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William Carver #2
A Single Source
IF THE GOVERNMENT IS AGAINST YOU, WHO CAN YOU TRUST?
Veteran BBC reporter William Carver is in Cairo, bang in the middle of the Arab Spring. 'The only story in the world' according to his editor. But it isn't. There's another story, more significant and potentially more dangerous, and if no one else is willing to tell it, then Carver will - whatever the consequences.
A Single Source tells two stories, which over a few tumultuous months come together to prove inextricably linked. There are the dramatic, world-changing events as protests spread across North Africa and the Middle East, led by a new generation of tech-savvy youngsters challenging the corrupt old order. And then there are two Eritrean brothers, desperate enough to risk everything to make their way across the continent to a better life in Europe.
The world is watching, but its attention span is increasingly short. Carver knows the story is a complex one and, in the age of Facebook, Twitter and rolling news, difficult stories are getting harder to tell. If everyone is a reporter, then who do you believe?
Veteran BBC reporter William Carver is in Cairo, bang in the middle of the Arab Spring. 'The only story in the world' according to his editor. But it isn't. There's another story, more significant and potentially more dangerous, and if no one else is willing to tell it, then Carver will - whatever the consequences.
A Single Source tells two stories, which over a few tumultuous months come together to prove inextricably linked. There are the dramatic, world-changing events as protests spread across North Africa and the Middle East, led by a new generation of tech-savvy youngsters challenging the corrupt old order. And then there are two Eritrean brothers, desperate enough to risk everything to make their way across the continent to a better life in Europe.
The world is watching, but its attention span is increasingly short. Carver knows the story is a complex one and, in the age of Facebook, Twitter and rolling news, difficult stories are getting harder to tell. If everyone is a reporter, then who do you believe?
384 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2019
61 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Peter Hanington
5 books31 followersPETER HANINGTON worked for BBC Radio 4's Today programme for 14 years and throughout the Iraqi and Afghanistan conflicts. He initiated the special guest editor programmes and worked on special projects including collaborations with the Manchester International Festival and Glastonbury.
He still works for the BBC and lives in London.
He still works for the BBC and lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
May 14, 2019
A Jigsaw, thats the first word comes to mind to describe this book
The book is really 3 separate stories that all link into one, The Arab Spring ( concentrated in Egypt ), The UK Govt and the very delicate line between legal and illegal arms sales and the story of 2 brothers and their perilous journey from Eritrea to Italy via Sudan and Libya
ALL 3 are massive stories in themselves and although linked it takes a lot of the book for the link to appear and at times can be overwhelming to try and ‘get there’, this, I felt wasn’t helped with the chapters containing all 3 stories with sometimes not even a line break to differentiate them, also all 3 are character rich and so takes time to get to know who is who and a few times I was completely lost as to which character and plot I was reading.....HOWEVER the writing is worthwhile the work, there is ( I have found ) a certain style that ex journalist’s now authors use and it seems part fiction/part biography and rich in researched fact and detail, you feel the words you are reading have been experienced ( at least second hand ) and that for me adds a certain magic to the story
This book is descriptive to a fault and images ( good and not so ) floated through my mind from the start to the finish, I felt I was learning as well as reading a story
Fascinating but not a 2 min here and there read, it took a ‘buckling down’ and full concentration but it was worth it, very worth it and the effort paid off
9/10 5 Stars
The book is really 3 separate stories that all link into one, The Arab Spring ( concentrated in Egypt ), The UK Govt and the very delicate line between legal and illegal arms sales and the story of 2 brothers and their perilous journey from Eritrea to Italy via Sudan and Libya
ALL 3 are massive stories in themselves and although linked it takes a lot of the book for the link to appear and at times can be overwhelming to try and ‘get there’, this, I felt wasn’t helped with the chapters containing all 3 stories with sometimes not even a line break to differentiate them, also all 3 are character rich and so takes time to get to know who is who and a few times I was completely lost as to which character and plot I was reading.....HOWEVER the writing is worthwhile the work, there is ( I have found ) a certain style that ex journalist’s now authors use and it seems part fiction/part biography and rich in researched fact and detail, you feel the words you are reading have been experienced ( at least second hand ) and that for me adds a certain magic to the story
This book is descriptive to a fault and images ( good and not so ) floated through my mind from the start to the finish, I felt I was learning as well as reading a story
Fascinating but not a 2 min here and there read, it took a ‘buckling down’ and full concentration but it was worth it, very worth it and the effort paid off
9/10 5 Stars
December 3, 2019
Yay was so happy to find this gem in my local library after reading A Dying Breed! 4 stars, I loved this book, although SLIGHTLY less than his first epic novel as some of the characters felt a little under-developed- especially Patrick who was a central character in A Dying Breed but appeared only as a supporting character for Carver in this novel. Nevertheless a brilliant, fast paced adventurous book that I couldn’t put down. I was gripped with the plot line, anxious about the terror yet also occasionally laughed out loud on the bus which is always a good sign.
March 21, 2019
I was rather disappointed in A Single Source. I enjoyed A Dying Breed very much, but I didn’t think this was nearly so well done.
Patrick Hanington uses his two protagonists, an old-school BBC radio reporter and his young producer, to illustrate some of what happened in the Arab Spring in 2011 and also to analyse what the refugee/migrant “crisis” really means for those making their dangerous, sometimes horrific journeys. He writes from the heart and with genuine knowledge, and these are very important matters – but I’m afraid it doesn’t make a very good novel.
I found the fractured structure of the book rather irritating as it cuts between two stories and then between viewpoints within the stories, which broke up any sense of flow or development. To make this worse, Hanington’s style is a bit plodding, with rather stolidly described characters and situations. He also does what he managed largely to avoid in his first book, which is to go in for too much worthy journalistic exposition at the expense of the story. There is a balance to be struck between these things and for me he doesn’t get it right here. It’s a hazard for journalists, even very good journalists, when they write novels; I felt the same about Holly Watt’s To The Lions, for example. Others manage it very well (Terry Stiastny springs to mind) and so did Hanington last time, but this was a struggle for me and I can’t really recommend it.
(My thanks to John Murray for an ARC via NetGalley.)
Patrick Hanington uses his two protagonists, an old-school BBC radio reporter and his young producer, to illustrate some of what happened in the Arab Spring in 2011 and also to analyse what the refugee/migrant “crisis” really means for those making their dangerous, sometimes horrific journeys. He writes from the heart and with genuine knowledge, and these are very important matters – but I’m afraid it doesn’t make a very good novel.
