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Thomas Goodfellowe #3
Whispers of Betrayal
In the new novel of treachery at the highest levels from the bestselling author of House of Cards, backbench MP Tom Goodfellowe is caught up in a national crisis as the capital is held to ransom by one angry man.
Colonel Peter Amadeus is an old soldier with a grievance. He wants an apology from the Prime Minister. But this Prime Minister does not believe in apologizing for anything.
For Amadeus it becomes a matter of honour – and retribution. Soon London is a city under siege, its lifelines cut. Then comes his ultimatum: the Prime Minister must resign – or London will be destroyed.
Only one man stands between the capital and disaster – Tom Goodfellowe, a backbench MP who can’t even sort out his own life, let alone save the lives of others. He is a man torn between ambition, honour and love – with the fate of London slipping swiftly through his fingers.
Colonel Peter Amadeus is an old soldier with a grievance. He wants an apology from the Prime Minister. But this Prime Minister does not believe in apologizing for anything.
For Amadeus it becomes a matter of honour – and retribution. Soon London is a city under siege, its lifelines cut. Then comes his ultimatum: the Prime Minister must resign – or London will be destroyed.
Only one man stands between the capital and disaster – Tom Goodfellowe, a backbench MP who can’t even sort out his own life, let alone save the lives of others. He is a man torn between ambition, honour and love – with the fate of London slipping swiftly through his fingers.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
41 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Michael Dobbs
101 books371 followersMichael Dobbs was born on the same day, in the same hour as Prince Charles in 1948.
He is the son of nurseryman Eric and his wife Eileen Dobbs and was educated at Hertford Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford University. After graduating in 1971 he moved to the United States.
In the USA he attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, which he funded by a job as feature writer for the Boston Globe, where he worked as an editorial assistant and political feature writer from 1971 to 1975.
He graduated in 1975 with an M.A., M.A.L.D., and PhD in nuclear defence studies. His doctoral thesis was published as SALT on the Dragon's Tail. In 2007 he returned to Tufts where he gave the Alumni Salutation.
After gaining his PhD he returned to England and began working in London for the Conservative Party. He was an advisor to the then leader of the Opposition, Margaret Thatcher, from 1977 to 1979 and from 1979 to 1981 he was a Conservative MP speechwriter.
He served as a Government Special Advisor from 1981 to 1986 and he survived the Brighton Bombing in 1984 at the Conservative Party Conference. He was the Conservative Party Chief of Staff from 1986 to 1987.
He was considered a masterful political operator and was called "Westminster’s baby-faced hit man", by The Guardian in 1987. In the John Major government, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1994 to 1995, after which he retired from politics.
Outside of politics, he worked at Saatchi & Saatchi as Deputy Advertising Chairman from 1983 to 1986 and was Director of Worldwide Corporate Communications at the company from 1987 to 1988. He became Deputy Chairman, working directly under Maurice Saatchi from 1988 to 1991.
From 1991 to 1998 he was a columnist for The Mail on Sunday and also wrote column for the Daily Express. From 1998 to 2001 he hosted the current affairs program Despatch Box on BBC television and has also been a radio presenter.
Nowadays he is best known as the bestselling author of 17 novels (up to 2010), such as 'The Turning Point', about Winston Churchill and Guy Burgess, and 'A Family Affair', about the last days of Margaret Thatcher in Downing Street, and also a number of non-fiction works.
His writing career began in 1989 with the publication of 'House of Cards', the first in what would become a trilogy of political thrillers with Francis Urquhart as the central character. 'House of Cards' was followed by 'To Play the King' in 1992 and 'The Final Cut' in 1994.
Each of the three novels was adapted by the BBC into a miniseries and, with Ian Richardson playiing a starring role, the trilogy received a combined 14 BAFTA nominations and two BAFTA wins and was voted the 84th Best British Show in History.
His 2004 novel 'Winston’s War' was shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book of the Year Award. He was the winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award for best historical novel in 2008 and in 2001 was shortlisted for the C4 Political Novel of the Year. He has also been a judge of the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and lectures at dozens of literary and fundraising events each year.
Anthony Howard of The Times said “Dobbs is following in a respectable tradition. Shakespeare, Walter Scott, even Tolstoy, all used historical events as the framework for their writings. And, unlike some of their distinguished works, Dobbs's novel is, in fact, astonishingly historically accurate."
He is now a full time writer and divides his time between London and Wiltshire, where he says that he lives near a church and a pub! He is married with four children.
Gerry Wolstenholme
October 2010
He is sometimes confused with American author Michael Dobbs, who is a distant relative of his and also an author of historical books (e.g. "Saboteurs - The Nazi Raid on America").
