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Francis Urquhart #1-3
The House of Cards Complete Trilogy: House of Cards, To Play the King, The Final Cut
Get all three books in the series that inspired the hit Netflix series House of Cards
"This blood-and-thunder tale, lifelike and thoroughly cynical, certainly carries the ring of authenticity... a great triumph."
Independent
"The exciting thriller that has Westminster buzzing. Here is a political thriller writer with a marvelous inside track knowledge of government. House of Cards is fast-moving, revelatory and brilliant."
Daily Express
Michael Dobbs has wowed readers with his bestselling House of Cards trilogy, which inspired the hit series on Netflix. Here are the three books in the trilogy for one low House of Cards, To Play the King, and The Final Cut.
About the Books in This Bundle1. House of Cards
A dark tale of greed, corruption, and unquenchable ambition, House of Cards reveals that no matter the country, politics, intrigue and passion reign in the corridors of power. Francis Urquhart has his hand on every secret in politics - and is willing to betray them all to become prime minister. Mattie Storin is a tenacious young reporter who has a knack for finding the real stories hidden behind the spin. When she stumbles upon a scandalous web of intrigue and financial corruption at the very highest levels, she vows to reveal the truth. But to do so she must battle her own demons and risk everything, even her life.
2. To Play the King
After scheming his way to power in House of Cards, newly elected Prime Minister Francis Urquhart takes on the new King. The role of the monarchy in modern Britain comes under scrutiny as Prime Minister Francis Urquhart threatens to expose Royal secrets when his plans are blocked by the idealistic new King. Their differences of opinion quickly degenerate into open hostility. The battlefield ranges from architecture to the underprivileged; the battle is fought with rigged opinion polls, manipulated newspaper headlines, sexual scandal and economic brinkmanship as Urquhart sets out to destroy not only the King's family and friends but even the King himself.
3. The Final Cut
Now Francis Urquhart is about to take his place in the record books as the longest-serving Prime Minister this century. Yet it seems the public is tiring of him at last, and the movement to force him from power is growing. But Urquhart is not yet ready to be driven from office. If the public demands new blood, that is precisely what he will give them... This is a different Francis Urquhart - more vulnerable, more loving, and more ruthless than ever. He will risk everything, but one thing is whatever the outcome of this, his greatest gamble, the name of Francis Urquhart will never be forgotten.
"This blood-and-thunder tale, lifelike and thoroughly cynical, certainly carries the ring of authenticity... a great triumph."
Independent
"The exciting thriller that has Westminster buzzing. Here is a political thriller writer with a marvelous inside track knowledge of government. House of Cards is fast-moving, revelatory and brilliant."
Daily Express
Michael Dobbs has wowed readers with his bestselling House of Cards trilogy, which inspired the hit series on Netflix. Here are the three books in the trilogy for one low House of Cards, To Play the King, and The Final Cut.
About the Books in This Bundle1. House of Cards
A dark tale of greed, corruption, and unquenchable ambition, House of Cards reveals that no matter the country, politics, intrigue and passion reign in the corridors of power. Francis Urquhart has his hand on every secret in politics - and is willing to betray them all to become prime minister. Mattie Storin is a tenacious young reporter who has a knack for finding the real stories hidden behind the spin. When she stumbles upon a scandalous web of intrigue and financial corruption at the very highest levels, she vows to reveal the truth. But to do so she must battle her own demons and risk everything, even her life.
2. To Play the King
After scheming his way to power in House of Cards, newly elected Prime Minister Francis Urquhart takes on the new King. The role of the monarchy in modern Britain comes under scrutiny as Prime Minister Francis Urquhart threatens to expose Royal secrets when his plans are blocked by the idealistic new King. Their differences of opinion quickly degenerate into open hostility. The battlefield ranges from architecture to the underprivileged; the battle is fought with rigged opinion polls, manipulated newspaper headlines, sexual scandal and economic brinkmanship as Urquhart sets out to destroy not only the King's family and friends but even the King himself.
3. The Final Cut
Now Francis Urquhart is about to take his place in the record books as the longest-serving Prime Minister this century. Yet it seems the public is tiring of him at last, and the movement to force him from power is growing. But Urquhart is not yet ready to be driven from office. If the public demands new blood, that is precisely what he will give them... This is a different Francis Urquhart - more vulnerable, more loving, and more ruthless than ever. He will risk everything, but one thing is whatever the outcome of this, his greatest gamble, the name of Francis Urquhart will never be forgotten.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
113 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
About the author
Michael Dobbs
101 books372 followersMichael Dobbs was born on the same day, in the same hour as Prince Charles in 1948.
