I never thought that the four non-fiction books I have written were in any way an apprenticeship for the much harder challenge of novel-writing. Those books were collectively an attempt to chronicle the political and economic forces that have created today’s world – a world that often feels stranger than fiction. And because the events we are living through are so extraordinary, I decided that just possibly, fiction would provide an alternative way of explaining how we got here.

So I decided to set my thriller in the 1990s. It is when today’s generation of political and business leaders came of age. It is when the traditional dividing lines between political parties became confusingly blurred.

The title, The Whistleblower, is deliberately ambiguous. At the core of the book is a woman of deep principle who pays the biggest possible price for doing the right thing, and it explores how the powerful and rich make the decisions that affect our lives. Protagonist Gil, a political journalist, always believed the British way of catastrophe was born of cockup, not conspiracy. But that’s all about to change.

If you would like to hear more about my books, you can visit www.thewhistleblowerbook.com where you can become part of the Robert Peston Readers’ Club. It only takes a few moments to sign up, there are no catches or costs. Bonnier Books UK will keep your data private and confidential, and it will never be passed on to a third party. We won’t spam you with loads of emails, just get in touch now and again with news about my books, and you can unsubscribe any time you want.

And if you would like to get involved in a wider conversation about my books, please do review The Whistleblower on Amazon, on GoodReads, on any other e-store, on your own blog and social media accounts, or talk about it with friends, family or reader groups! Sharing your thoughts helps other readers, and I always enjoy hearing about what people experience from my writing.

Thank you again for reading The Whistleblower.

All the best,

Robert Peston