The Ghost
Robert Harris
Reviewed by Linda Fairstein
I left New York for a celebratory New Year's weekend at our home on Martha's Vineyard. The plan was that I would hibernate on the very cold days (how about 1 degree?) to work on my own manuscript, then enjoy our evenings by the fire, with a good book and my favorite Scotch. One of my best friends suggested that I escape from my own plot with a terrific new thriller by Robert Harris - THE GHOST.
I like Harris' writing enormously, and especially love his ability to take on such different subjects. I've enjoyed POMPEII as much as THE FATHERLAND, so when I heard that this novel was about a fictitious and controversial former prime minister of Britain, whose career ended abruptly because of his alliance with the US in an unpopular war (think Tony Blair), it sounded like the perfect book for the occasion.
Two more facts made it even more riveting. The ghost referred to in the title is the narrator - a ghostwriter who has been hired to write the P.M.'s autobiography after the accidental death of the previous ghost. Harris takes us inside the process of ghosting - a fascinating view about how the writer (in this case, a man who has written for celebrities, not politicians) tries to take the less interesting parts of his subjects young life and turn the story into a more energized best-seller. It's a roaringly funny look at how the project goes on....but there is a brilliant undercurrent of tension as the ghost himself realizes that his probing the prime minister's history and relationships is leading them all into treacherous waters. I can't think of a book I've read recently in which the humor and dramatic edge are so cleverly intertwined.
The other fact, which turned out to be the reason for my dear friend's suggestion, is that Prime Minister Lang has hibernated on my beloved Martha's Vineyard, in a secure house loaned to him by a rich American friend. So the ghost flies over to conduct all his interviews on the Vineyard, which is where his predecessor met his death. The setting is winter, and so I couldn't help but feel as though these very current, chilling events were taking place a few miles down the road, even as I read about them.
Harris' THE GHOST was a wonderful way for me to start the new reading year. Smart, tightly plotted, well-written, and with brilliant characterizations that got behind the veneer of each of the charismatic characters. It's a lively thriller, and a delicious read as it drives to its shocking conclusion.
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About the Reviewer:
Linda Fairstein, bestselling crime novelist and former prosecutor, is one of America's foremost legal experts on crimes of violence against women and children. In addition to her groundbreaking legal work in the office of the New York County District Attorney, Linda is the author of the Alex Cooper series of crime novels, which has been translated into more than a dozen languages. Her tenth thriller - KILLER HEAT - will be published in March, 2008; and the paperback of New York Times bestseller BAD BLOOD is in bookstores now. Visit her online at www.lindafairstein.com.
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