Michael Dobbs served as Chief of Staff to British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major and was Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party in the mid-1990s. His many books include House of Cards, the first in what would become a trilogy of political thrillers based on the character Francis Urquhart.Dobbs applied the Page 69 Test to his new novel The Lords’ Day, and reported the following:
I’ve always believed that in order to unravel the secrets of politics and history you need to understand the players - the men and women who make it happen. What motivates him, or her, what are their ambitions, their fears, their loves, their insecurities, their strengths, their flaws? What makes them get out of bed every day, and why do they stumble into the beds of totally inappropriate people so often?Learn more about Michael Dobbs and his books.
Page 69 of The Lords’ Day has my hero, Harry Jones, being… well, Harry. He’s a former officer in the British Army, was also a Government Minister, too, and a man who irritates his superiors as readily as he inspires devotion amongst those who work for him. Trouble is, it's becoming clear by Page 69 that one of those he’s beginning to rub up the wrong way is his wife, and if a politician’s private life is a mess, sooner or later it’s going to ensure his public life is going to get squidgy, too. In Harry’s case, this is about to happen on the worst day imaginable, when terrorists take hostage all the most powerful people in the country, including the Queen and Prime Minister, and bring Britain grinding to a halt. Harry discovers that he’s the only man who can possibly prevent the entire day ending in disaster, but somehow you know his wife isn’t going to be any help at all…
Visit the complete list of books in the Page 69 Test Series.
--Marshal Zeringue
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