He is the son of nurseryman Eric and his wife Eileen Dobbs and was educated at Hertford Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford University. After graduating in 1971 he moved to the United States.
In the USA he attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, which he funded by a job as feature writer for the Boston Globe, where he worked as an editorial assistant and political feature writer from 1971 to 1975.
He graduated in 1975 with an M.A., M.A.L.D., and PhD in nuclear defence studies. His doctoral thesis was published as SALT on the Dragon's Tail. In 2007 he returned to Tufts where he gave the Alumni Salutation.
After gaining his PhD he returned to England and began working in London for the Conservative Party. He was an advisor to the then leader of the Opposition, Margaret Thatcher, from 1977 to 1979 and from 1979 to 1981 he was a Conservative MP speechwriter.
He served as a Government Special Advisor from 1981 to 1986 and he survived the Brighton Bombing in 1984 at the Conservative Party Conference. He was the Conservative Party Chief of Staff from 1986 to 1987.
He was considered a masterful political operator and was called "Westminster’s baby-faced hit man", by The Guardian in 1987. In the John Major government, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1994 to 1995, after which he retired from politics.
Outside of politics, he worked at Saatchi & Saatchi as Deputy Advertising Chairman from 1983 to 1986 and was Director of Worldwide Corporate Communications at the company from 1987 to 1988. He became Deputy Chairman, working directly under Maurice Saatchi from 1988 to 1991.
From 1991 to 1998 he was a columnist for The Mail on Sunday and also wrote column for the Daily Express. From 1998 to 2001 he hosted the current affairs program Despatch Box on BBC television and has also been a radio presenter.
Nowadays he is best known as the bestselling author of 17 novels (up to 2010), such as 'The Turning Point', about Winston Churchill and Guy Burgess, and 'A Family Affair', about the last days of Margaret Thatcher in Downing Street, and also a number of non-fiction works.
His writing career began in 1989 with the publication of 'House of Cards', the first in what would become a trilogy of political thrillers with Francis Urquhart as the central character. 'House of Cards' was followed by 'To Play the King' in 1992 and 'The Final Cut' in 1994.
Each of the three novels was adapted by the BBC into a miniseries and, with Ian Richardson playiing a starring role, the trilogy received a combined 14 BAFTA nominations and two BAFTA wins and was voted the 84th Best British Show in History.
His 2004 novel 'Winston’s War' was shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book of the Year Award. He was the winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award for best historical novel in 2008 and in 2001 was shortlisted for the C4 Political Novel of the Year. He has also been a judge of the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and lectures at dozens of literary and fundraising events each year.
Anthony Howard of The Times said “Dobbs is following in a respectable tradition. Shakespeare, Walter Scott, even Tolstoy, all used historical events as the framework for their writings. And, unlike some of their distinguished works, Dobbs's novel is, in fact, astonishingly historically accurate."
He is now a full time writer and divides his time between London and Wiltshire, where he says that he lives near a church and a pub! He is married with four children.
Gerry Wolstenholme
October 2010
He is sometimes confused with American author Michael Dobbs, who is a distant relative of his and also an author of historical books (e.g. "Saboteurs - The Nazi Raid on America").
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 17, 2021
Read this book in 2011, and its the 3rd and final part of the marvellous Thomas Goodfellowe trilogy.
In this book about Colonel Peter Amadeus, a man and old soldier with a grievance, and he wants an apology from the Prime Minister.
This Prime Minister does not believe in apologizing for anything, and for Amadeus it has become a matter of honour and retribution.
An ultimatum follows that says that the Prime Minister must resign or London will be destroyed.
The one man to save London from disaster, and who anybody think they can rely on is Thomas Goodfellowe, a backbench MP, although he can hardly save himself, let alone save the lives of others.
What is to follow is a superb story of devotion, ambition, passion and the love for his London and his profession, and that will make Thomas Goodfellowe the man in which everybody believes, but in the end will he become the people's reluctant favourite politician or a betrayed failure.
Highly recommended, for this is a wonderful ending of this eventful trilogy, and that's why I like to call this episode: " A Very Satisfying Conclusion"!
In this book about Colonel Peter Amadeus, a man and old soldier with a grievance, and he wants an apology from the Prime Minister.
This Prime Minister does not believe in apologizing for anything, and for Amadeus it has become a matter of honour and retribution.
An ultimatum follows that says that the Prime Minister must resign or London will be destroyed.
The one man to save London from disaster, and who anybody think they can rely on is Thomas Goodfellowe, a backbench MP, although he can hardly save himself, let alone save the lives of others.