He is the son of nurseryman Eric and his wife Eileen Dobbs and was educated at Hertford Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford University. After graduating in 1971 he moved to the United States.
In the USA he attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, which he funded by a job as feature writer for the Boston Globe, where he worked as an editorial assistant and political feature writer from 1971 to 1975.
He graduated in 1975 with an M.A., M.A.L.D., and PhD in nuclear defence studies. His doctoral thesis was published as SALT on the Dragon's Tail. In 2007 he returned to Tufts where he gave the Alumni Salutation.
After gaining his PhD he returned to England and began working in London for the Conservative Party. He was an advisor to the then leader of the Opposition, Margaret Thatcher, from 1977 to 1979 and from 1979 to 1981 he was a Conservative MP speechwriter.
He served as a Government Special Advisor from 1981 to 1986 and he survived the Brighton Bombing in 1984 at the Conservative Party Conference. He was the Conservative Party Chief of Staff from 1986 to 1987.
He was considered a masterful political operator and was called "Westminster’s baby-faced hit man", by The Guardian in 1987. In the John Major government, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1994 to 1995, after which he retired from politics.
Outside of politics, he worked at Saatchi & Saatchi as Deputy Advertising Chairman from 1983 to 1986 and was Director of Worldwide Corporate Communications at the company from 1987 to 1988. He became Deputy Chairman, working directly under Maurice Saatchi from 1988 to 1991.
From 1991 to 1998 he was a columnist for The Mail on Sunday and also wrote column for the Daily Express. From 1998 to 2001 he hosted the current affairs program Despatch Box on BBC television and has also been a radio presenter.
Nowadays he is best known as the bestselling author of 17 novels (up to 2010), such as 'The Turning Point', about Winston Churchill and Guy Burgess, and 'A Family Affair', about the last days of Margaret Thatcher in Downing Street, and also a number of non-fiction works.
His writing career began in 1989 with the publication of 'House of Cards', the first in what would become a trilogy of political thrillers with Francis Urquhart as the central character. 'House of Cards' was followed by 'To Play the King' in 1992 and 'The Final Cut' in 1994.
Each of the three novels was adapted by the BBC into a miniseries and, with Ian Richardson playiing a starring role, the trilogy received a combined 14 BAFTA nominations and two BAFTA wins and was voted the 84th Best British Show in History.
His 2004 novel 'Winston’s War' was shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book of the Year Award. He was the winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award for best historical novel in 2008 and in 2001 was shortlisted for the C4 Political Novel of the Year. He has also been a judge of the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and lectures at dozens of literary and fundraising events each year.
Anthony Howard of The Times said “Dobbs is following in a respectable tradition. Shakespeare, Walter Scott, even Tolstoy, all used historical events as the framework for their writings. And, unlike some of their distinguished works, Dobbs's novel is, in fact, astonishingly historically accurate."
He is now a full time writer and divides his time between London and Wiltshire, where he says that he lives near a church and a pub! He is married with four children.
Gerry Wolstenholme
October 2010
He is sometimes confused with American author Michael Dobbs, who is a distant relative of his and also an author of historical books (e.g. "Saboteurs - The Nazi Raid on America").
He is the son of nurseryman Eric and his wife Eileen Dobbs and was educated at Hertford Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford University. After graduating in 1971 he moved to the United States.
In the USA he attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, which he funded by a job as feature writer for the Boston Globe, where he worked as an editorial assistant and political feature writer from 1971 to 1975.
He graduated in 1975 with an M.A., M.A.L.D., and PhD in nuclear defence studies. His doctoral thesis was published as SALT on the Dragon's Tail. In 2007 he returned to Tufts where he gave the Alumni Salutation.
After gaining his PhD he returned to England and began working in London for the Conservative Party. He was an advisor to the then leader of the Opposition, Margaret Thatcher, from 1977 to 1979 and from 1979 to 1981 he was a Conservative MP speechwriter.
He served as a Government Special Advisor from 1981 to 1986 and he survived the Brighton Bombing in 1984 at the Conservative Party Conference. He was the Conservative Party Chief of Staff from 1986 to 1987.
He was considered a masterful political operator and was called "Westminster’s baby-faced hit man", by The Guardian in 1987. In the John Major government, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1994 to 1995, after which he retired from politics.
