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As you may know, @adam_macqueen's debut novel Beneath the Streets is a dramatisation of the Jeremy Thorpe scandal, in which the leader of the Liberal Party hired assassins to kill his former gay lover, Norman Scott. The goons bungled it and the Establishment tried to cover it up.
Thorpe's trial – in which, to widespread astonishment, he was acquitted – was a massive cause celebre in the 1970s. A couple of years ago, the case was brought to a new audience with @russelldavies63's TV drama A Very English Scandal, starring @HackedOffHugh and Ben Whishaw
The drama was based on the bestselling book A Very English Scandal by John Preston. He was by no means the first to tell the story, but he did after Thorpe's death, which meant he could tell it as it really was, without fear of being sued. It's a brilliant read.
So we sent John a copy of Beneath the Streets in the hope that he might enjoy it. We didn't know that, in his own words, he had taken "a solemn vow that I would rather spit-roast my own offspring than read anything else about the Jeremy Thorpe Affair".
Being a nice guy, however, he read it anyway. And – drumroll – he loved it. 'Seldom have I gone back on my word with more pleasure,' he says in @TheCriticMag today. 'As boldly conceived as it is vividly realised, Beneath the Streets is a delight.' https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/june-2020/more-plausible-than-real-life/
'With great ingenuity, Macqueen has taken the bones of the Thorpe Affair, done some judicious tweaking, and turned them into a first-rate conspiracy thriller...If anything, his alternative reality often makes more sense than the real thing'
He adds: 'Despite only being one year old at the time, @adam_macqueen has caught the spirit of the times perfectly.' Aw. And here he is, look.
Hopefully you've got the point by now that this is a brilliant book. Just a reminder that 'Glad to be gay' pop star Tom Robinson, who makes a cameo appearance in the novel, thinks so too.
You can order it directly from us at 30% off (free p&p) using the code RINKA. If you don't know who Rinka is, you need to read the book. Trust us, you'll be glad you did. http://eye-books.com/books/beneath-the-streets
