Precipice - by Robert Harris

Book Synopsis

"Robert Harris is, simply put, masterful."--Karin Slaughter

A spellbinding novel of passion, intrigue, and betrayal set in England in the months leading to the Great War from the bestselling author of Act of Oblivion, Fatherland, The Ghostwriter, and Conclave.

Summer 1914. A world on the brink of catastrophe.

In London, twenty-six-year-old Venetia Stanley--aristocratic, clever, bored, reckless--is part of a fast group of upper-crust bohemians and socialites known as "The Coterie." She's also engaged in a clandestine love affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, a man more than twice her age. He writes to her obsessively, sharing the most sensitive matters of state.

As Asquith reluctantly leads the country into war with Germany, a young intelligence officer with Scotland Yard is assigned to investigate a leak of top-secret documents. Suddenly, what was a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security that could topple the British government--and will alter the course of political history.

An unrivaled master of seamlessly weaving fact and fiction, Precipice is another electrifying thriller from the brilliant imagination of Robert Harris.

Review Quotes

"Gripping. . . . One of Harris's many admirable qualities as a novelist is his boldness. He ranges through the past to take on big subjects, whether the end of the Roman republic or the Dreyfus affair, and now one of the biggest puzzles of the 20th century, the outbreak of the first world war. As always, he has done his research to recreate a long-gone world, and yet again he tells a good story. " - Financial Times
"Robert Harris's enthralling new novel may be one of his three best. . . . Harris's cleverness lies in his psychological sophistication, carrying the reader along the twists and turns of this dubious love story, while the greater drama of the war in the trenches, vast casualties and the disastrous landing at Gallipoli plays off stage. . . . Harris is masterful at authentic dialogue, across all classes. There is not a false note in this novel." - The Independent
"The novel's brilliance lies in the way the author has written into the void, giving life and voice to Venetia, bringing her to dazzling life through her imagined letters to Asquith and Harris's portrait of a bright, unconventional and complex young woman seeking to escape the strictures of her aristocratic upbringing . . . . Asquith is presented with great tenderness and sympathy, as is his hard-edged but vulnerable wife, Margot. It's the character of Venetia, though, that turns Precipice from a very good novel into a great one." - The Observer
"A very good thriller which sails through the Downton Abbey test with the grace of a dreadnought cruising down the Channel. It feels realistic enough for us to suspend disbelief over the occasional bit of hokum, and makes us care enough about the characters to keep turning the pages." - The Spectator
"Compulsively readable . . . . The minor characters are sketched in superbly." - The Telegraph
"The strength of the novel lies in that central, almost unbelievable, relationship between Asquith and Venetia . . . . Precipice is historically literate, politically astute and gripping to the last page." - The Times (London)
"Fascinating views of the intersection of love and politics, and of aristocratic life and priorities on the eve of the Great War." - Bookloons
"Robert Harris's new book promises more than a couple of sleepless nights completing the latest from a true master of the political thriller." - Anniston Star
"Masterful . . . Precipice depicts the most shocking war to date, with descriptions that bring us into the historic moment and the intimate lives of Asquith, Venetia, and Deemer in England on the brink of a catastrophe that will change society and politics forever. Highly recommended." - Historical Novel Society
"Harris remains one of my favourite authors. His ability to combine serious historical research with fictional storytelling make his novels both authentic and riveting to read. He is one writer I recommend without hesitation to both crime fans and lovers of history." - Globe and Mail
"Award-winning actor Samuel West narrates the book with extraordinary empathy. He brings all the old-man yearning--poignant and desperate, needy and reckless--to Asquith's letters, ranges freely and credibly through a variety of British accents across classes and geography, and captures a bumptious Churchill and sly David Lloyd George, Asquith's successor." - Washington Post on the audiobook
"One of the most celebrated historical novelists of our time returns with a juicy political thriller. As England prepares to join World War I, a young socialite's sordid affair with the prime minister threatens to throw the world into chaos." - Seattle Times
"With a crisp delivery, narrator Samuel West narrates this compelling story of Prime Minister H.H. Asquith and his all-consuming love affair with a woman half his age just before WWI. For this novel based on recently discovered letters, West uses his British accent to paint 1914 London with a colorful and detailed palette." - AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner
"A World War I novel of love, politics, and a continent gone mad. . . . A foolish affair and a horrible war that will grab and hold readers' attention." - Kirkus Reviews
"Readers will be astonished." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Harris' ear for language is keen, capturing both Britain's elite and hoi polloi with effortless grace . . . . Harris' skill keeps the action taut and the reader focused. And the novel echoes a much older bit of classical English political fiction: As Shakespeare said, the fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves." - BookPage (starred review)
"An exceptional work of historical fiction. . . . stunning, revelatory and utterly fascinating." - BookTrib
"Brimming with historical drama." - New York Times Book Review
"Few have mastered the alchemy of the popular historical novel quite like Harris." - iNews
"If all good novelists are good magicians, able to create terrific characters and scenes out of thin air, then Robert Harris is a Houdini . . . . His new book, Precipice, takes the true story of British prime minister H. H. Asquith and his affair with the much younger socialite Venetia Stanley and spins that fact into a wondrous web of intrigue, love, and treachery during the early days of World War I. Harris fans will be enthralled as usual." - Air Mail
"I'm not fond of the word masterpiece, but this is a masterpiece." - Nigella Lawson
"Robert Harris is a sort of genius . . . I am knocked out by the assurance of his portrait of a time, a relationship, and the perils to which Britain's leader exposed himself amidst a supreme historic catastrophe. The book is yet another triumph for the author." - Max Hastings
"Spellbinding." - Daily Kos
"Precipice by Robert Harris is a masterly historical novel . . . . Highly entertaining . . . . Precipice is both a harrowing story of the run-up to a terrible war and a fresh look at the much-maligned position of mistress to a powerful man." - Washington Post
"As an experienced writer of historical fiction, Harris has a good eye for period detail and the telling anecdote that will create believable, almost overpowering drama. In a great many thrillers, you may not care all that much about the characters, but in this one, you must. It's a terrific book." - Crime Fiction Lover
"Bestseller Harris (Act of Oblivion) fictionalizes the real-life love affair between British prime minister H.H. Asquith and 26-year-old aristocrat Venetia Stanley in this fascinating historical thriller. . . .Themes of national loyalty and the ravages of war permeate the novel, but Harris resists grandiosity, leaning on his background as a journalist to make the stakes feel at once personal and profound. Stanley, in particular, emerges as a fascinating historical figure, caught between a life of easy luxury and an intoxicating love for a desperate man several decades her senior. Readers will be astonished." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A riveting tale of politics, war and erotic obsession." - Sunday Times (London)
"A beautifully crafted novel . . . . Harris deploys his plot with the dexterity one has grown to expect from him. He blends war, news, politics, arguments about strategy and the daily lives of his characters deftly together." - The Scotsman
"Drawing on original love letters and deploying a fictional detective to bring the threads of the story together, it is a jaw-dropping episode in British history. Nobody does this sort of yarn better." - Mail on Sunday
"A wonderful book." - Dominic Sandbrook