I found the fractured structure of the book rather irritating as it cuts between two stories and then between viewpoints within the stories, which broke up any sense of flow or development. To make this worse, Hanington’s style is a bit plodding, with rather stolidly described characters and situations. He also does what he managed largely to avoid in his first book, which is to go in for too much worthy journalistic exposition at the expense of the story. There is a balance to be struck between these things and for me he doesn’t get it right here. It’s a hazard for journalists, even very good journalists, when they write novels; I felt the same about Holly Watt’s To The Lions, for example. Others manage it very well (Terry Stiastny springs to mind) and so did Hanington last time, but this was a struggle for me and I can’t really recommend it.
(My thanks to John Murray for an ARC via NetGalley.)
January 29, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley and John Murray Press, Two Roads for the opportunity to read and review this book for an honest opinion. This is the 2nd book in the series, but the only book I have read by this author and don't think it mattered that I hadn't read the first book as was easily able to understand the characters etc.
Th first thing I thought when started reading this was that the author was a journalist and it definitely shows as he knows what he'd talking about., particularly as the main character William Carver is a veteran BBC reporter.
A great political thriller and a real page turner. I look forward to reading more by this journalist/author.
Th first thing I thought when started reading this was that the author was a journalist and it definitely shows as he knows what he'd talking about., particularly as the main character William Carver is a veteran BBC reporter.
A great political thriller and a real page turner. I look forward to reading more by this journalist/author.
January 18, 2021
This was not quite as good as the first book in this series; mainly because the pace of the story slowed as it moved between Cairo, London and the route from Eritrea to Rome. Again the emphasis in on politics rather than thrills and the lead character remains interesting, the backgrounds, particularly in Cairo are detailed and interesting. I will certainly be on the lookout for my books by this writer.
May 2, 2019
Those who have read my review of “A Dying Breed” will be aware that I have known Peter Hanington for something like 30 years, since the time when we were ant-apartheid campaigners together in London in the late 1980s. I mention this again so that you can make your own decision about whether or not that has affected my judgement. Peter went on to work for BBC Radio, including the Today Programme. The World Tonight and Newshour. So, he is well-acquainted with the world in which he sets his books.
“A Single Source” picks up on the careers of William Carver and his producer, Patrick. They are in Cairo at the time of the Arab Spring, and they, of course, are at the heart of the reporting action. I am not sure that any of Peter Hanington’s colleagues at the BBC will want to be thought of as the role model for William Carver. He is a bit of a slob, even though he is a slob with principles which is what makes him dangerous as a journalist. When he is on to a story, he is like a terrier who will not let go. The problem is that he does not care about the consequences and, quite often, he is not the one who has to take the flak. That is often done by the people around him, whether it is his boss dealing with civil servants, or others nearer to the action, dealing with the secret police.
Patrick is, in my view, a far more likeable character. Like Carver, he takes risks to get the story. But the person he puts at risk is himself. He is prepared to take his recording equipment, secretly, into dangerous places and puts himself on the line. Unlike Carver, he does not put others near the action, or involved in it, at risk from the secret police. Let us not forget that the Egyptian secret police under Mubarak were quite capable of torture and murder.
The others near the action are Nawal, a blogger from Tahrir Square and her friend Zahra who helps Nawal by putting her blogs into good English. Both of them are very intelligent young women, putting their lives at risk to expose what is happening in Cairo during the Arab Spring. The key issue is proving that the police are using British-manufactured tear gas against the demonstrators in Tahrir Square. Nawal has the evidence. Zahra, who works at the Seti Hotel, where Carver is staying, helps her friend to contact Carver and to show him what she has discovered. That is the motor for the story. Carver digs to produce evidence confirming which British company has been involved in the illegal export of tear gas to the Mubarak government. That is when it becomes dangerous.
As the story hinges on this development, I will now turn to the events in London. The company that is involved in this is called Quadrel Engineering & Defence, and its Chief Executive is named Bellquist. Some of you are going to think that he is a villain from a Victorian melodrama. You will have to trust me on this. Peter Hanington and I met enough of these kinds of people, when we gate-crashed the AGMs of companies trading with apartheid. Bellquist is an accurate enough description of a certain kind of entitlement which these people exude. They are, of course, brought up to it or they acquire that particular patina of, shall we say, ruthlessness. Quadrel, naturally, has connections with the Ministry of Defence and exerts all the pressure it can to stop Carver from telling his story. That is the second strand of the tale.
The story, however, begins with Gabriel, an Eritrean businessman, buying a VIP passage for his two grandsons, Gebre and Solomon, from people traffickers because there is no hope for them having a good life in their own country. The two young men set out on a journey from hell from Asmara in Eritrea, across Ethiopia and Sudan to Omdurman and then on, across the Sahara, to Libya, where they and those with them are finally set adrift in boats across the Mediterranean. It is not until the end of the book that the link between the stories of Gebre and Solomon, on the one hand, and of Nawal and Zahra on the other becomes clear. You will not get any spoilers from me.
One disappointment is that there is no hint of the role of Mossad, the Israeli Secret Service, in all this. I accept, however, that would have been a complexity too far and that there is enough meat in this story to keep any reader hooked. It took me less than a day to read through the 364 pages of this story. This was because I did not go to sleep until I had read the last page.
Peter Hanington knows how to tell a story. He keeps you transfixed. This is because his stories are ones that demand to be told.
“A Single Source” picks up on the careers of William Carver and his producer, Patrick. They are in Cairo at the time of the Arab Spring, and they, of course, are at the heart of the reporting action. I am not sure that any of Peter Hanington’s colleagues at the BBC will want to be thought of as the role model for William Carver. He is a bit of a slob, even though he is a slob with principles which is what makes him dangerous as a journalist. When he is on to a story, he is like a terrier who will not let go. The problem is that he does not care about the consequences and, quite often, he is not the one who has to take the flak. That is often done by the people around him, whether it is his boss dealing with civil servants, or others nearer to the action, dealing with the secret police.
Patrick is, in my view, a far more likeable character. Like Carver, he takes risks to get the story. But the person he puts at risk is himself. He is prepared to take his recording equipment, secretly, into dangerous places and puts himself on the line. Unlike Carver, he does not put others near the action, or involved in it, at risk from the secret police. Let us not forget that the Egyptian secret police under Mubarak were quite capable of torture and murder.
