Book: Head of state

Andrew Marr has, we are told, penned Head Of State as a ’political thriller’. Political, undoubtedly; thriller, not so much. Instead, it reads as a funny, satirical and rather fun-poking House Of Cards-esque account of the state of affairs in British politics in 2017.

Opening just days before a referendum on the continued membership of the EU, the ‘old Queen’ dead and replaced by a King, the Conservative Prime Minister is hard at work at Number 10 in a last-minute attempt to get the yes vote across the line. Ostensibly.

What is instead going on behind the scenes is a conspiracy of ludicrous proportions.

A dastardly cover up by the PM’s team — ruthless, deadly and determined politicians — is at once utterly unbelievable and rather comical.

There is, of course, a dark underbelly to this implausible, yet deftly crafted, plot, but overall this book is a fun romp rather than thought-provoking thriller.