The Banqueting Club

by George Fairbrother

Norman Armstrong and Alf Burton are an unlikely pair of political friends. One is a left-wing journalist who grew up in poverty, a man with a national reputation and a sharp tongue. The other is the Tory Chief Whip and the latest in a long family line of distinguished politicians. A violent argument between the two proves to be the beginning of a lasting bond. When Alf tells Norman that he has been lucky enough to secure access to a revelatory manuscript written by Charlotte Morris - an Edwardian popular novelist who made herself unpopular with the Establishment by campaigning against Kitchener's concentration camps - both men immediately understand the potentially explosive significance of the event. But neither could have predicted the extraordinary way in which, against the background of 1980s Britain and the imminent miners' strike, this political thriller would unfold.

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 2019

About the author

George Fairbrother is the author of the Armstrong and Burton novels, and Lost in Solway, and is producer and host of the DEC4 Podcast. He is also an executive producer of The Bill Podcast, and the scripted audio series, Letter from Helvetica. His interests include cultural and working-class history, post-war British cinema, as well as classic rock and roll and early Hollywood.

Learn more at;

www.georgefairbrotherbooks.com

Podcasts at;

www.dec4podcast.com

Reviews

[Oliver Crocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Fairbrother skilfully brings to life an incredible period of British political history, told through an array of fascinating characters. Fairbrother has clearly done his homework - the amount of research and attention to detail grounds the novel in reality, whilst adding a heightened sense of finesse and intrigue. Fairbrother also shines with his characterisation and rich dialogue - these are very well-written characters and one can easily imagine a stellar cast of performers bringing them to life in a major production. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to start on the next in the series!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and enjoyable read. I am old enough to remember the miners strike, protests at Greenham Common etc.. so it was interesting to read about these events from a different perspective. I found the beginning of the book quite slow to start off with but I am glad I stuck with it because I couldn't put the book down by the end. I would happily recommend to other readers, The Banqueting Club is worthy of the five stars given.

[Mary K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story, although I admit it took me a little while to become familiar with the different characters at the start. The characters had serious roles but at the same time there was humour and warmth making me wanting to find out more. Charlotte Morris and Dorothy Keppel were my favourites and I’m hoping that the author develops them more in the future.

[Marcus Tong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read with some strong personalities, looking forward to the follow up Armstrong"s Army.

[Nick Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reads like a mix of Yes (Prime) Minister and House of Cards.

[Philip king]

Didn’t hold my attention