The others near the action are Nawal, a blogger from Tahrir Square and her friend Zahra who helps Nawal by putting her blogs into good English. Both of them are very intelligent young women, putting their lives at risk to expose what is happening in Cairo during the Arab Spring. The key issue is proving that the police are using British-manufactured tear gas against the demonstrators in Tahrir Square. Nawal has the evidence. Zahra, who works at the Seti Hotel, where Carver is staying, helps her friend to contact Carver and to show him what she has discovered. That is the motor for the story. Carver digs to produce evidence confirming which British company has been involved in the illegal export of tear gas to the Mubarak government. That is when it becomes dangerous.
As the story hinges on this development, I will now turn to the events in London. The company that is involved in this is called Quadrel Engineering & Defence, and its Chief Executive is named Bellquist. Some of you are going to think that he is a villain from a Victorian melodrama. You will have to trust me on this. Peter Hanington and I met enough of these kinds of people, when we gate-crashed the AGMs of companies trading with apartheid. Bellquist is an accurate enough description of a certain kind of entitlement which these people exude. They are, of course, brought up to it or they acquire that particular patina of, shall we say, ruthlessness. Quadrel, naturally, has connections with the Ministry of Defence and exerts all the pressure it can to stop Carver from telling his story. That is the second strand of the tale.
The story, however, begins with Gabriel, an Eritrean businessman, buying a VIP passage for his two grandsons, Gebre and Solomon, from people traffickers because there is no hope for them having a good life in their own country. The two young men set out on a journey from hell from Asmara in Eritrea, across Ethiopia and Sudan to Omdurman and then on, across the Sahara, to Libya, where they and those with them are finally set adrift in boats across the Mediterranean. It is not until the end of the book that the link between the stories of Gebre and Solomon, on the one hand, and of Nawal and Zahra on the other becomes clear. You will not get any spoilers from me.
One disappointment is that there is no hint of the role of Mossad, the Israeli Secret Service, in all this. I accept, however, that would have been a complexity too far and that there is enough meat in this story to keep any reader hooked. It took me less than a day to read through the 364 pages of this story. This was because I did not go to sleep until I had read the last page.
Peter Hanington knows how to tell a story. He keeps you transfixed. This is because his stories are ones that demand to be told.
May 31, 2019
A bang up to date atmospheric thriller
William Carver is an old hack. As a long-time radio journalist, he has seen almost everything but still has a nose for a good story. He finds himself in Egypt in the middle of the Arab Spring and stumbles across facts which the authorities, both in Egypt and in the UK, would preferably not be made public knowledge and would go to extreme lengths to prevent Carver from broadcasting his findings.
It's an extraordinarily well-written book. Carver is almost an anti-hero as he carries so much baggage around with him from previous assignments. However, the reader can't fail to become attached to him as he is on the side of the underdog and has a conscience, which is something so often lacking in politicians and those who wield power.
There are numerous subplots, and it was intriguing trying to determine how they were all going to link up in the end. Some were more obvious than others, but the story of the two brothers being taken by people traffickers from Eritrea to Europe could have been a stand-alone story.
The description "page-turner" tends to be overused in reviews, but the pace of the plot encourages the reader to keep going well into the small hours of the morning. Carver seems to almost always play to his weaknesses rather than his strengths, but that makes him more attractive as a personality. Certainly, his shortcomings are many and varied, but in him, we can often see a reflection of ourselves.
The main attraction for this reviewer was the atmospheric feel for Cairo, which may have been helped by the fact that I have just returned from Egypt. It's a country of enormous contrasts, and this was superbly reflected in Hanington’s writing. I shall now be seeking out "A Dying Breed" which was the first book to feature William Carver. A first-rate read.
mr zorg
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
William Carver is an old hack. As a long-time radio journalist, he has seen almost everything but still has a nose for a good story. He finds himself in Egypt in the middle of the Arab Spring and stumbles across facts which the authorities, both in Egypt and in the UK, would preferably not be made public knowledge and would go to extreme lengths to prevent Carver from broadcasting his findings.
It's an extraordinarily well-written book. Carver is almost an anti-hero as he carries so much baggage around with him from previous assignments. However, the reader can't fail to become attached to him as he is on the side of the underdog and has a conscience, which is something so often lacking in politicians and those who wield power.
There are numerous subplots, and it was intriguing trying to determine how they were all going to link up in the end. Some were more obvious than others, but the story of the two brothers being taken by people traffickers from Eritrea to Europe could have been a stand-alone story.
The description "page-turner" tends to be overused in reviews, but the pace of the plot encourages the reader to keep going well into the small hours of the morning. Carver seems to almost always play to his weaknesses rather than his strengths, but that makes him more attractive as a personality. Certainly, his shortcomings are many and varied, but in him, we can often see a reflection of ourselves.
The main attraction for this reviewer was the atmospheric feel for Cairo, which may have been helped by the fact that I have just returned from Egypt. It's a country of enormous contrasts, and this was superbly reflected in Hanington’s writing. I shall now be seeking out "A Dying Breed" which was the first book to feature William Carver. A first-rate read.
mr zorg
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
August 10, 2019
A Single Source is the second in the series featuring William Carver, a veteran BBC foreign correspondent, and his tenacious young producer, Patrick. They are in Cairo, covering the Arab Spring and the demonstrations in Tahrir Square.
Back in London, a former journalist and colleague of Carver is working in the Ministry of Defence putting a spin on some very unappealing corporate activities.
Meanwhile two youths in Eritrea are about to attempt to be smuggled into Europe as refugees.
Carver and Patrick form contacts with two young women. Zahra is working at the hotel where Carver is staying and acting as a fixer and translator, when she can avoid the watchful eye of the manager. Her friend Nawal is an activist . They bring him some explosive information. Carver wants to run the story but he needs to back it up and is aware his investigation can put Nawal in ever deeper danger.
I really enjoyed A Single Source, particularly when it focused on the characters in Egypt and Eritrea. The journalist characters are all convincing and real, unsurprising as the author is a BBC journalist himself, although it might have been interesting if one or two of them had gone against type.
The plot kept me guessing (I thought I had cleverly worked out the direction of one thread early on but was pleased to have been outwitted). I liked the way the three disparate stories finally came together.
This is a great political thriller which combines big events and the human stories behind them. It is both thoughtful and pacy in demonstrating how injustice in the region has roots worldwide.
*
I received a copy of A Single Source from the publisher via Netgalley.
Read more of my reviews on my blog https://katevane.com/blog
Back in London, a former journalist and colleague of Carver is working in the Ministry of Defence putting a spin on some very unappealing corporate activities.
Meanwhile two youths in Eritrea are about to attempt to be smuggled into Europe as refugees.
Carver and Patrick form contacts with two young women. Zahra is working at the hotel where Carver is staying and acting as a fixer and translator, when she can avoid the watchful eye of the manager. Her friend Nawal is an activist . They bring him some explosive information. Carver wants to run the story but he needs to back it up and is aware his investigation can put Nawal in ever deeper danger.
I really enjoyed A Single Source, particularly when it focused on the characters in Egypt and Eritrea. The journalist characters are all convincing and real, unsurprising as the author is a BBC journalist himself, although it might have been interesting if one or two of them had gone against type.
The plot kept me guessing (I thought I had cleverly worked out the direction of one thread early on but was pleased to have been outwitted). I liked the way the three disparate stories finally came together.
This is a great political thriller which combines big events and the human stories behind them. It is both thoughtful and pacy in demonstrating how injustice in the region has roots worldwide.
*
I received a copy of A Single Source from the publisher via Netgalley.
Read more of my reviews on my blog https://katevane.com/blog
June 20, 2019
William Carver is a veteran BBC reporter and the current story that he is pursuing is part of the Arab Spring, taking him to North Africa and Egypt. Meanwhile, in Eritrea, two brothers in pursuit of a better life for themselves in Europe, put themselves in the hands of people traffickers and endure horrendous hardships on their journey North. These two stories become inextricably linked as the book reaches its climax.
This really is a thriller extraordinaire. There are strands of two stories to follow (possibly a third if you incorporate the London end of things), each of which is an exciting and gripping tale in its own right. It was a real page-turner from beginning to end. If you have ever wondered how reporters get their stories, how they live when on location, how they survive in war zones and a multitude of other questions too numerous to mention, this is the book to read. I should probably make it clear at this point that I do realise that it is a work of fiction, but as the author has over 25 years of experience working as a journalist (and writes with a conviction to match) I am relatively sure that the portrayal of the lifestyle and the methods used are realistic.
The only negative comment that I have is that the ending was possibly a little abrupt. It did not detract from my enjoyment of the book, but I felt it could have been a little more detailed.
I had not read Peter Hanington’s previous novel featuring William Carver, but I will certainly be looking out for it now. This is a great novel which I would defy anybody not to enjoy.
This really is a thriller extraordinaire. There are strands of two stories to follow (possibly a third if you incorporate the London end of things), each of which is an exciting and gripping tale in its own right. It was a real page-turner from beginning to end. If you have ever wondered how reporters get their stories, how they live when on location, how they survive in war zones and a multitude of other questions too numerous to mention, this is the book to read. I should probably make it clear at this point that I do realise that it is a work of fiction, but as the author has over 25 years of experience working as a journalist (and writes with a conviction to match) I am relatively sure that the portrayal of the lifestyle and the methods used are realistic.
The only negative comment that I have is that the ending was possibly a little abrupt. It did not detract from my enjoyment of the book, but I felt it could have been a little more detailed.
I had not read Peter Hanington’s previous novel featuring William Carver, but I will certainly be looking out for it now. This is a great novel which I would defy anybody not to enjoy.
May 9, 2019
Veteran BBC reporter William Carver is in Cairo, bang in the middle of the Arab Spring. 'The only story in the world' according to his editor. But it isn't.
There's another story, more significant and potentially more dangerous, and if no one else is willing to tell it, then Carver will - whatever the consequences.
A Single Source tells two stories, which over a few tumultuous months come together to prove inextricably linked. There are the dramatic, world-changing events as protests spread across North Africa and the Middle East, led by a new generation of tech-savvy youngsters challenging the corrupt old order. And then there are two Eritrean brothers, desperate enough to risk everything to make their way across the continent to a better life in Europe.
The world is watching, but its attention span is increasingly short. Carver knows the story is a complex one and, in the age of Facebook, Twitter and rolling news, difficult stories are getting harder to tell. If everyone is a reporter, then who do you believe?
I have to say this book was a complete departure from the types of books I've been reading recently.
A Single Source is set in 2011 in a time that came to be known as the Arab Spring. Carver and his producer Patrick are in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to report on the January 25th uprising. There are three strands to the story the one set in Egypt, another revolving around the foreign office and the third set in Eritrea. Gradually these three strands are woven together..
A slow starter which I found very difficult to get into maybe because this is not my usual type of reading material.
This book is well written and descriptive and the author has done a lot of work and research.
Unfortunately just not my cup of tea but do recommend if political thrillers is what you like.
Many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book.
Review copied to Amazon UK but link not available yet.
There's another story, more significant and potentially more dangerous, and if no one else is willing to tell it, then Carver will - whatever the consequences.
A Single Source tells two stories, which over a few tumultuous months come together to prove inextricably linked. There are the dramatic, world-changing events as protests spread across North Africa and the Middle East, led by a new generation of tech-savvy youngsters challenging the corrupt old order. And then there are two Eritrean brothers, desperate enough to risk everything to make their way across the continent to a better life in Europe.
The world is watching, but its attention span is increasingly short. Carver knows the story is a complex one and, in the age of Facebook, Twitter and rolling news, difficult stories are getting harder to tell. If everyone is a reporter, then who do you believe?
I have to say this book was a complete departure from the types of books I've been reading recently.
A Single Source is set in 2011 in a time that came to be known as the Arab Spring. Carver and his producer Patrick are in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to report on the January 25th uprising. There are three strands to the story the one set in Egypt, another revolving around the foreign office and the third set in Eritrea. Gradually these three strands are woven together..
A slow starter which I found very difficult to get into maybe because this is not my usual type of reading material.
This book is well written and descriptive and the author has done a lot of work and research.
Unfortunately just not my cup of tea but do recommend if political thrillers is what you like.
Many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book.
Review copied to Amazon UK but link not available yet.
June 6, 2019
I find myself almost lost for words in terms of how to review this book. It's certainly thrilling and I always love a story that has a British political spin to it as I'm super interested in that area. However, I just felt that I was going through the motions after a certain period in the story.
There are a few different storylines and they converge fairly well, so that was satisfying, yet I almost feel cheated out of a much more conclusive ending.
The characters were interesting although not particularly fleshed out. It almost felt like I was reading Book 8 in a detective series where you're just supposed to know how these people roll. Which is exactly the case as I haven't read the previous book 'A Dying Breed'. It doesn't necessarily detract from my enjoyment but you can definitely tell this isn't the characters' first outings.
Overall, a real page turner and some moments of real tension and fear but lacking an ending that matches the rest of the novel.
Thanks to John Murray Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy for review.
(I should add that even if there were to be further installments in this particular story, it still doesn't remove my frustration at the rather rushed, open ending.)
