housemaid Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hidden Pictures: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Never Lie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Flicker in the Dark: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Dangerous Things: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Inmate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Guest List: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Perfect Marriage: a completely gripping psychological suspense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fury Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hunting Party: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bright Young Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Troop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Huntress: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Local Woman Missing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Terminal List: A Thriller Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Holly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fool Me Once Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wrong Place Wrong Time: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mr. Mercedes: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dragon Teeth: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rose Code: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Institute: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silence of the Lambs: 25th Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Head of State
23 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Andrew Marr, Politikredakteur bei der BBC mit eigener Talkshow, ist in Großbritannien eher für seine historischenSachbücher bekannt. Sein 1. Roman ist eine turbulente Politsatire um das Referendum zum Verbleib des Königreichs in der EU. Die konservative Partei Englands ist tief gespalten in Befürworter, Gegner und Unentschlossene. Wenige Tage vor der schicksalhaften Abstimmung verstirbt ausgerechnet der populären Premierminister in seinem Amtszimmer. Seine engsten Vertrauten sind so verzweifelt, dass sie beschließen, mithilfe eines dubiosen Multitalents die Öffentlichkeit erst mal über den Gesundheitszustand desPremiers im Unklaren zu lassen. Hier nimmt die Satire teilweise absurde Züge an. Dass trotzdem noch die meisten Pointen sitzen, liegt vor allem an den profunden Insiderkenntnissen und dem scharfzüngigen Humor des Autors.Unterhaltsame Satire auf den Politik- und Medienzirkus moderner Gesellschaften. Allen Bibliotheken mit entsprechender Leserschaft gerne empfohlen.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I’ve enjoyed reading Andrew Marr’s accessible history books, & was looking forward to a political thriller by an insider. But this was out & out farce. An interesting idea about the PM keeling over before the referendum vote & a plan to cover-up the event, but the characters were two-dimensional, and I didn’t gain any insight into the inner workings of the political class. Shame.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I believe that this is Andrew Marr's first novel - I hope it will be his last! He should stick to non-fiction in future.Marr is an enigmatic and engaging character, and he has been through some sinuous twists of fate over the last few years. Having had a long and successful character as a political journalist, including stints as editor of 'The Independent' and chief political correspondent for the BBC, he branched off into making his own television series and writing popular histories (though the last of these, a history of the world took simplicity and the broad brush to hitherto unplumbed levels), again with great success. His recent BBC series on Scottish writers, timed to coincide with the Referendum was marvellous, particularly the episodes on Sir Walter Scott and Hugh MacDiarmid. His popularity and public image took a bit of a knock with the revelations of his extra-marital affair, though the outrage was more about the hypocrisy of a senior journalist imposing a super-injunction than from any moral perspective. Certainly there has been widespread pleasure at his return to health following his stroke, and he remains immensely, and deservedly, popular. But now this! The most popular of entertainers must surely know that one can test one's public that little bit too far! I was expecting a political thriller on a par with Gavin Esler's 'A Scandalous Man' or Martin Sixsmith's 'Spin' but I was sold a dreadful dummy here. this was like looking forward to an episode of 'Have I Got New For You?' but finding that the guests are Glenda Jackson and Anne Robinson, and Stanly Johnson is chairing it.