See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

25 used & new from £0.01
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Ghost
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Ghost (Paperback)

by Robert Harris (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (120 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


4 new from £6.99 21 used from £0.01
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover (First Edition) £18.99 £13.29 88 used & new from £0.01
Paperback (Reprint) £7.99 £5.19 175 used & new from £0.01
Mass Market Paperback (Reprint) 55 used & new from £0.01
Hardcover (Large Print) 19 used & new from £7.04
Audio CD (Audiobook) £16.63 £11.64 20 used & new from £5.39

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Imperium

Imperium

by Robert Harris
4.0 out of 5 stars (65)  £5.99
The Uncommon Reader

The Uncommon Reader

by Alan Bennett
4.4 out of 5 stars (76)  £3.49
Fatherland

Fatherland

by Robert Harris
4.4 out of 5 stars (91)  £5.99
World Without End

World Without End

by Ken Follett
3.9 out of 5 stars (78)  £5.39
Pompeii

Pompeii

by Robert Harris
3.8 out of 5 stars (101)  £5.99
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Hutchinson (6 Mar 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0091796245
  • ISBN-13: 978-0091796242
  • Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15.2 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (120 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 32,075 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #12 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > H > Harris, Robert

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Review
"Britain's leading thriller writer"
-"Daily Telegraph"
"Robert Harris is a superb writer of thrillers."
-"Independent"
"A writer who handles suspense like a literary Alfred Hitchcock."
-Nelson Mandela," Guardian" --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Sunday Times
`Truly thrilling' --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
See all 8 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Ghost
80% buy the item featured on this page:
The Ghost 3.6 out of 5 stars (120)
Fatherland
8% buy
Fatherland 4.4 out of 5 stars (91)
£5.99
Imperium
6% buy
Imperium 4.0 out of 5 stars (65)
£5.99
Pompeii
3% buy
Pompeii 3.8 out of 5 stars (101)
£5.99
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

120 Reviews
5 star:
 (31)
4 star:
 (47)
3 star:
 (17)
2 star:
 (15)
1 star:
 (10)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (120 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
74 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertainingly implausible, 6 Oct 2007
By J A C Corbett (Blackheath, London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
This review is from: The Ghost (Hardcover)
The narrator of Robert Harris's new novel is a ghostwriter assigned to write the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister. But all is not as it should be; the ex-PM, Adam Lang, finds himself exiled in Martha's Vinyard with a war crimes indictment hanging over him. A previous 'ghost' had died in mysterious circumstances. And what of the shadowy right wing organisations that lurk in the background?

Lang, is a thinly fictionalised version of Tony Blair, a former friend of Harris, and much has been made of this and of other real life charcaters who are meant to crop up in the book. Lang's wife Ruth is said to be Cherie (she's not) and there's meant to be a Robin Cook figure (there's not, really).

I was under the impression that this would be a novel about a former PM brooding over his legacy, but it's actually a decent - if not implausible - thriller. Some of it is far fetched, though never as ludicrous as a Dan Brown book, and it is entertaining and gripping. I read it in an evening.

There are echoes of Graham Greene at times, and the ending was reminisent of Evelyn Waugh's Handful of Dust. The implications of Britain's 'special relationship' with America are laid down in terrifying if not exagerated terms. And while too much has been made of Harris's former friendship with the Blairs, there are flashes of insight that are revealing and amusing.

Not a brilliant work of literature by any means, but a better thriller or beach novel you won't read this year.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
44 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A very good read, 1 Oct 2007
By J. Parker "A UK viewer" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Ghost (Hardcover)
This is a departure for Harris, being set in contemporary Britain against the background of international politics and it works very well. The narrator's voice is very clear as he moves from amused detachment through bewilderment and fear to taking charge of his own destiny. The references to the current political scene are incisive and often witty. It's written with pace and verve. I read it on one sitting so I suppose I found it "unputdownable".

If I have a criticism, it's that the trail is a bit too easy for the ghost writer to follow.

I still prefer his earlier novels, especially Fatherland and Enigma, which were not set in the current time and I re-read those often. I can't imagine re-reading this one as there is not quite enough going on outside the hunt for the story hence only four stars.

It is a very good, gripping read though.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Fitting epitaph for the Blair era, 18 Feb 2008
By Jezza (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Ghost (Hardcover)
I didn't expect to like this half as much as I did - I have long thought of Robert Harris as airport fodder. I'm sorry, I now see that was unfair.

This isn't exactly literature but it's well plotted, well paced and well written. Its fictionalisation is often wafer-thin -- even the revelatory photograph of former prime minister "Adam Lang" is very much like a well-known picture of Tony Blair during his university days.

It's curious that someone so well entrenched within mainstream journalism is prepared to write a book about CIA conspiracies against the British Labour Party - I would have thought this stuff wasn't widely believed beyond the far left. But well done to Harris for writing such a plausible thriller set in this sort of world.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars prompt delivery
The whole ordering and delivery process was straightforward and quick and the product was exactly what I expected to receive.
Published 13 days ago by R. Gregory

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
I am a fan of Robert Harris and was not disappointed by this book. It's quite a departure from his normal kind of thing, but I found it engrossing - truly a 'can't put it down'... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Hammamelissa

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!!!
Great read, reading this book is like going on a roller coaster, you will be thrilled right until the very end.
Published 1 month ago by C. Brooker

2.0 out of 5 stars a good yarn poorly written
I have to admit to being rather baffled by the glowing reviews this has received. I suspect what has happened is that the praise is for the plot and particularly for the audacity... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mandrake

3.0 out of 5 stars A easy read, but a weak plot

Having read a few reviews about this book it is clear that people either love it or hate it. I have to say that I sit between the lovers and the haters with this book... Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. Milton

2.0 out of 5 stars No ghosts in this book
Did I read the same book as the people who gave their reviews on the back cover. I suspect not. This is not the suspence filled page turning that I expected. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Matthew Millington

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as other stuff by Harris
This is not as good as Imperium or Fatherland, simple as that. It doesn't really get to be a page turner until well into the second half of the book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by L. P. Lewzey

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad -- but not a classic
Not to be read it you are expecting a classic, but this is an undemanding and fairly entertaining read - ideal holiday reading - and a very thinly veiled commentary of recent... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Hespro

4.0 out of 5 stars Ghost
I enjoyed this book, which had a very clever twist. It was discussed at our Reading group and all had enjoyed it
Published 4 months ago by D. G. Dallyn

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ghost and the Spooks
An entertaining and thought provoking read, this political thriller races along at a great pace, shooting a scattergun of criticism at its targets : the British and U. Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. J. O'neill

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject








i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

More From Robert Harris

Fatherland

Fatherland by Robert Harris

Robert Harris was born in Nottingham in 1957 and is a graduate of... Read more
£7.99 £5.99

 

A Close Shave

Philips Nivea Coolskin HS8060 Moisturizing Rotary Shaving System
For all types of hair removal, stay smooth with Amazon.co.uk.

›Discover Shaving & Hair Removal

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates