A Single Source: a gripping political thriller from the author of A Dying Breed

by Peter Hanington

Overview

IF THE GOVERNMENT IS AGAINST YOU, WHO CAN YOU TRUST?

'Gripping' CHARLES CUMMING
'Tight, pacy and strong on atmosphere' MICHAEL PALIN
'Completely unputdownable' SEB EMINA
'Hugely accomplished' IRISH INDEPENDENT

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?


'Draws you in from the first line and keeps you guessing until, literally, the very last' ALLAN LITTLE
'Thrilling' DAME ANN LESLIE
'The real deal' KIRSTY WARK
'Compulsive and terrifying in equal measure' KATE HAMER
'Gut-wrenching' EDWARD STOURTON
'A fast-moving tale of shifting loyalties and betrayal' CRIME REVIEW
'Written with skill and humanity' SHOTS MAG

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473625471
Publisher:	John Murray Press
Publication date:	05/02/2019
Series:	William Carver Novels
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	696 KB

About the Author

Peter Hanington is a writer and journalist. His critically acclaimed William Carver thrillers begin with A Dying Breed and star the eponymous old-school radio journalist against a backdrop of high-stakes international espionage. He is also the author of the Susan Cotton series of crime novels, which are set in Brighton and begin with The Darkest Tide.

Peter worked as a radio journalist for over twenty-five years including stints at Radio 4, the BBC World Service, The World Tonight and sixteen years on the Today Programme. He lives in London with his wife and has two grown-up children living in Glasgow.

Editorial Reviews

A fascinating, atmospheric read. Peter Hanington weaves a page-turning tale that is both compulsive and terrifying in equal measure. Will keep you up till the early hours.—Kate Hamer, author of THE GIRL IN THE RED COAT

It's such a pleasure to read a novel by a writer who is the real deal. Peter Hanington is entirely in command of this thrilling story and tells it with great verve.—Kirsty Wark, author of THE LEGACY OF ELIZABETH PRINGLE

One of the most assured pieces of writing I have read for a very long time. Peter Hanington's characters come completely alive, and you feel he knows them intimately. The sense of setting out on a journey in safe hands makes it all the more shocking when the plot takes its gut-wrenching twists. A foreign correspondent's life is, like a soldier's, made up of long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror; my advice to Peter's BBC colleagues is 'pack this in your grab bag, and the dull hours will fly by'. It's very good indeed.—Edward Stourton

Hanington has a knack for telling the stories of the lives behind the news headlines in a way that invites you, the reader, to care about his characters. It is an invitation I am happy to accept. It is one of his many talents as a writer.—Fi Glover, the Fortunately podcast

A Single Source is a considered, almost deceptively suspenseful thriller with a host of well-drawn characters, including hard-bitten foreign correspondents, young idealistic Egyptian girls, creepy public relations men, a grotesque (and totally credible) arms-dealer and a wonderfully slimy Cairo hotelier. It is written by a journalist whom you feel has been there and done that - or at least some of it - with skill and humanity, and no unnecessary pyrotechnics.—Shots Mag

A Single Source is a considered, almost deceptively suspenseful thriller with a host of well-drawn characters . . . written by a journalist whom you feel has been there and done that - or at least some of it - with skill and humanity. Ingenious and, dare I say it, rather Ambler-esque.—Mike Ripley, author of the Angel series

An enthralling read that answers the question everyone asks of journalists: how do you get your stories?—Roy Greenslade

Passion and politics . . . extremely well-written and an excellent read—Crime Pieces

A highly readable conspiracy theory—Morning Star

An intelligent spellbinding thriller—NB Books

Convincingly told—Choice

It's topical, authoritative and gripping, tight-paced and strong on atmosphere, full of vivid characters and so clearly mined from Hanington's own experiences as to make it feel totally authentic. The initiated may pose nods to le Carré, Greene and Ambler, but this impressive and atmospheric story, punctuated with interludes of hilarious dialogue, does entirely its own thing - and is far the stronger for it . . . There have been many books about journalism in war or near war zones. But this tale of investigative reporting, shady deals, intelligence men and conflicted diplomats is another absolutely outstanding addition from an author who spins an almost Kipling-esque story with insight, humanity, humour and, at times, near fury.—Crime Review

A fine read—Women's Weekly (Australia)

Convincingly atmospheric—Country and Town House

From the Publisher