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A very English scandal : sex, lies and a murder plot at the heart of the establishment / John Preston.

By: Publication details: London : Viking, 2016.Description: ix, 339 p. : ill. ; 24 cmISBN:
  • 9780241215722 (hbk.) :
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 23 920
Contents:
Illustrations -- Part One: 1. A Dinner at the House of Commons -- 2. The Postcard -- 3. The Eye of Use -- 4. Bunnies -- 5. Mr Bessell Goes to Dublin -- 6. The Creature -- 7. This Filthy Subject -- 8. Bessell Pulls Another Rabbit Out of His Hat -- 9. The Blessings of Family Life -- 10. Two Pledges -- 11. Unexpected Developments -- 12. A Happy and Joyous Occasion -- 13. Shooting a Sick Dog -- Part Two: 14. The Ultimate Solution -- 15. Doomed -- 16. Back to Black -- 17. The Price of a Peerage -- 18. From Bad to Worse -- 19. Big Swamp -- 20. A Death Unforeseen -- 21. A Simple Plan -- 22. Things Fall Apart -- 23. Bessellised -- 24. The Man From Canada -- 25. Death on the Moor -- Part Three: 26. Vive les trois mousquetaires! -- 27. A Bloody Mess -- 28. Damned Lies -- 29. Judas -- 30. Ice Cold in Minehead -- 31. Waiting in the Wings -- 32. Overture and Beginners -- Part Four: 33. Ripped to Shreds -- 34. The Greatest Show on Earth -- 35. The Greatest Show on Earth -- 36. Awkward Bows -- Postscript -- Acknowledgements -- Index
Summary: "The shocking true story of the first British politician to stand trial for murder. Behind oak-panelled doors in the House of Commons, men with cut-glass accents and gold signet rings are conspiring to murder. It's the late 1960's and homosexuality has only just been legalized, and Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal Party, has a secret he's desperate to hide. As long as Norman Scott, his beautiful, unstable lover is around, Thorpe's brilliant career is at risk. With the help of his fellow politicians, Thorpe schemes, deceives and embezzles - until he can see only one way to silence Scott for good. The trial of Jeremy Thorpe changed our society forever: it was the moment the British public discovered the truth about its political class. Illuminating the darkest secrets of the Establishment, the Thorpe Affair revealed such breathtaking deceit and corruption in an entire section of British society that, at the time, hardly anyone dared believe it could be true. A Very English Scandal is an eye-opening tale of how the powerful protect their own, and an extraordinary insight into the forces that shaped modern Britain." -- inner sleave
List(s) this item appears in: New acquisitions 2016
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Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode
Loanable Book Library Biography 920 PRE (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 000413840

Includes an index

Illustrations -- Part One: 1. A Dinner at the House of Commons -- 2. The Postcard -- 3. The Eye of Use -- 4. Bunnies -- 5. Mr Bessell Goes to Dublin -- 6. The Creature -- 7. This Filthy Subject -- 8. Bessell Pulls Another Rabbit Out of His Hat -- 9. The Blessings of Family Life -- 10. Two Pledges -- 11. Unexpected Developments -- 12. A Happy and Joyous Occasion -- 13. Shooting a Sick Dog --

Part Two: 14. The Ultimate Solution -- 15. Doomed -- 16. Back to Black -- 17. The Price of a Peerage -- 18. From Bad to Worse -- 19. Big Swamp -- 20. A Death Unforeseen -- 21. A Simple Plan -- 22. Things Fall Apart -- 23. Bessellised -- 24. The Man From Canada -- 25. Death on the Moor --

Part Three: 26. Vive les trois mousquetaires! -- 27. A Bloody Mess -- 28. Damned Lies -- 29. Judas -- 30. Ice Cold in Minehead -- 31. Waiting in the Wings -- 32. Overture and Beginners --

Part Four: 33. Ripped to Shreds -- 34. The Greatest Show on Earth -- 35. The Greatest Show on Earth -- 36. Awkward Bows -- Postscript -- Acknowledgements -- Index



"The shocking true story of the first British politician to stand trial for murder.

Behind oak-panelled doors in the House of Commons, men with cut-glass accents and gold signet rings are conspiring to murder. It's the late 1960's and homosexuality has only just been legalized, and Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal Party, has a secret he's desperate to hide. As long as Norman Scott, his beautiful, unstable lover is around, Thorpe's brilliant career is at risk. With the help of his fellow politicians, Thorpe schemes, deceives and embezzles - until he can see only one way to silence Scott for good.

The trial of Jeremy Thorpe changed our society forever: it was the moment the British public discovered the truth about its political class. Illuminating the darkest secrets of the Establishment, the Thorpe Affair revealed such breathtaking deceit and corruption in an entire section of British society that, at the time, hardly anyone dared believe it could be true.

A Very English Scandal is an eye-opening tale of how the powerful protect their own, and an extraordinary insight into the forces that shaped modern Britain." -- inner sleave

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