There are a few different storylines and they converge fairly well, so that was satisfying, yet I almost feel cheated out of a much more conclusive ending.
The characters were interesting although not particularly fleshed out. It almost felt like I was reading Book 8 in a detective series where you're just supposed to know how these people roll. Which is exactly the case as I haven't read the previous book 'A Dying Breed'. It doesn't necessarily detract from my enjoyment but you can definitely tell this isn't the characters' first outings.
Overall, a real page turner and some moments of real tension and fear but lacking an ending that matches the rest of the novel.
Thanks to John Murray Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy for review.
(I should add that even if there were to be further installments in this particular story, it still doesn't remove my frustration at the rather rushed, open ending.)
June 29, 2019
What a wonderfully expansive and revealing novel with such a sure-footed exposition of the themes and people shaping our world.
For me its best scenes are from Eritrea, a part of the world so few get to see or understand but which is fuelling the biggest story of the decade, the migrant crisis that has shaped European politics. It is so rare to have that society so sensitively portrayed in a way that the news has never properly reached.
This only slightly rises above the unwavering depiction of the dawn of the Arab spring, seen here through the events in Cairo in 2011, a story that felt like a blip in a wider narrative but as we see in this novel warrants greater inquiry.
It is not just the central characters of Carver and Patrick - both always entertaining - which are fully formed. Peter Hanington never wavers in ensuring even minor people in his story are given full dimension.
It is a page turner, it is a thriller, but it is also a carefully considered pull-together of a tapestry of events that the daily news has been unable to crystallise. I thoroughly recommend it!
For me its best scenes are from Eritrea, a part of the world so few get to see or understand but which is fuelling the biggest story of the decade, the migrant crisis that has shaped European politics. It is so rare to have that society so sensitively portrayed in a way that the news has never properly reached.
This only slightly rises above the unwavering depiction of the dawn of the Arab spring, seen here through the events in Cairo in 2011, a story that felt like a blip in a wider narrative but as we see in this novel warrants greater inquiry.
It is not just the central characters of Carver and Patrick - both always entertaining - which are fully formed. Peter Hanington never wavers in ensuring even minor people in his story are given full dimension.
It is a page turner, it is a thriller, but it is also a carefully considered pull-together of a tapestry of events that the daily news has been unable to crystallise. I thoroughly recommend it!
May 16, 2019
I had never read a book with a journalistic focus before, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. How Peter wove the characters together, the threads of their intertwined stories, and gave it a topical focus in the events of the Arab Spring made for fascinating reading.
His research is evident in the book, and his insights too. There was also a spectrum of human life, from joy to tragedy, that added to the power of his narrative.
I will follow William Carver's future journeys, and highly recommend this book.
His research is evident in the book, and his insights too. There was also a spectrum of human life, from joy to tragedy, that added to the power of his narrative.
I will follow William Carver's future journeys, and highly recommend this book.
June 1, 2019
A Single Source is the second William Carver book by Peter Hanington but it’s the first one I’ve read. Set in 2011, there are three plotlines based in Egypt, London and Eritrea. It took me a while to get into the book with three different storylines but I’m glad I persisted.
My favourite of the three is the Egyptian thread. The Arab Spring is in full flow and has reached Egypt. William Carver is one step ahead of the rest of the news journalists and is already making local contacts through Zahra, the receptionist at his hotel. I don’t want to give too much away but Peter Hanington has managed to recreate the tension of the Arab Spring – excitement mixed with real danger along with the belief that things really could change.
In Eritrea, brothers Solomon and Gebre are encouraged by their grandfather, Gabriel, to leave and travel to Europe. He has insured their safe passage at huge financial cost. We don’t often hear about migrants and refugees until they’re near our coastline. A few weeks’ ago two dinghies were found off the coast of Kent with migrants, thankfully alive. But more migrants had died prior to that in the Mediterranean. Through this storyline, we see the terrible predicament that people go through, risking everything for a better life.
Rob Mariscal, a former radio news editor, is now the Communications Director for the MoD. He’s good at spinning stories but he finds himself caught in a web of deceit. He’s tasked with taking down the person who’s threatening to expose a scandal that could rock the Government – William Carver.
To begin with, it’s hard to work out how these stories are going to mesh together but Hanington slowly does this, before picking up pace. A Single Source really packs some punches and is harrowing at times. Although this is fiction, Peter Hanington’s journalistic experience shines through and it feels all too real. This book may be set in 2011 but it’s still just as relevant today. Looking back, and I think the book hints at this, we have to ask the question, did the Arab Spring really achieve freedom? Or was it a perceived freedom which kept power in the same elite hands? I can’t think of another book (fact or fiction) that has made me think so much about today’s world. I’m intrigued to see what Peter Hanington comes up with next.
My favourite of the three is the Egyptian thread. The Arab Spring is in full flow and has reached Egypt. William Carver is one step ahead of the rest of the news journalists and is already making local contacts through Zahra, the receptionist at his hotel. I don’t want to give too much away but Peter Hanington has managed to recreate the tension of the Arab Spring – excitement mixed with real danger along with the belief that things really could change.
In Eritrea, brothers Solomon and Gebre are encouraged by their grandfather, Gabriel, to leave and travel to Europe. He has insured their safe passage at huge financial cost. We don’t often hear about migrants and refugees until they’re near our coastline. A few weeks’ ago two dinghies were found off the coast of Kent with migrants, thankfully alive. But more migrants had died prior to that in the Mediterranean. Through this storyline, we see the terrible predicament that people go through, risking everything for a better life.
Rob Mariscal, a former radio news editor, is now the Communications Director for the MoD. He’s good at spinning stories but he finds himself caught in a web of deceit. He’s tasked with taking down the person who’s threatening to expose a scandal that could rock the Government – William Carver.
To begin with, it’s hard to work out how these stories are going to mesh together but Hanington slowly does this, before picking up pace. A Single Source really packs some punches and is harrowing at times. Although this is fiction, Peter Hanington’s journalistic experience shines through and it feels all too real. This book may be set in 2011 but it’s still just as relevant today. Looking back, and I think the book hints at this, we have to ask the question, did the Arab Spring really achieve freedom? Or was it a perceived freedom which kept power in the same elite hands? I can’t think of another book (fact or fiction) that has made me think so much about today’s world. I’m intrigued to see what Peter Hanington comes up with next.
