Head of state

POWER. CORRUPTION. CONSPIRACY. BUSINESS AS USUAL. Two corpses. A country on the edge of a political precipice. A conspiracy so bold it would make Machiavelli wince. The first novel from Britain's most celebrated political commentator is a gleefully twisted take on what goes on behind the door of 10 Downing Street. When a young investigative reporter is found dead on the streets of London, few people notice. But when another body - minus its head and hands - is washed up on the banks of the Thames, its grisly condition arouses a little more interest. There appears to be no connection between the two dead men. But, unsuspected by the electorate,there is a shocking and dangerous secret at the very heart of government. While the United Kingdom approaches a crucial and delicately balanced referendum on Europe,a group of ruthlessly determined individuals will stop at nothing - including murder - to prevent the truth from getting out. Andrew Marr's first novel is a gleefully twisted spin through the corridors of power. Making full use of his unrivalled inside knowledge of the British political scene, Marr has threaded his wickedly clever thriller with a distinctive strand of pitch-black humour,to offer an irreverent glimpse behind the parliamentary curtain.