| Publisher | Zaffre Publishing |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 07 July 2022 |
| ISBN-10 | 1838775269 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1838775261 |
| Format | paperback |
| Pages | 432 |
| Price | £ 8.99 |
The Whistleblower
by
With a general election looming, a journalist suspects the death of his sister is connected to a web of corruption linking business and government.
Review
This modern political fable is set in 1997, peopled entirely with fictional characters but bearing certain similarities with real life. In the book, the electorate are finding the Tories stale after an extended period in power, and with an early election in the offing the polls are predicting success for a new-look Labour leader, Johnny Todd.
The protagonist is Gilbert Peck, writer for the Financial Chronicle. Gil is single, and starts the book somewhat estranged from his family: his left-wing academic parents and his Treasury high-flyer sister Clare. He is devastated, however, when Clare is knocked off her bicycle and killed. The death appears to be an accident, but as Gil makes enquiries, he finds certain facts which suggest otherwise.
Initially sceptical that Clare can have become the victim of a conspiracy, Gil gradually comes to see that the theory is not so far-fetched. The core is Treasury plans to require pension funds to pay tax on the dividends they receive, and the sudden abandonment of this policy, a matter on which Clare is said to have had a bitter argument with the Chancellor.
Gil uses all his considerable resources to dig deeper into companies with a particular reason to welcome the Treasury change of heart, while also using his journalistic clout to blag interviews with key people. His fire to obtain the truth sometimes pushes him astray, and brings him into conflict with his employer, but eventually he finds the truth. Whether he can fight the powers ranged against him is another matter.
Robert Peston is a very experienced journalist, specialising in business and politics, and the background he provides about the links between the three professions is presumably close to the reality. It has been said before how those at the top all know each other, and even when they hold widely separated views have more in common with each other than with the rest of us. This comes across very strongly.
The impression is given that across the professions and supposed different political views, personal ambition trumps adherence to any particular philosophy or moral standard, and definitely any interest in the welfare of the multitude outside the London bubble. This is perhaps not unexpected, depressing as it is to have it confirmed.
Peston’s insight is likely to be of particular interest to those who enjoy the feel of movers and shakers in the capital, and some details, like the accommodation provided for the media in the loftiest perches in the Palace of Westminster, are interesting for not being better known. Gil’s dogged pursuit of the evidence reveals him as a sleuth who makes headway despite certain personal challenges, not to mention the dastardly machinations of the rich and powerful.
The protagonist is Gilbert Peck, writer for the Financial Chronicle. Gil is single, and starts the book somewhat estranged from his family: his left-wing academic parents and his Treasury high-flyer sister Clare. He is devastated, however, when Clare is knocked off her bicycle and killed. The death appears to be an accident, but as Gil makes enquiries, he finds certain facts which suggest otherwise.
Initially sceptical that Clare can have become the victim of a conspiracy, Gil gradually comes to see that the theory is not so far-fetched. The core is Treasury plans to require pension funds to pay tax on the dividends they receive, and the sudden abandonment of this policy, a matter on which Clare is said to have had a bitter argument with the Chancellor.
Gil uses all his considerable resources to dig deeper into companies with a particular reason to welcome the Treasury change of heart, while also using his journalistic clout to blag interviews with key people. His fire to obtain the truth sometimes pushes him astray, and brings him into conflict with his employer, but eventually he finds the truth. Whether he can fight the powers ranged against him is another matter.
Robert Peston is a very experienced journalist, specialising in business and politics, and the background he provides about the links between the three professions is presumably close to the reality. It has been said before how those at the top all know each other, and even when they hold widely separated views have more in common with each other than with the rest of us. This comes across very strongly.
The impression is given that across the professions and supposed different political views, personal ambition trumps adherence to any particular philosophy or moral standard, and definitely any interest in the welfare of the multitude outside the London bubble. This is perhaps not unexpected, depressing as it is to have it confirmed.
Peston’s insight is likely to be of particular interest to those who enjoy the feel of movers and shakers in the capital, and some details, like the accommodation provided for the media in the loftiest perches in the Palace of Westminster, are interesting for not being better known. Gil’s dogged pursuit of the evidence reveals him as a sleuth who makes headway despite certain personal challenges, not to mention the dastardly machinations of the rich and powerful.
Reviewed 30 September 2022 by Chris Roberts