May 4, 2019
This story brings us bang into the Arab Spring of 2011, to the heart of events in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, where veteran BBC reporter William Carver and his young producer Patrick have been for some weeks, telling Egypt’s story to the world. So far so good, but along the way William meets a couple of young Egyptian girls who become his inside contacts, innocent and full of hope, but who come across evidence that throws the British arms merchants into a hard light and, as a result, put their own lives and those of Carver and his friends in great danger … as well as making us, the readers, suspect there is a possible equivalent and awful truth in the real world outside of this novel. Carver is determined to get to the bottom of this story, whatever the cost – and that cost proves to be very great indeed.
Alongside the intrigue of William and his friends, we meet two Eritrean boys lovingly sent by their father across the African continent towards Europe to find a better life, exposing the horrors of trafficking, what these refugees have to endure and how they are treated, and how they and their fellow passengers try to hang on to the best in themselves along the way.
The separate stories build up over the course of the novel and ultimately come together as the separate plots become one.
This is a fine thriller but also a moving story in which the author captures beautifully the sense of hope and liberation during the Arab spring but then the tragedy which ensues and the darkness of machinations going on at the highest level, and we the readers cannot help but wonder what really went on behind the scenes, in both Egypt and Britain and in the wider world.
Alongside the intrigue of William and his friends, we meet two Eritrean boys lovingly sent by their father across the African continent towards Europe to find a better life, exposing the horrors of trafficking, what these refugees have to endure and how they are treated, and how they and their fellow passengers try to hang on to the best in themselves along the way.
The separate stories build up over the course of the novel and ultimately come together as the separate plots become one.
This is a fine thriller but also a moving story in which the author captures beautifully the sense of hope and liberation during the Arab spring but then the tragedy which ensues and the darkness of machinations going on at the highest level, and we the readers cannot help but wonder what really went on behind the scenes, in both Egypt and Britain and in the wider world.
May 6, 2019
This book was a complete departure from the types of books I’ve been reading recently and it was exactly what I needed. I love books that contain elements of things I can relate to real life, and this book captures the fact that you can’t always trust what you read in the news perfectly. It really details all the goings on behind the scenes and all the parties at play trying to spin information to suit their own political agendas.
There are a lot of different characters in this book so you really need to pay attention. We follow two journalists in Egypt, a local woman they have hired to help with translation, two brothers are they try to smuggle their way to Italy, a communications employee working within a government department, and a few other characters around these ones. What is really clever though is how all these characters stories are intertwined and linked even though some of them never even meet.
This is a bit of a slow burner but it is brilliantly crafted and if you stick with it to the end I personally don’t think you will regret it. I really enjoyed this book and thought it was well researched and expertly plotted to deliver this finished book.
There are a lot of different characters in this book so you really need to pay attention. We follow two journalists in Egypt, a local woman they have hired to help with translation, two brothers are they try to smuggle their way to Italy, a communications employee working within a government department, and a few other characters around these ones. What is really clever though is how all these characters stories are intertwined and linked even though some of them never even meet.
This is a bit of a slow burner but it is brilliantly crafted and if you stick with it to the end I personally don’t think you will regret it. I really enjoyed this book and thought it was well researched and expertly plotted to deliver this finished book.
May 9, 2019
I was a huge fan of 'A Dying Breed' and was unsure if Hanington would be able to live up to the first book. I think, however, 'A Single Source' is even better which is really saying something. It is fast paced and particularly enjoyable for anyone who keeps half an eye on world affairs, though that is by no means necessary to enjoy a book with such well-developed characters.
I read in one review that the reader did not like Haningtons style of moving between storylines. I really enjoyed this and thought it was one of the strengths of the book, in fact, the style reminded me of some of my favourite authors. If it helps people reading this, I am an obsessive Le Carré and Robert Harris reader and await their new additions with bated breath. In Hanington, I feel I have found another author to add to my short list. I hope the third book will not be far behind!
I read in one review that the reader did not like Haningtons style of moving between storylines. I really enjoyed this and thought it was one of the strengths of the book, in fact, the style reminded me of some of my favourite authors. If it helps people reading this, I am an obsessive Le Carré and Robert Harris reader and await their new additions with bated breath. In Hanington, I feel I have found another author to add to my short list. I hope the third book will not be far behind!
May 12, 2019
Journalist William Carver is in Egypt in 2011, in the middle of the Arab Spring. While this is a huge story, he is given details of a far bigger and more dangerous involving the trafficking of people across Africa and Europe.
Compelling reading.
Compelling reading.
May 17, 2019
I loved this book. It is a gripping political thriller which as well as being a complete page-turner, also succeeds in being very moving and insightful. I also loved the first book from this author - looking forward to the next one now!
June 18, 2019
It's not very often that I find a book that keeps me up into the wee small hours, but this was one of them. A political thriller with more twists and turns than a racing track! So good, I finished it in two days, and also a story that will stay with me for quite a while. Look forward to reading more from this author.
June 20, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyed this novel, the build up was riveting. The hopes, expectations and dreams of the younger generation were constantly being thwarted by the older embittered regime, but there is always hope ....
April 27, 2019
A new author and new genre for me. I’m not sure how to “categorise “ this, I’m going to say it’s a political thriller, which almost reads as a classic spy novel.
A gently paced opening introduces the 3 story strings in this book.
Set in 2011, at the time of the “ Arab spring” Veteran BBC reporter William Carver and his trusted producer Patrick are in Egypt covering events as the insurrection and riots begin to break out.
Whilst in London. Ex journalist and colleague of Carver's, Rob Mariscal now head of Comms at the MOD, is working on a project to both protect the MOD's interest , in a weapons and arms company from the treasury budget cuts while ensuring the Involvement is not of pubic knowledge
In Eritrea , Africa, the tale of 2 young brothers, looking to escape the county is also being told. Soloman and Gebre, with the help of their scheming smuggler grandfather ,set off with people traffickers , in hope of reaching Europe.
In Egypt. Carver comes across what appears to be tear gas canisters made by a British company
Rob is working Hard trying to cover up any involvment
Eritrea. The journey is a difficult brutal experience across desert and blistering heat, with little to eat or drink. it’s hard not to become emotionally involved with the brothers. One strong, one weak. Willing each to the the end of the arduous journey, it’s at times heart wrenching.
Focus on how Twitter and social media has become almost become front line journalism, anyone can tweet news now.
Locations are well described, especially the descriptions of Eritrea.
Corruption, people trafficking , double crossing and blackmail, this is a touching tale that builds into an emotional finale that brings all the strings together
Very well written, intriguing, difficult to put down, an often slow paced but genuinely Gripping, tense, highly researched and intelligent thriller.
I highly recommend and I will certainly be looking into the author’s first novel involving the same characters
4.5⭐️
A gently paced opening introduces the 3 story strings in this book.
Set in 2011, at the time of the “ Arab spring” Veteran BBC reporter William Carver and his trusted producer Patrick are in Egypt covering events as the insurrection and riots begin to break out.
Whilst in London. Ex journalist and colleague of Carver's, Rob Mariscal now head of Comms at the MOD, is working on a project to both protect the MOD's interest , in a weapons and arms company from the treasury budget cuts while ensuring the Involvement is not of pubic knowledge
In Eritrea , Africa, the tale of 2 young brothers, looking to escape the county is also being told. Soloman and Gebre, with the help of their scheming smuggler grandfather ,set off with people traffickers , in hope of reaching Europe.
In Egypt. Carver comes across what appears to be tear gas canisters made by a British company
Rob is working Hard trying to cover up any involvment
Eritrea. The journey is a difficult brutal experience across desert and blistering heat, with little to eat or drink. it’s hard not to become emotionally involved with the brothers. One strong, one weak. Willing each to the the end of the arduous journey, it’s at times heart wrenching.
Focus on how Twitter and social media has become almost become front line journalism, anyone can tweet news now.
Locations are well described, especially the descriptions of Eritrea.
Corruption, people trafficking , double crossing and blackmail, this is a touching tale that builds into an emotional finale that brings all the strings together
Very well written, intriguing, difficult to put down, an often slow paced but genuinely Gripping, tense, highly researched and intelligent thriller.
I highly recommend and I will certainly be looking into the author’s first novel involving the same characters
4.5⭐️
June 19, 2019
A slow start, with the story jumping around a bit with the different strands...and then the book
gripped me! Loved the journalistic style of writing. A compelling story, humanely written.
gripped me! Loved the journalistic style of writing. A compelling story, humanely written.
April 30, 2019
I usually read crime thrillers, but I thought I’d give this book a read which could be classified as a political thriller.
The book takes us back to 2011, during the Arab Spring, with the story largely focused on events at Tahrir Sq in Cairo.
The story is largely told through the eyes of William Carver a reporter on Radio 4’s the today programme. Carver’s aim was to report on events in Tahir Sq, but he soon uncovers a bigger story to report on which involves corruption, blackmail and murder, which puts his own life in danger.
There is another story which is being told and involves two brothers who are trying to travel from Eritrea to Italy to try and make a better life for themselves. I found this story really interesting, particularly when it goes into great detail on the horrors and cost the two brothers face trying to make the trip to Europe. The story talks a lot about the conditions the brothers face as well as the brutality of the traffickers who have no regard for human life.
The book is well written and you can see the author has done a huge amount of research. The one downside is I was struggling to understand how the two stories were linked until pretty much the last page of the book. Plus there is a 3rd story going on which takes place in London although it links into the story from Cairo.
I would recommend this book and while try the authors other book which is meant to be good. I’d like to thank NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book.
The book takes us back to 2011, during the Arab Spring, with the story largely focused on events at Tahrir Sq in Cairo.
The story is largely told through the eyes of William Carver a reporter on Radio 4’s the today programme. Carver’s aim was to report on events in Tahir Sq, but he soon uncovers a bigger story to report on which involves corruption, blackmail and murder, which puts his own life in danger.
There is another story which is being told and involves two brothers who are trying to travel from Eritrea to Italy to try and make a better life for themselves. I found this story really interesting, particularly when it goes into great detail on the horrors and cost the two brothers face trying to make the trip to Europe. The story talks a lot about the conditions the brothers face as well as the brutality of the traffickers who have no regard for human life.
The book is well written and you can see the author has done a huge amount of research. The one downside is I was struggling to understand how the two stories were linked until pretty much the last page of the book. Plus there is a 3rd story going on which takes place in London although it links into the story from Cairo.
I would recommend this book and while try the authors other book which is meant to be good. I’d like to thank NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book.
April 22, 2019
William Carver is a BBC Radio journalist who has landed up in Cairo to report on the Arab Spring uprising. So has the rest of the world's journalists. Carver likes to think of himself as a "vertical" journalist who explores a story in depth, creating news. He is disdainful of the "horizontal" journalists who simply commentate on events around them.
Carver - and his youthful producer Patrick - first appeared in A Dying Breed, a superior conspiracy thriller set in Afghanistan. They are an odd couple - like Dr Who and his assistant - providing both a second point of view and a useful pretext for expository dialogue.
A Single Source gets off to a slower start than A Dying Breed - perhaps because Carver has only just landed in Cairo himself and needs to discover his story and his network - but when it starts to grip, it is just as gripping as the debut novel. Carver meets up with a couple of Egyptian protestors, one of whom runs a twitter feed from Tahrir Square. They collect up some of the gas canisters, rubber bullets and truncheons used against the protestors and this causes some discomfort at the highest level.
Meanwhile, back in London, the former editor of the Today programme has started out a new career as Director of Communications at the Ministry of Defence. The MoD is in something of a bind, wanting to support the friendly Mubarak regime but also wanting to end up backing the winner if the Mubarak regime falls. And all the time, wanting to promote British defence exports...
Interleaved with this, there is the story of two Eritrean brothers looking to start a new life in Europe, left to the mercy of people traffickers. This can feel like a distraction, but it puts a human face on some of the massive upheaval that has been going on behind the changes of government and political headlines. It will hopefully make the English (yes English, not British) voters ashamed for supporting Brexit in a futile attempt to stop the influx of migrants from the Middle East who were displaced by poor UK foreign policy.
Overall, A Single Source is a tense read with plenty of politics and double crossing. As in A Dying Breed, the morals are sometimes ambiguous and the reader is left to imagine the final denouement - traits of a superior thriller.
Carver - and his youthful producer Patrick - first appeared in A Dying Breed, a superior conspiracy thriller set in Afghanistan. They are an odd couple - like Dr Who and his assistant - providing both a second point of view and a useful pretext for expository dialogue.
A Single Source gets off to a slower start than A Dying Breed - perhaps because Carver has only just landed in Cairo himself and needs to discover his story and his network - but when it starts to grip, it is just as gripping as the debut novel. Carver meets up with a couple of Egyptian protestors, one of whom runs a twitter feed from Tahrir Square. They collect up some of the gas canisters, rubber bullets and truncheons used against the protestors and this causes some discomfort at the highest level.
