Dead on Time

For the Right Honourable Harry White, Britains charismatic and politically savvy prime minister, it is a busy day like any other at 10 Downing Street. Every minute is packed with politics, people and policies, and the odd flirtation. There is a peremptory invitation to lunch with megalomaniac media lord Matt Drummond, a parliamentary rebellion to be batted away, an urgent call from the White House about a crisis in the Middle East. Until, finally, Harry White and his entourage are ready to fly to Glasgow for the last item on their schedule: the Old Firm game between Rangers and Celtic, the traditional Scottish rivals. This unexpected first novel by the well-known economist and political commentator Lord Desai is a delightful mix of action, humour and realpolitik. The author brilliantly renders characters and situations in a manner that blurs fact and fiction to give us a racy, behind-the-scenes take on politics, politicians, journalists and media owners and all those who shape the way we perceive the world today.