Holly Lester

In the late 1990s rumours circulated of a stunning new novel that looked at Britain’s politics from the inside. Dubbed the British Primary Colours, the novel Holly Lester was eagerly awaited – and due to be published in autumn 1999. Then circumstances intervened, and Holly Lester’s publication was aborted. But not forever – and here at last is the satirical romp that had publications from the Observer to the Sunday Times desperate to know who wrote it. James Billings is a West End art dealer, recently returned from years in New York, who becomes involved with Holly Lester, wife of a prominent politician. As their love affair develops, Billings is exposed to the ruthless machinations and wheeling-dealing that brings Holly’s husband to power – and that eventually threaten Billings’s own reputation and career. For those who remember the early halcyon days of New Labour, this novel will bring back memories; for those too young to know better, it will provide an entertaining education.