What is to follow is a superb story of devotion, ambition, passion and the love for his London and his profession, and that will make Thomas Goodfellowe the man in which everybody believes, but in the end will he become the people's reluctant favourite politician or a betrayed failure.
Highly recommended, for this is a wonderful ending of this eventful trilogy, and that's why I like to call this episode: " A Very Satisfying Conclusion"!
April 22, 2018
Surprisingly a good read by a former MP of UK government. Dobbs draws on his experiences of be in parliament as a backbencher and minister to create a believable and engrossing read. Importantly he looks at the impact of legislation on people, in this case people in the military, and a group who decide to take revenge. There’s no bloodshed just clever plans that disrupt London and the work of a hated government who are unable to apologise. The head of the troops is an endearing, ethical and dyslexic senior officer. I mention the dyslexia because it’s a key to an escalation of the group’s activities. He remains ethical until the death of one the gang. There’s one political character who remains vaguely redeeming through the book: Thomas Goodfellowe
I hadn’t known this was part of a series starring Goodfellowe. I am tempted to look them out for more holiday reading.
I hadn’t known this was part of a series starring Goodfellowe. I am tempted to look them out for more holiday reading.
December 30, 2024
Nowhere near Dobbs at his best. I would have given it more stars had the narration been less vulgar, frequently bordering on soft porn material. Yes, we are all aware that there have always been randy MPs in parliament, but the time spent in this novel describing in detail what they are thinking or getting up to suggests that this book is deliberately being aimed at immature teenagers anxious to 'read all about it'.
Smutty in parts . . . not my cup of tea. A disappointing read.
Smutty in parts . . . not my cup of tea. A disappointing read.
September 15, 2017
This certainly wasn't what I was expecting, but wasn't without its charms all the same. Implausible, yes, but a good example of weaving themes into plots and plots together, it hung together well, and although the resolution needed to be three or four times as long as it was, the rest of the book was snappy, easy to read and just engaging enough.
September 8, 2017
A quick easy read
February 27, 2022
Yeah, right. Good to end this series 😏
November 10, 2023
Absolutely bl**dy brilliant!
February 21, 2024
Utter crap
December 2, 2024
Whispers of Betrayal (Thomas Goodfellowe, #3) by Michael Dobbs was a perfect conclusion to the trilogy of books based upon the MP Thomas Goodfellowe.
After reading this trilogy in the early 2000’s the first time around it was just as good a second time in 2024 and prompted me to re-read where it all started for Michael Dobbs and start reading House of Cards!
The reading format switch from hardback to Kindle has been and new experience to embark upon the reading the many excellent books by Michael Dobbs.
After reading this trilogy in the early 2000’s the first time around it was just as good a second time in 2024 and prompted me to re-read where it all started for Michael Dobbs and start reading House of Cards!
The reading format switch from hardback to Kindle has been and new experience to embark upon the reading the many excellent books by Michael Dobbs.
November 17, 2013
I enjoyed this little thriller from Michael Dobbs, I hadn't read any of Goodfellowe before. I found this book kept my interest to the end, and contains a good mix of technological info and personal life interludes. I don't know how many or which characters are in the other books of the Goodfellowe series, but found I could relate to most of them in this book as a stand alone story.
May 11, 2017
Whispers of Betrayal is a great thriller, with relatable characters and a few suspenseful twists. I especially enjoyed how seemingly small matters would play a pivotal role in the development of the story.
You don't need to read the other books in the Thomas Goodfellowe series to follow the plot, although it might explain the dynamics between some characters.
You don't need to read the other books in the Thomas Goodfellowe series to follow the plot, although it might explain the dynamics between some characters.
August 1, 2015
Although the plot becomes a little far-fetched later on, the insights into political in-fighting make this an enjoyable read. I loved the cynical similes and metaphors which are liberally scattered throughout the book.
October 14, 2016
A top notch thriller written with the insight of a political insider. If you loved House of Cards *same author) then you will love this although it is more action-orientated.
I could read these every day!
I could read these every day!
May 8, 2012
intrigue of politics and power. makes you think.
September 30, 2012
Not in the same league as 'House of Cards' but enjoyable enough.
September 2, 2013
Didn't realise I'd already read it, still loved it, Still love Michael Dobbs. still love Goodfellowe.
October 5, 2015
Gave up on this one as boringly confusing.
March 18, 2014
An enjoyable book to read on the train
November 21, 2015
Very enjoyable. Not sure re ending though which cost it a five star
May 19, 2016
The insight into British politic is interesting but the terms and cultural stuff went way above my head. Enjoyable but not my particular cup of tea.
May 27, 2015
had to persevere with this one.
May 17, 2018
Was entertaining, will keep on reading Dobbs.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews