The Ghost: A Novel [Hardcover]

Robert Harris (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 23, 2007

Adam Lang has been Britain's longest serving and most controversial prime minister of the last half century. And now that he's left office, he's accepted one of history's largest cash advances to compose a tell-all (or at least, tell-some) memoir of his life and years of power. As pressure mounts for Lang to complete this magnum opus, he hires a professional ghostwriter to finish the book. As he sets to work, the ghostwriter discovers many more secrets than Lang intends to reveal, secrets with the power to alter world politics, secrets with the power to kill.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Displaying enviable versatility, Harris, who first achieved acclaim with his alternative history, Fatherland, and who more recently showed his mastery of the historical novel in Pompeii, hits one out of the park with this dark paranoid thriller. Former British prime minister Adam Lang (clearly modelled on Tony Blair) is up against a firm deadline to submit his memoirs to his publisher, and the project is dangerously derailed when his aide and collaborator, Michael McAra, perishes in a ferry accident off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. To salvage the book, a professional ghostwriter is hired to whip the manuscript into shape, but the unnamed writer soon finds that separating truth from fiction in Lang’s recollections a challenge. The stakes rise when Lang is accused of war crimes for authorizing the abduction of suspected al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan, who then ended up in the CIA’s merciless hands. As the new writer probes deeper, he uncovers evidence that his predecessor’s death may have been a homicide. Harris nicely leavens his cynical tale with gallows humor, and even readers who anticipate the plot’s final twist will admire the author’s artistry in creating an intelligent page-turner that tackles serious issues.

From Bookmarks Magazine

Known for Fatherland (1992), Pompeii (**** Selection Mar/Apr 2004), and Imperium (*** Jan/Feb 2007), novelist Robert Harris opens his latest work with a derisive account of the publishing business. From there, it quickly gains momentum, merging a shrewd indictment of the war in Iraq with a literate, page-turning thriller. Harris, who was once a friend of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, offers a withering, barely disguised attack on Blair’s policies and his collusion with the United States in the Middle East. Some critics felt that the fictional backdrop weakened the political invective. Other complaints included some stock characters, formulaic plot points, and far-fetched twists, but most critics dismissed these as trivial and agreed with USA Today that Harris has produced "one of the most politically informed novels of the year."
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1 edition (October 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416551816
• ISBN-13: 978-1416551812
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (134 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #670,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Harris is the author of Pompeii, Enigma, and Fatherland. He has been a television correspondent with the BBC and a newspaper columnist for the London Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph. His novels have sold more than ten million copies and been translated into thirty languages. He lives in Berkshire, England, with his wife and four children.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars When reading this latest work of his, you cannot avoid making parallels with the real thing October 29, 2007

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

the former PM and his entourage, his political adventures and disasters, and so on and so forth. But the way Harris narrates his story is enticing and thrilling, issuing suspense right and left with a skilled hand: the ambience is right, the dialogue fits, the main characters tally, the spinning is familiar and the cynicism is sharp. I enjoyed the book in a single reading, and I think I'll go back to it with more attention to detail, since it seems to me this is a super parody of Blair and his retinue, and of the publishing world from which the author extracts true images surely derived from real experience. Also, if you missed reading Tino Georgiou's masterpiece--The Fates, go and read it. I'm reading it at a rapid pace because it's so addictive. There is something about his books that bring you in and get you hooked. and I'm loving this one. Highly Recommend!

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book...Great Ending October 24, 2007

By Holden Caulfield

Format:Hardcover

I own and enjoyed Harris' other works "Fatherland," "Archangel" and "Enigma." While this definitely is a bit of a different historical fiction, (set in present day or not so distant future), I found it to be a good read. Harris is a master of the thriller, and you won't be disappointed. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, I just happen to disagree with the notion that fans of Harris who enjoy reading intelligent writing should skip this book. The ending alone is worth it, as Harris employs an unusual and possibly original technique that leaves the reader satisfied. I usually don't review the books I read (this is my first) but I felt this book was worthy of defense against a one star rating.

32 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great novel with many levels March 25, 2008

By C. Keith Conners

Format:Hardcover

This book quickly draws you into its story before you realize why. The first level is probably because the writing is so witty and graceful that you immediately feel entertained.

