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Precipice

The thrilling No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller from the author of Conclave

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Precipice

By: Robert Harris
Narrated by: Samuel West
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THE NUMBER 1 BESTSELLER
A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB AND A SUNDAY TIMES SUMMER READS PICK 2025

A WORLD ON THE BRINK OF WAR. AN AFFAIR ON THE EDGE OF SCANDAL.
Summer 1914. A world on the brink of catastrophe.

In London, 26-year-old Venetia Stanley – aristocratic, clever, bored, reckless – is having a love affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, a man more than twice her age. He writes to her obsessively, sharing the most sensitive matters of state.

As Asquith reluctantly leads the country into war with Germany, a young intelligence officer is assigned to investigate a leak of top secret documents – and suddenly what was a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security that will alter the course of political history.

Seamlessly weaving fact and fiction in a way that no writer does better, Precipice is the thrilling new novel from Robert Harris.

‘A riveting tale of politics, war and erotic obsession’ Sunday Times

'Harris writes with a skill and ingenuity that few other novelists can match' Financial Times

©2024 Robert Harris (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 20th Century Espionage Historical Historical Fiction Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense
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Critics' reviews

I’m not fond of the word masterpiece, but this is a masterpiece (Nigella Lawson)
Gripping drama (Jake Kerridge)
Brilliantly blurring fact and fiction, Sunday Times bestselling author Robert Harris is back in full force
Fans of this hugely popular author should lap up this tale that mixes fact with fiction, as is his trademark
'A beautifully crafted novel . . . a dexterous blend of the political and the personal . . . Precipice is Robert Harris's 16th novel, and there hasn’t been a dud among them' (Allan Massie)
Precipice hones in on those vital summer days when Britain hovered on the brink of war, before plunging into the abyss that arguably destroyed European civilisation
Robert Harris is one of those authors you know you can rely on. His 16th novel, Precipice, is no exception
Robert Harris is a sort of genius . . . I am knocked out by the assurance of his portrait of a time, a relationship, and the perils to which Britain’s leader exposed himself amidst a supreme historic catastrophe. The book is yet another triumph for the author (Max Hastings)
Few have mastered the alchemy of the popular historical novel quite like Harris
Rollicking . . . Harris’s best book since Conclave
All stars
Most relevant
Interesting piece of history, very curious . The actor who read the novel is fenomenal. Nevertheless, not the best novel from Robert Harris in my opinion.

Very well interpreted

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Interessant den Briefwechsel zwischen Prime Minister Asquith und Venetia Stanley in Romanform zu hören. Das gibt den Briefen nochmal eine stärkere Tiefe. Die mit eingewobene Geschichte über SC Deemer hingegen empfand ich eher nebensächlich und für den Plot nicht wirklich interessant. Auch würde ich das Buch keineswegs als "Thriller" oder "Kriminalroman" beschreiben wie in einigen Rezensionen zu lesen ist. Ist nett anzuhören aber nicht besonders spannend. Sprecher, wie immer bei Samuel West, hervorragend.

Für Geschichts-Liebhaber interessant aber nicht besonders spannend

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alle Bücher von Robert Harris sind es wert, gelesen zu werden, so auch dieses.
Die Romane wirken leicht und locker geschrieben und zu lesen, enthalten aber so viel Lebenserfahrung, Raffinesse und Bildung.

Alles war interessant und spannend komponiert.

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A fascinating story, very well told and very well read. Perfect pitch on every level.

An incredible story excellently told

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As always with Robert Harris, this is a gripping story - but it's not irresistible. I felt some resistance against the ever repeating pathos of H. H. Asquith's love letters, which were drawn from the original stash that had been preserved. You must be deeply in love not to find this uniformity boring. Perhaps after hundreds of letters starting with "My dearest" Venetia was bored too. Anyway this repetition did not diminish the pleasure this novel gave me - I felt it was needed to convey the distinctiveness of the state of love from the everyday-mindset. And it is another example of Robert Harris gift to convey the inner world of people thinking in another frame of mind than we who live in the present and are not madly in love most of the time. Compared to other novels of Robert Harris Precipice is not my number one but compared with other writers of his league it still deserves 5 stars. So how is it to be rated? I take the general comparison: 5 stars. And the speaker? Delightful!

Gripping but not irresistible

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