Precipice: The thrilling No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller from the author of Conclave Paperback – 24 April 2025 by Robert Harris

A WORLD ON THE BRINK OF WAR. AN AFFAIR ON THE EDGE OF SCANDAL.

THE NUMBER 1 BESTSELLER

A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB AND A SUNDAY TIMES SUMMER READS PICK 2025

‘A riveting tale of politics, war and erotic obsession’ Sunday Times

‘His most enthralling yet . . . a slam dunk of a plot . . . extraordinary’ Nicholas Coleridge, Independent

‘Gripping . . . Harris also has the John le Carré gift for showing how meetings can become a form of blood sport’ Jake Kerridge, Telegraph

'Splendid' Max Hastings, Sunday Times

Summer 1914. A world on the brink of catastrophe.

In London, 26-year-old Venetia Stanley – aristocratic, clever, bored, reckless – is having a love affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, a man more than twice her age. He writes to her obsessively, sharing the most sensitive matters of state.

As Asquith reluctantly leads the country into war with Germany, a young intelligence officer is assigned to investigate a leak of top secret documents – and suddenly what was a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security that will alter the course of political history.

Seamlessly weaving fact and fiction in a way that no writer does better, Precipice is the thrilling new novel from Robert Harris.

'The king of the page-turning thriller' i Paper
'Harris's cleverness, judgment and eye for detail are second to none' Sunday Times
'Harris writes with a skill and ingenuity that few other novelists can match' Financial Times
'Harris is a master of historical fiction, a compelling author who brings to life the recent and ancient past' TLS


Robert Harris, Sunday Times bestseller, May 2024