Parliamentary lobbyist Damian Beaufort is a professional manipulator – clever, charming, ruthless – but when Labour wins power his Tory-heavy agency spirals towards bankruptcy. And the rest of his life looks like going the same way.
Salvation comes not from booze or sex – despite his best efforts – but a far less likely quarter: the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service. It also comes at a cost.
Beaufort finds himself entangled in a lethal web of conflicts: an internecine turf war between MI5 and MI6; underhand Westminster manoeuvrings; Eurocrats bent on reversing Brexit; and, seemingly pulling all the strings, the sinister head of Russia’s FSB.
Soon the lobbyist-turned-spy isn’t just fighting to save his agency, his reputation and his country. He’s fighting for his life, and he’s fighting for revenge.
First-time author Lionel Zetter brings dazzling insider knowledge to bear in this fast-moving contemporary thriller with a totally unexpected denouement in the Chamber of the House of Commons.
What did I think?
Wow! What a cracking political thriller! I actually couldn't be less interested in politics so I didn't expect to enjoy a book filled with politicians so much. I really couldn't put The Lobbyist down.
The strapline says it all really: 'He may be a bastard. But he's our bastard.' Damian Beaufort doesn't know who his father is so he is literally a bastard. He's a bastard by name and a bastard by nature which makes him a successful and much sought after lobbyist. When the Tories lose the election, Beaufort has no intention of going down with the ship but it's not as simple as just switching sides.
The disturbing prologue is set in Russia and, although it wasn't difficult to see how it related to the rest of the story, it's a great hook. With the Russians involved, there's espionage and assassinations to add an extra layer of entertainment and suspense to the already gripping storyline.
Fast-paced, compelling and intriguing, The Lobbyist is a fantastic debut novel from Lionel Zetter. With an intoxicating mixture of politics, espionage and danger, The Lobbyist is just crying out to be made into a TV series so I wouldn't be surprised to see it on our screens in the future. Very highly recommended.
I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the Love Books Tours virtual book tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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