At another level you feel drawn to the author-protagonist because of his self-deprecating humor and the acceptance of his fate, which is to be a ghost writer rather than a "real" writer. The politics of being a ghost writer, always humbly in the background, while nevertheless creating stunning works for celebrity non-authors gives insight into the mind of actual ghost-writers, whom Harris liberally quotes in each chapter.

Then of course there is a level of political analysis thinly veiled from the real world of a discredited (in Harris' mind) Tony Blair. Harris hits upon a deep sense of regret felt by many of us because of Blair's foolish entanglement with the arrogant American president in the Iraq war. As one who admired Blair's entertaining performances in Parliament (seen at home on C-Span)I can heartily share the sense of tragedy of a great man who, like Chamberlain, falls from grace by commiting a remarkable stupidity of judgment. While the Prime Minister in this story is fictional, the parallels with Blair are inescapable.

Finally, there is the plot itself, which starts off with a suspicious death, weaves its way into the private life of the fallen PM, maintains a sense of urgency and tension until the climax is revealed, in the best tradition of mystery thrillers. The value of this book is that it is much more than a thriller, without eroding the central plot.

A wholly entertaining, engrossing, and instructive book. This one immediately sent me looking for other books by this exceptional writer. None have been disappointing.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written political thriller April 20, 2008

By J. Murphy

Format:Hardcover

I've not read any of Robert Harris' books before this one so I was a relative newcomer to his style of writing. What a trip! I really enjoyed this book on so many levels (it kept me up late many a night while reading before bedtime). How cool it was of Harris to never actually name his "ghost" (who tells the story in first person narrative). It added to the air of mystery. It was also enjoyable to have each of the primary cast members became slowly fleshed out through the course of the book, not the usual two-dimensional characterization of "good/bad". Nothing was transparent or easily guessed at in this novel. Even thhe book's protaganist is written as a normal, ordinary fellow put into abnormal, extraordinary circumstances. That just adds to it even more. This is a very good story and if Harris continues to write choice thrillers like this one, I'll keep buying them and reading them.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The moment I heard how McAra died, I should have walked away. I know that now. March 17, 2010

By Andy Orrock TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Robert Harris' Fatherland: A Novel (Mortalis) was one of the last century's finest novels in my estimation. In 'The Ghost,' Harris again shows that he's a master of conjuring up wonderfully almost-real-life experiences and playing them out in thrilling, suspenseful narratives.

Harris' ex-PM Adam Lang has Blair-like charisma and a similar fall in standing due to his role in a war against terror and a decision regarding extraordinary rendition. Lang's wife, Ruth, is said to be the smarter of the two, not standing for office but influencing career, campaign and policy behind the scenes (hello, Cheri). Spin doctors, lawyers and personal aides flesh out the former PM's retinue.

New to Lang's inner circle is Lang's would be ghostwriter, named, um, well, hold on, it's in here somewhere...

Ah. We _never learn_ this character's name. After 400 pages of fiction, and with his protagonist appearing on almost every page, Harris skillfully dodges revealing the man's name. Every other character either already knows the writer, or - in the case of Adam Lang - refers to 'the ghost' in a indirect way like 'man.' The Ghost mistakenly interprets this as a sign of Lang's comfortableness with him. Others pop his bubble: Lang's just terrible with names and has forgotten yours. [Another novel that used this same technique to good effect: Joanne Harris' Gentlemen and Players: A Novel (P.S.).]

This feat is more than a parlor trick by Harris: The Ghost is meant to be an unseen force shaping Lang's work-in-progress memoir.... [That's why 'The Ghost' - the novels' original UK release name - is better than the US release's 'Ghost Writer.' That title is akin to redundant phrases like 'ATM Machine' or 'PIN Number'.] Lang's efforts have stalled (cough,cough). The Ghost is here to reboot the effort. Indeed, The Ghost's first review of Lang's draft with his previous collaborator reveals a dreadfully boring, leaden text. While our protagonist is warming to the task, larger forces in The Hague and Washington (and a certain Virginia suburb) are about to turn Lang's life upside down.

The Ghost - heretofore known for his light confections with aging rockers and others of that ilk - shows surprising gumption and nerve as an investigator. It's this steeliness that leads him into a web of intrigue and danger that he could not have foreseen. As the novel's first two lines ominously predestine: "The moment I heard how McAra died, I should have walked away. I know that now." Read more ›