Meanwhile, back in London, the former editor of the Today programme has started out a new career as Director of Communications at the Ministry of Defence. The MoD is in something of a bind, wanting to support the friendly Mubarak regime but also wanting to end up backing the winner if the Mubarak regime falls. And all the time, wanting to promote British defence exports...
Interleaved with this, there is the story of two Eritrean brothers looking to start a new life in Europe, left to the mercy of people traffickers. This can feel like a distraction, but it puts a human face on some of the massive upheaval that has been going on behind the changes of government and political headlines. It will hopefully make the English (yes English, not British) voters ashamed for supporting Brexit in a futile attempt to stop the influx of migrants from the Middle East who were displaced by poor UK foreign policy.
Overall, A Single Source is a tense read with plenty of politics and double crossing. As in A Dying Breed, the morals are sometimes ambiguous and the reader is left to imagine the final denouement - traits of a superior thriller.
April 24, 2019
Peter Hanington is a BBC journalist and this shows very strongly in his new thriller, A Single Source. The book is set in the Arab Spring of 2011 and follows three parallel tracks. The main track is around a BBC journalist called William Carver and his colleague Patrick, who are sent to Cairo to cover the unfolding events there, but there are subsidiary plot strands involving two brothers so desperate to leave Eritrea and find a better future in Europe that they are prepared to undertake a hugely dangerous journey, and a former BBC editor who has now changed sides and is working in the press office of the Ministry of Defence.
Carver is a maverick, old school journalist who is a luddite when it comes to technology but has a nose for a story and for finding the best sources. A brilliant story comes to him, but he only has a single source, and with forces trying to push him off course he fights a battle to get the story on air.
The writing around the fictionalised version of the Arab Spring is very evocative and I very much enjoyed reading a journalist’s view of what was unfolding and how it was reported. Hanington’s BBC credentials mean that this is wholly believable and authentic (sometimes too much so, as some of his references to Broadcasting House are a bit niche). Carver is a hugely flawed character, but you can’t help rooting for him. I felt the plot strand involving the brothers from Eritrea was a little neglected – although the description of their journey was heartbreaking, I felt the weaving in of this to the main plot was underdone. Overall though, a really good and educational read, and understandably praised by many other journalists.
Thank you to NetGalley for this review copy.
Carver is a maverick, old school journalist who is a luddite when it comes to technology but has a nose for a story and for finding the best sources. A brilliant story comes to him, but he only has a single source, and with forces trying to push him off course he fights a battle to get the story on air.
The writing around the fictionalised version of the Arab Spring is very evocative and I very much enjoyed reading a journalist’s view of what was unfolding and how it was reported. Hanington’s BBC credentials mean that this is wholly believable and authentic (sometimes too much so, as some of his references to Broadcasting House are a bit niche). Carver is a hugely flawed character, but you can’t help rooting for him. I felt the plot strand involving the brothers from Eritrea was a little neglected – although the description of their journey was heartbreaking, I felt the weaving in of this to the main plot was underdone. Overall though, a really good and educational read, and understandably praised by many other journalists.
Thank you to NetGalley for this review copy.
May 6, 2019
A brilliant novel incorporating the Egyptian uprising, media undercover operations, people smuggling and illicit exports. Novels can educate as well as entertain and this gripping story reflects what we hear about on the News programmes with the depth of its research backed detail. Highly recommended.
May 6, 2019
Thought provoking thriller set against the refugee crisis and the Arab Spring. Humane, entertaining and compelling.
April 27, 2019
An interesting book. Written in a journalistic style from different parts of Africa and London it's interesting to see how arms dealers seem to be fomentic war - probably to help with sales. The Arab Spring in Africa gave them many opportunities - even if they were illegal.
April 16, 2019
My thanks to NetGalley and publisher John Murray Press-Two Roads for the ARC.
I thought this book to be really intriguing and an enjoyable read. I haven't read the author's previous book, so for me is a standalone.
Veteran BBC reporter William Carver, together with his young producer Patrick, visit old-friend Jemima McCluskey who works at the BBC monitoring station at Cavershsam. She hands over reports coming in from primarily North African regions, suggesting something big was about to happen in relation to the Arab Spring. William and Patrick have a head start now on other reporting agencies and head for Cairo. There, a pro-democracy campaigner Nawal is maintaining a twitter feed coordinating the occupation of Tahrir Square.
In Eritrea 2 brothers, Gebre and Solomon Hassan are preparing to make the dangerous journey across North Africa to Europe, their Grandfather having paid a contact to arrange this.
In Whitehall, London, Rob Mariscal - an ex-BBC reporter and ex-colleague of William, is now Head of Communications (spin doctor) for the MOD, with Leslie Craig as Permanent Secretary.
The story takes us into the passionate atmosphere of the uprising; the use of modern technology to disseminate information, and the callousness of the rulers. Alongside this is the harrowing journey the Eritrean brothers are taking - the degradation, cruelty and abuse.
Meanwhile - William discovers another story; who's supplying new-style crowd-control weaponry to the region, and how is it getting there.
All these strands can only be pulled together if William can only find that Single Source - the one participant who was there, who could provide the evidence. It takes a while and a lot of disappointments and heartbreak but the twist provides the answer.
Thoroughly engrossing!
I thought this book to be really intriguing and an enjoyable read. I haven't read the author's previous book, so for me is a standalone.
Veteran BBC reporter William Carver, together with his young producer Patrick, visit old-friend Jemima McCluskey who works at the BBC monitoring station at Cavershsam. She hands over reports coming in from primarily North African regions, suggesting something big was about to happen in relation to the Arab Spring. William and Patrick have a head start now on other reporting agencies and head for Cairo. There, a pro-democracy campaigner Nawal is maintaining a twitter feed coordinating the occupation of Tahrir Square.
In Eritrea 2 brothers, Gebre and Solomon Hassan are preparing to make the dangerous journey across North Africa to Europe, their Grandfather having paid a contact to arrange this.
In Whitehall, London, Rob Mariscal - an ex-BBC reporter and ex-colleague of William, is now Head of Communications (spin doctor) for the MOD, with Leslie Craig as Permanent Secretary.
The story takes us into the passionate atmosphere of the uprising; the use of modern technology to disseminate information, and the callousness of the rulers. Alongside this is the harrowing journey the Eritrean brothers are taking - the degradation, cruelty and abuse.
Meanwhile - William discovers another story; who's supplying new-style crowd-control weaponry to the region, and how is it getting there.
All these strands can only be pulled together if William can only find that Single Source - the one participant who was there, who could provide the evidence. It takes a while and a lot of disappointments and heartbreak but the twist provides the answer.
Thoroughly engrossing!
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