A Very English Scandal, John Preston
A Very English Scandal, John Preston
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A Very English Scandal
Sex, Lies, and a Murder Plot at the Heart of the Establishment

Author: John Preston

Narrator: Matthew Brenher

Unabridged: 12 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/11/2016

Synopsis

The basis for a television mini-series starring Hugh Grant, now a nominee for an Emmy AwardA behind-the-scenes look at the desperate, scandalous private life of a British MP and champion manipulator, and the history-making trial that exposed his dirty secretsAs a member of Parliament and leader of the Liberal Party in the 1960s and ’70s, Jeremy Thorpe’s bad behavior went under the radar for years. Police and politicians alike colluded to protect one of their own. In 1970, Thorpe was the most popular and charismatic politician in the country, poised to hold the balance of power in a coalition government.But Jeremy Thorpe was a man with a secret. His homosexual affairs and harassment of past partners, along with his propensity for lying and embezzlement, only escalated as he evaded punishment. That is, until a dark night on the moor with an ex-lover, a dog, and a hired gun led to consequences that even his charm and power couldn’t help him escape. Dubbed the “Trial of the Century,” Thorpe’s climactic case at the Old Bailey in London was the first time that a leading British politician had stood trial on a murder charge, and the first time that a murder plot had been hatched in the House of Commons. And it was the first time that a prominent public figure had been exposed as a philandering gay man in an era when homosexuality had only just become legal. With the pace and drama of a thriller, A Very English Scandal is an extraordinary story of hypocrisy, deceit, and betrayal at the heart of the British establishment.

About John Preston

John Preston was a pioneer in the early gay rights movement and publishing initiatives and the author or editor of more than twenty-five acclaimed books. Along with the Black Berets series, he wrote numerous entries in Gold Eagle’s Soldiers of Barrabas series under the pseudonym Jack Hild. As Preston McAdam, he wrote the three books in the Michael Sheriff: The Shield series.

About Matthew Brenher

Matthew Brenher, originally from London, now lives in Los Angeles. His theatrical background includes performances in no fewer than twenty Shakespearean productions, including Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, and the title role in Henry V. In Los Angeles, he played Claudius in Hamlet, Cassio in Othello, Antony in Antony & Cleopatra, Antipholous of Syracuse in Comedy of Errors, and Orsino in Twelfth Night. Other theater includes: Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, Trigorin in The Seagull, Alistair in Shaw’s The Millionairess, Jerry in Pinter’s Betrayal, the title role in Dracula, and George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, for which he was awarded best performance by a lead actor/drama by Stage Scene LA 2009–2010. He’s performed in new plays, most recently in A Bitter Fruit for Palestine, Vulcan in Love’s Mistress at the famous Globe theater in London, and Petko in an acclaimed production of The Mapletree Game. On television, he played “Mad” Marcus for six months in the now defunct British soap Brookside. Other television includes: Rules of Engagement, Bodyguards, The Blind Date, Starhunter, The Grid, Eastenders, and Nostradamus. Films include Execution, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Stay Shy, and The Boy Who would Be King. He works in commercials and industrials and is an accomplished voice-over artist.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Nigeyb on January 19, 2019

If you were in any doubt about how the British establishment protects its own, then this book will dispel any lingering doubts. I had only hazy memories of “the Thorpe affair” from my teenage years. I had other things on my mind. The Thorpe affair of the 1970s was a British political and sex scandal......more

Goodreads review by Trish on November 10, 2016

John Preston writes from real-life events, in this case a very public murder trial involving a homosexual Member of Parliament, Jeremy Thorpe, and his liaisons during the 1960s and 70s. The case highlights the difficulties faced by closeted gays where anti-sodomy laws were still on the books, though......more

Goodreads review by Cold War Conversations Podcast on May 05, 2016

Serious, but entertaining insight into one UK establishment coverup of the 60s & 70s I remember this scandal having huge impact in the late 70s when I was a teenager. I had expected this book to be quite a dull resume of the trial and associated events, but from the start you are thrust (literally!)......more

Goodreads review by Stephen on April 23, 2017

I'm old enough to remember the Jeremy Thorpe trial (I even have a reference to it in my novel The Lying Game). If you don't know or remember it then you can read this as an almost murder mystery. John Preston's research has been so extensive with so many detailed first hand accounts that he has been......more

Goodreads review by Nancy on July 03, 2018

The title of this book really doesn't do justice to what's inside -- not only is it about "sex, lies, and a murder plot," but more interesting to me is a look at the seamy, nasty, hypocritical, unethical and corrupt underbelly of British politics (and I'm sure what happened here in the 1960s and 197......more

Quotes

“Eccentric, dark, humane, and English in the very best sense.” Alain de Botton, New York Times bestselling author author

“Written with tremendous energy and narrative flair.” Wall Street Journal

“Preston has written this page-turner like a political thriller, with urgent dialogue, well-staged scenes, escalating tension and plenty of cliffhangers.” New York Times Book Review

“The most forensic, elegantly written, and compelling account of one of the twentieth century’s great political scandals…An entertaining mix of tragedy and farce, involving people in high and low places.” Guardian (London)

“This is probably the most forensic, elegantly written, and compelling account of one of the twentieth century’s great political scandals.” Observer (London)

“Addictive…Though knee-deep in politics, scandal, and betrayal, the book also conveys the sobering, grim reality of lives destroyed by dirty politics and homophobic culture.” Publishers Weekly

“An operatic account about hypocrisy, deceit, and betrayal at the heart of the government’s establishment…This book, which is based on extensive interviews with principal players and reads like a thriller, is recommended for those with a penchant for 1970s British political culture.” Library Journal

Awards

  • New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice
  • Irish Times
  • Signature Best Book
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