Novelist John Preston turns to nonfiction with A Very English Scandal: Sex, Lies and a Murder Plot in the Houses of Parliament. In this thrilling story, a member of Parliament almost gets away with murder.
Jeremy Thorpe was an MP for the Liberal Party in the 1960s and '70s, became his party's leader and looked poised to lead a coalition government. His charisma enchanted everyone he met. But he had secrets. When the battle to legalize homosexuality was being fought, Thorpe had affairs with other men, harassed and abused them, and eventually--when one young man wouldn't go quietly--conspired to have him killed. After years of posturing and payoffs, and a final dramatic scene of attempted murder worthy of fiction, Thorpe faced charges of conspiracy and incitement to murder at London's Old Bailey.
Preston tells this salacious tale with a mostly straight face. The characters he portrays are often ridiculous: Thorpe's relentless optimism and self-importance is countered by his victim Norman Scott's sad struggles with mental illness, and the worshipful devotions of Thorpe's friend and helper, David Holmes. Preston's central source, Peter Bessell, is a fellow MP and fervent friend deeply mired in Thorpe's intrigues. Bessell is perhaps the most vulnerable character in this drama: a bit absurd, but earnest, he is powerless to resist Thorpe's magnetism. A Very English Scandal is a story of human weaknesses and outrageous spectacle. Preston's play-by-play will captivate readers of true crime, British upper-crust history and classic tragedy alike. --Julia Jenkins, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia