Author: Elizabeth DayModern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) | Political / legal thriller | Fiction: special featuresPublished on 25th September 2025 by HarperCollins Publishers (Fourth Estate Ltd) in the United Kingdom.Hardback | 352 pages 161mm x 242mm x 33mm | 558g ‘Intelligent, darkly humorous and brilliantly written’ STANLEY TUCCI ‘This is Elizabeth Day's writing at its finest’ DOLLY ALDERTON ‘A tantalising portrait of privilege and power’ THE TIMES In this compulsive story of betrayal, old bonds and buried scandals, one British establishment family comes face to face with the consequences of privilege and the true cost of power. Martin and Ben were friends for decades — best friends, Martin would have said — before the terrible events at Ben’s 40th birthday party tore them apart. So when Martin receives a surprise invitation back into the inner sanctum of the dazzling Fitzmaurice family after seven years of silence, he can’t resist the chance to get his revenge. Ben has risen through the ranks of power, and is now touted as the next Prime Minister. But Martin can’t help but notice certain flies in the ointment… Ben’s wife, Serena, for instance, whose privileged existence is beginning to feel like a gilded cage. Or their daughter, Cosima, an environmental activist fighting against everything her parents once stood for. Or the disgraced MP Richard Take, determined to make his big comeback. And then there’s Fliss, the Fitzmaurice black sheep, whose untimely death sparks more suspicion than closure. Through their intertwined stories, we see a family – and a nation – unravelling under the weight of its secrets. With everyone watching, the stage is set for a reckoning. It's time for Martin and Ben to confront what love truly means when everything—family, power, and loyalty—is on the line. ‘Speaks truth to power in such an entertaining, gripping way’ MARIAN KEYES ‘This timely story about the abuse of power is one of those books you just want to inhale in one go’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING ‘Gorgeously written, utterly compelling, and full of characters you will love and hate – and also love to hate’ SARA COLLINS ‘The thinking person’s thriller. Part Highsmith, part Waugh … A superbly gripping plot’ LUCY FOLEY
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