A review by thomas_ryan04
The Whistleblower by Robert Peston

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Following the journey of newspaper journalist Gil Peck in the build-up to the 1997 general election, The Whistleblower takes you on on a journey into the corrupt world of British politics and journalism. With each chapter, past about halfway, holding a different twist or turn, this is an enjoyable read. However, the first a-hundred-or-so pages are dense.

I have no doubt Peston is good at his day-job, he's an excellent journalist for ITV, but he carries this too much into the first part of the book, meaning we get the most nitty-gritty details about how the lobby works in Parliament, how his newspaper is organised... and it's just a bit heavy. For me, this book could easily be cut down by a few chapters by taking out, what I call, "the fluff". The bits you really don't need - but yet they're still there.

The actual main body of the story though is excellent - a thriller, it most certainly is. And, I have to be fair, I was left guessing right until the end. Talking about the end - I wish that was a bit stronger too. It just felt all a bit too... sudden? A good book, with an excellent storyline, but just some bits that needed ironing out - 3.5 stars.
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