Act of Oblivion: The Thrilling new novel from the no. 1 bestseller Robert Harris

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Robert Harris' fastest-selling hardback since records began comes to paperback with an unmissable campaign 'A belter of a thriller' THE TIMES 'A master storyteller . . . an important book for our particular historical moment' OBSERVER 'His best since Fatherland' SUNDAY TIMES 'From what is it they flee' He took a while to reply. By the time he spoke the men had gone inside. He said quietly, 'They killed the King.' 1660. Colonel Edward Whalley and his son-in-law, Colonel William Goffe, cross the Atlantic. Having been found guilty of high treason for the murder of Charles the I, they are wanted and on the run. A reward hangs over their heads - for their capture, dead or alive. In London, Richard Nayler, secretary of the regicide committee of the Privy Council, is tasked with tracking down the fugitives. He'll stop at nothing until the two men are brought to justice. Act of Oblivion is an epic journey across continents, and a chase like no other. 'A ripping page-turner' FINANCIAL TIMES 'You could not do better than this' DAILY TELEGRAPH

Reviews

One of Harris's most compellingly paced to date . . . it is his best since Fatherland * Sunday Times *
Act of Oblivion is a belter of a thriller. It will be compulsive reading for those who loved An Officer and a Spy, Harris's book about the Dreyfus affair. Like that novel, the research is immaculate. A chewy, morally murky slice of history is made into a thriller that twists and surprises. The characters are strong and we care about their predicament. The story stretches over continents and years, but the suspense feels as taut as if the three main characters were locked in a room with a gun. * The Times *
Act of Oblivion is a fine novel about a divided nation, about invisible wounds that heal slower than visible ones . . . it feels like an important book for our particular historical moment, one that shows the power of forgiveness and the intolerable burden of long-held grudges * Observer *
Harris's books are always supremely readable - he has practically trademarked the term 'master storyteller' -- Alex Preston * Observer *
[Harris] writes with a skill and ingenuity that few other novelists can match * Financial Times *
A lightning-quick thriller, the tension cranked right up throughout, and Harris' 17th century New England is so real you can almost smell it -- Tim Weaver, author of BLACKBIRD
Harris (Munich) again turns a historical event into a canny page-turner. . . Harris humanizes the hunter and the hunted, and brings to life an obscure chapter in colonial American history. This further burnishes Harris's reputation as a talented author of historical suspense * Publishers Weekly *
Gripping . . . Thoroughly enjoyable. . . . [This} deeply researched story is the author's brilliant reimagining of real historical events, with sympathetic characters and a compelling plot * Kirkus Reviews *
Harris's cleverness, judgment and eye for detail are second to none -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *
The master of the intelligent thriller * Daily Telegraph *
I have been waiting for most of my life for Robert Harris to write a novel that is not gripping, insightful and entertaining. I am waiting still -- Ben Macintyre * The Times *
The king of the page-turning thriller * i Paper *
Harris is a master of historical fiction, a compelling author who brings to life the recent and ancient past -- Justin Warshaw * TLS *
Act Of Oblivion offers a resonant history of both England and America as they struggle to forge a myth of nationhood out of opposing ideologies * Daily Mail *
The joy is in the vivid re-creation of 17th Century England and America and in the sly parallels with today that Harris teases out * Mail on Sunday *
He has taken a truly extraordinary factual tale and turned it into a fun fictional version, with pace throughout, and a crowd-pleasing finale * The Oldie *
A masterclass in storytelling, so enthralling that if you'd disembowelled me whilst I was reading this book I doubt I'd have noticed! * Daily Express *
A tale that grips from start to finish. It's a remarkable achievement * Metro *
Master storyteller Robert Harris has forged history anew, melding fact and fiction * RT *
Harris spins an exciting tale which I hope will leave you hungry for more * Inside History Magazine *
If you like your page-turning popular fiction at the more intelligent end of the spectrum, you could not do better than this. * Daily Telegraph *
A gripping thriller * Press Association *
A gripping revenger's tale... This is by far Harris's best book since An Officer and a Spy, which dealt with another great national division: the Dreyfus case. He has produced a ripping page-turner that breathes all the complexities and moral nuances of the Civil War period * Financial Times *
Lucid and full of suspense * Spectator *
A thrilling page-turner based on real events . . . packed with rich and fascinating historical detail * The Scotsman *
In his new thriller, Robert Harris wrests [a] fascinating period back from its unjust oblivion, showing how closely its complex landscape of constitutional crises and Puritan politics played out in new unregulated media resonates with us today * The Critic *
Harris, deft as ever, weaves a hefty amount of historical fact into the narrative, politics, religion, colonial life, family ties - as well as themes of forgiveness and reconciliation. Underneath it all though is the remorseless and building propulsion of hunter and prey * New Statesman *
A drama so involving and nerve-wracking, you can barely turn the pages fast enough. Historic! * Saga Magazine *
Another fantastic piece of historical fiction from Robert Harris, immaculately researched and utterly believable * IPU Review *
A gripping thriller and a timely reminder of the dangers of a deeply divided and intolerant society * The Shropshire Magazine *
The book excels in its stunning recreation of the landscape of America... Harris proves himself to be masterful at this and it gives the book a vibrant memorability * New Statesman *
Few writers combine history, politics and excitement of a thriller as enthrallingly as Robert Harris does. * Sunday Times *
What Harris does here is nothing short of masterful. * Irish Times *
Harris displays an impressive grasp of the historical context without taxing his readers by showing his 'workings'. * Church Times *
Based on real and fascinating history, this is Robert Harris's best since An Officer and a Spy * The Times *
Pacy and tense, and the pungently evoked past offers up some shrewd present-day parallels * Mail on Sunday *
An absolutely stunning historical novel and a ripping crime thriller at the same time. I've been recommending it far and wide and buying it for people for Christmas! * Dead Good *
The best historical fiction combines a gripping plot with meticulous research - leaving the reader inspired to learn more about the real-life protagonists. And the latest release from Robert Harris once more proves his mastery of the genre * Soldier *
I loved Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris, which achieves the astonishing feat of taking 17th-century events and people and telling their stories in 21st-century language without a single seam showing -- Ben Macintyre * The Times *

Author Bio

Robert Harris is the author of fifteen bestselling novels- the Cicero Trilogy - Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator - Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, An Officer and a Spy, which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Conclave, Munich, The Second Sleep, V2 and Act of Oblivion. His work has been translated into forty languages and nine of his books have been adapted for cinema and television. He lives in West Berkshire with his wife, Gill Hornby.