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A Thriller
by James Naughtie
Set in the endgame of the Cold War, The Madness of July is an instant classic: an explosive, brilliantly written spy novel, by an author who has spent his life in the halls of power
The Madness of July is set in the late 1970s, and takes place during six sweltering days in the month that gives the book its title. Will Flemyng was trained as a spy for a life behind enemy lines, but now he is in politics - and rising to the top. But when a bizarre death starts to unravel some of the most sensitive secrets of his government, Will is drawn back into the shadows of the Cold War and begins to dance with danger once more.
Buffeted by political forces and the powerful women around him, and caught in interlocking mysteries he must disentangle - including a potentially lethal family secret - Flemyng faces his vulnerability and learns, through betrayal and tragedy, more truth about his world than he has ever known.
Masterfully weaving together espionage, political intrigue, and family drama, James Naughtie has written a spy novel for the ages, worthy of comparison to the finest work of Charles McCarry and Robert Littell.
"Copious amounts of dramatic dialogue speeds the story along. While the plot rambles at times, the slow discovery of who is trying to destroy Will - and why - is irresistible." - Publishers Weekly
"An intertwined exploration of love and family loyalty, political ambition and international intrigue." - Kirkus
This information about The Madness of July was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
James Naughtie was educated at Aberdeen and Syracuse Universities. He has worked for the Washington Post and The Guardian. Since 1994, he has been a radio and news presenter of the Today program, on the BBC 4 radio network. He is the author of The Accidental American: Tony Blair and the Presidency. The Madness of July is his first novel.
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