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The Madness of July is set in the late 1970s, and takes place during six sweltering days in the month that gives the book its title. Will Flemyng was trained as a spy for a life behind enemy lines, but now he is in politics—and rising to the top. But when a bizarre death starts to unravel some of the most sensitive secrets of his government, Will is drawn back into the shadows of the Cold War and begins to dance with danger once more. Buffeted by political forces and the powerful women show more around him, and caught in interlocking mysteries he must disentangle—including a potentially lethal family secret—Flemyng faces his vulnerability and learns, through betrayal and tragedy, more truth about his world than he has ever known. Â Masterfully weaving together espionage, political intrigue, and family drama, James Naughtie has written a spy novel for the ages, worthy of comparison to the finest work of Charles McCarry and Robert Littell.. Literature. Thriller. Fiction. show less
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A really difficult read. The entire plot is muddy, mixed in with random characters that wander in and out, with no strong plot line so the story just turns into a bit of a mess. Elements of spy thriller, political thriller, family drama, romance, 70s retrospective. But nothing ever happens. Pale male and boring characters talk to each other, go for walks, stare into the distance. The odd token woman appears for a page or two, then disappears. Disappointing, really, as the blurb described it as Le Carre-like - and with a strong review from Kate Mosse!
I ploughed through this - very slow, thick like treacle and pretty unbelievable. The wonderful brothers on their fabulous estate somewhere in Scotland was really stretching it. I'm still not sure how I managed to get to the end of this turgid tale !!!
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Author Information
18+ Works 482 Members
James Naughtie is a lead anchor of BBC Radio 4's Today Show, and a former chief political correspondent of the Guardian in London. He is an award-winning broadcaster and writer who has contributed to many newspapers and magazines, and was a Laurence M. Stern fellow at the Washington Post
Awards and Honors
Series
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2014
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- Members
- 51
- Popularity
- 585,727
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (2.64)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 3