Outside of politics, he worked at Saatchi & Saatchi as Deputy Advertising Chairman from 1983 to 1986 and was Director of Worldwide Corporate Communications at the company from 1987 to 1988. He became Deputy Chairman, working directly under Maurice Saatchi from 1988 to 1991.
From 1991 to 1998 he was a columnist for The Mail on Sunday and also wrote column for the Daily Express. From 1998 to 2001 he hosted the current affairs program Despatch Box on BBC television and has also been a radio presenter.
Nowadays he is best known as the bestselling author of 17 novels (up to 2010), such as 'The Turning Point', about Winston Churchill and Guy Burgess, and 'A Family Affair', about the last days of Margaret Thatcher in Downing Street, and also a number of non-fiction works.
His writing career began in 1989 with the publication of 'House of Cards', the first in what would become a trilogy of political thrillers with Francis Urquhart as the central character. 'House of Cards' was followed by 'To Play the King' in 1992 and 'The Final Cut' in 1994.
Each of the three novels was adapted by the BBC into a miniseries and, with Ian Richardson playiing a starring role, the trilogy received a combined 14 BAFTA nominations and two BAFTA wins and was voted the 84th Best British Show in History.
His 2004 novel 'Winston’s War' was shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book of the Year Award. He was the winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award for best historical novel in 2008 and in 2001 was shortlisted for the C4 Political Novel of the Year. He has also been a judge of the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and lectures at dozens of literary and fundraising events each year.
Anthony Howard of The Times said “Dobbs is following in a respectable tradition. Shakespeare, Walter Scott, even Tolstoy, all used historical events as the framework for their writings. And, unlike some of their distinguished works, Dobbs's novel is, in fact, astonishingly historically accurate."
He is now a full time writer and divides his time between London and Wiltshire, where he says that he lives near a church and a pub! He is married with four children.
Gerry Wolstenholme
October 2010
He is sometimes confused with American author Michael Dobbs, who is a distant relative of his and also an author of historical books (e.g. "Saboteurs - The Nazi Raid on America").
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 29, 2017
Being a huge fan of the Netflix show, I figured it was high time to give the source material an honest look. Bottom line: stick with the show.
I say that as objectively as possible - yes, I was first introduced to this storyline by the show, so I may have a predilection for it, but th books get worse and worse.
The first book is quite solid and is, clearly, the basis of the show. Conspiracy, greed, deceit, murder, all set within the politics of the highest office - this is good stuff. Naturally, the show hews pretty closely to this first book, so there are few surprises. But I'm glad I took the time to read the original.
Books two and three are just a slog - "To Play the King" has its moments, as it pits PM Urquhart against the church and makes for an interesting story, and is clearly "The Empire Strikes Back" of the series, insofar as our hero survives but is left a bit the worse for wear.
The final book, The Final Cut," is a disappointing train wreck. A piece of Francis' past is dredged up from nowhere and serves as the macguffin for then entire story, a story whose ending you can see coming from page 50.
Honestly, if you're considering reading this series, just read the first one - as a standalone it's a great read. But then go back to the Netflix series.
I say that as objectively as possible - yes, I was first introduced to this storyline by the show, so I may have a predilection for it, but th books get worse and worse.
The first book is quite solid and is, clearly, the basis of the show. Conspiracy, greed, deceit, murder, all set within the politics of the highest office - this is good stuff. Naturally, the show hews pretty closely to this first book, so there are few surprises. But I'm glad I took the time to read the original.
Books two and three are just a slog - "To Play the King" has its moments, as it pits PM Urquhart against the church and makes for an interesting story, and is clearly "The Empire Strikes Back" of the series, insofar as our hero survives but is left a bit the worse for wear.
The final book, The Final Cut," is a disappointing train wreck. A piece of Francis' past is dredged up from nowhere and serves as the macguffin for then entire story, a story whose ending you can see coming from page 50.
Honestly, if you're considering reading this series, just read the first one - as a standalone it's a great read. But then go back to the Netflix series.
Read
November 16, 2025**Get all three books in the series that inspired the hit Netflix series *House of Cards***
"This blood-and-thunder tale, lifelike and thoroughly cynical, certainly carries the ring of authenticity... a great triumph."
*Independent*
"The exciting thriller that has Westminster buzzing. Here is a political thriller writer with a marvelous inside track knowledge of government. House of Cards is fast-moving, revelatory and brilliant."
*Daily Express*
Michael Dobbs has wowed readers with his bestselling *House of Cards trilogy* , which inspired the hit series on Netflix. Here are the three books in the trilogy for one low *House of Cards* , *To Play the King* , and *The Final Cut*.
About the Books in This Bundle1. *House of Cards*
A dark tale of greed, corruption, and unquenchable ambition, House of Cards reveals that no matter the country, politics, intrigue and passion reign in the corridors of power. Francis Urquhart has his hand on every secret in politics - and is willing to betray them all to become prime minister. Mattie Storin is a tenacious young reporter who has a knack for finding the real stories hidden behind the spin. When she stumbles upon a scandalous web of intrigue and financial corruption at the very highest levels, she vows to reveal the truth. But to do so she must battle her own demons and risk everything, even her life.
2\. *To Play the King*
After scheming his way to power in House of Cards, newly elected Prime Minister Francis Urquhart takes on the new King. The role of the monarchy in modern Britain comes under scrutiny as Prime Minister Francis Urquhart threatens to expose Royal secrets when his plans are blocked by the idealistic new King. Their differences of opinion quickly degenerate into open hostility. The battlefield ranges from architecture to the underprivileged; the battle is fought with rigged opinion polls, manipulated newspaper headlines, sexual scandal and economic brinkmanship as Urquhart sets out to destroy not only the King's family and friends but even the King himself.
3\. *The Final Cut*
Now Francis Urquhart is about to take his place in the record books as the longest-serving Prime Minister this century. Yet it seems the public is tiring of him at last, and the movement to force him from power is growing. But Urquhart is not yet ready to be driven from office. If the public demands new blood, that is precisely what he will give them... This is a different Francis Urquhart - more vulnerable, more loving, and more ruthless than ever. He will risk everything, but one thing is whatever the outcome of this, his greatest gamble, the name of Francis Urquhart will never be forgotten.
"This blood-and-thunder tale, lifelike and thoroughly cynical, certainly carries the ring of authenticity... a great triumph."
*Independent*
"The exciting thriller that has Westminster buzzing. Here is a political thriller writer with a marvelous inside track knowledge of government. House of Cards is fast-moving, revelatory and brilliant."
*Daily Express*
Michael Dobbs has wowed readers with his bestselling *House of Cards trilogy* , which inspired the hit series on Netflix. Here are the three books in the trilogy for one low *House of Cards* , *To Play the King* , and *The Final Cut*.
About the Books in This Bundle1. *House of Cards*
A dark tale of greed, corruption, and unquenchable ambition, House of Cards reveals that no matter the country, politics, intrigue and passion reign in the corridors of power. Francis Urquhart has his hand on every secret in politics - and is willing to betray them all to become prime minister. Mattie Storin is a tenacious young reporter who has a knack for finding the real stories hidden behind the spin. When she stumbles upon a scandalous web of intrigue and financial corruption at the very highest levels, she vows to reveal the truth. But to do so she must battle her own demons and risk everything, even her life.
2\. *To Play the King*
After scheming his way to power in House of Cards, newly elected Prime Minister Francis Urquhart takes on the new King. The role of the monarchy in modern Britain comes under scrutiny as Prime Minister Francis Urquhart threatens to expose Royal secrets when his plans are blocked by the idealistic new King. Their differences of opinion quickly degenerate into open hostility. The battlefield ranges from architecture to the underprivileged; the battle is fought with rigged opinion polls, manipulated newspaper headlines, sexual scandal and economic brinkmanship as Urquhart sets out to destroy not only the King's family and friends but even the King himself.
3\. *The Final Cut*
Now Francis Urquhart is about to take his place in the record books as the longest-serving Prime Minister this century. Yet it seems the public is tiring of him at last, and the movement to force him from power is growing. But Urquhart is not yet ready to be driven from office. If the public demands new blood, that is precisely what he will give them... This is a different Francis Urquhart - more vulnerable, more loving, and more ruthless than ever. He will risk everything, but one thing is whatever the outcome of this, his greatest gamble, the name of Francis Urquhart will never be forgotten.
June 28, 2020
Decided to NOT read this. Wasn't going to be my cup of tea.
TPL e-book.
TPL e-book.
February 26, 2022
lets just pretend that i actually read this book
September 15, 2023
One of my most favourite series
The first is the best
The first is the best
August 19, 2016
It's a rare event when a film or TV show outdoes its original, but for me this is such a case. With the incomparable Andrew Davies (script writer) on the case, the British version of House of Cards (NOT the American one), starring Sir Ian Richardson, takes these stories to a whole new level. By comparison, Michael Dobbs' novels seem an entertaining jumble.
Want to read
June 21, 2017not yet read
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews