REVISED AND UPDATED WITH BRAND NEW MATERIAL The acclaimed political thriller that first introduced the unforgettable Francis Urquhart MP and launched Michael Dobbs' No 1 bestselling career - now updated with brand new material. Michael Dobbs' entertaining tale of skulduggery and intrigue within the Palace of Westminster has been a huge hit with the public. Its scheming hero, Chief Whip Francis Urquhart, who uses fair means and foul to become Prime Minister, is one of the best-known characters of the last decade - the politician we all love to hate. Acclaimed for its authenticity and insights into a secret world - the result of many years working behind the scenes for the Conservative Party - it became a highly popular, award-winning BBC TV series, with Francis Urquhart memorably portrayed by Ian Richardson, and was followed by two further sequels, `To Play the King' and `The Final Cut', which also became top-rating TV series.

REVISED AND UPDATED EDITION Francis Urquhart's eventful career as Prime Minister comes to a spectacular end in the final volume in the Francis Urquhart trilogy - now with brand new material. He schemed his way to power in House of Cards and had a memorable battle of wills with the new king in 'To Play the King'. Now Francis Urquhart is about to take his place in the record books as the longest-serving Prime Minister this century. Yet it seems the public is tiring of him at last, and the movement to force him from power is growing. But Urquhart is not yet ready to be driven from office. If the public demand new blood, that is precisely what he will give them... Francis Urquhart goes out in a blaze of glory in this final volume in the irresistible story of the most memorable politician of the decade.

The second book in the trilogy that inspired the hit Netflix series House of Cards After scheming his way to power in House of Cards, newly elected Prime Minister Francis Urquhart takes on the new King, The role of the monarchy in modern Britain comes under scrutiny as Prime Minister Francis Urquhart threatens to expose Royal secrets when his plans are blocked by the idealistic new King. Their differences of opinion quickly degenerate into open hostility. The battlefield ranges from architecture to the underprivileged; the battle is fought with rigged opinion polls, manipulated newspaper headlines, sexual scandal and economic brinkmanship as Urquhart sets out to destroy not only the King's family and friends but even the King himself. Continuing the dark tale of greed, corruption, and unquenchable ambition, To Play the King reveals that no matter the country, politics, intrigue and passion reign in the corridors of power. "This blood and thunder tale, lifelike and thoroughly cynical, certainly carries the ring of authenticity....a great triumph." The Independent"

From an acclaimed British author, a sharply focused, riveting account - told from inside the White House - of the crucial days, hours, and moments when the Watergate conspiracy consumed, and ultimately toppled, a president. In January 1973, Richard Nixon was inaugurated after winning re-election in a historic landslide. But by April his presidency had fallen apart as the Watergate scandal metastasised into what White House counsel John Dean called 'a full-blown cancer'. King Richard is the intimate, utterly absorbing narrative of the tension-packed hundred days when the Watergate burglars and their handlers in the administration turned on one another, revealing their direct connection to the White House. Drawing on thousands of hours of newly released taped recordings, Michael Dobbs takes us into the very heart of the conspiracy, recreating these dramatic events in unprecedentedly vivid detail. He captures the growing paranoia of the principal players, and their desperate attempts to deflect blame, as the noose tightened around them and the daily pressures became increasingly unbearable. At the centre of this spellbinding drama is Nixon himself, a man whose strengths - particularly his determination to win at all costs - were also his fatal flaws. Structured like a classical tragedy with a uniquely American twist, this is an epic and deeply human story of ambition, power, and betrayal.

Colonel Peter Amadeus is an old soldier with a grievance. He wants an apology from the Prime Minister. But this Prime Minister does not believe in apologizing for anything.For Amadeus it becomes a matter of honour and retribution. Soon London is a city under siege, its lifelines cut. Then comes his ultimatum: the Prime Minister must resign – or London will be destroyed.Only one man stands between the capital and disaster Tom Goodfellowe, a backbench MP who can’t even sort out his own life, let alone save the lives of others. He is a man torn between ambition, honour and love – with the fate of London slipping swiftly through his fingers.

The State Opening of Parliament. The most magnificent royal occasion of the year. The Queen, her Cabinet and all the most powerful people in the land are gathering in one room, the House of Lords. And none of them know they are about to endure the most terrifying day of their lives. Not all of them will survive. Sitting amongst the hostages are two young men, the sons of the British Prime Minister and the US President. It creates the cruellest challenge any leader could face. As the world watches on live television and holds its breath, President and Prime Minister are torn in two between their duty as statesmen, and their love as parents. Yet others have their agendas, too, not least of them Harry Jones, a man who is already undergoing the worst day of his life when he becomes swept up in the maelstrom. What can he do about this act of terrorism when the most powerful people are rendered helpless? He can ask one simple question - why?

The #1 bestselling novel that inspired the hit Netflix series

A dark tale of greed, corruption, and unquenchable ambition, House of Cards reveals that no matter the country, politics, intrigue and passion reign in the corridors of power.

Francis Urquhart has his hand on every secret in politics--and is willing to betray them all to become prime minister. Mattie Storin is a tenacious young reporter who has a knack for finding the real stories hidden behind the spin. When she stumbles upon a scandalous web of intrigue and financial corruption at the very highest levels, she vows to reveal the truth. But to do so she must battle her own demons and risk everything, even her life.

House of Cards is a classic political thriller reinvented for a new generation.

"This blood and thunder tale, lifelike and thoroughly cynical, certainly carries the ring of authenticity....a great triumph." -- The Independent

An acclaimed historical thriller by the author of HOUSE OF CARDS - a highly original, fast-moving tale that gives an unexpected twist to the last days of the Second World War. Now reissued in a new cover style. Spring 1945. The final weeks of the war. One man holds the secret that will decide the fate of post-war Europe: Peter Hencke, an unlikely hero, a German prisoner-of-war on the run. Refusing to wait for peace and the freedom it will finally bring, Hencke is fired by a personal mission that drives him to risk everything in his lonely, treacherous journey across wartime Britain, back through the battle-torn remnants of the Third Reich - to the very heart of encircled Berlin. One man faced by the mightiest armies ever assembled, pursued by the most powerful and ruthless men in Europe - and helped and loved by two of the most extraordinary women. The secret of Peter Hencke will be hidden until the very last moments of the war.

From the No 1 bestselling author of HOUSE OF CARDS, a new-cover reprint of a highly acclaimed thriller of international intrigue that brilliantly captures the tense atmosphere of Berlin -- just before the wall came down. The dawn of glasnost. The thaw is slowly beginning as leaders in both East and West set out tentatively to build a new era of peace. Yet the people of Berlin are in no mood for diplomatic caution. Across the heart of their city still stands the monstrous construction of the Wall that has split them apart for a generation. They will fight to have it torn down, and to reunite their city -- just as there are those in Washington and Moscow who will use them to kill off the new flower of glasnost. Into the troubled city of Berlin comes Harry Benjamin, a young and irrepressible CIA agent. He hadn't planned on falling in love -- even less on that illicit love casting him as a pawn in this latest battle for Berlin. But Harry will not be anyone's pawn. He is determined to reveal the treachery, even if it means destroying the most powerful men in East and West -- and his love -- in the process!

Winston Churchill embarks on a battle of wills with Adolf Hitler in the run-up to Dunkirk. The compelling new historical novel from the acclaimed author of Winston's War. Winston Churchill at his lowest ebb -- pitted in personal confrontation with Adolf Hitler, and with ghosts from his tormented past. Friday 10 May 1940. Hitler launches a devastating attack that within days will overrun France, Holland and Belgium, and bring Britain to its knees at Dunkirk. It is also the day Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister. He is the one man capable of standing in Hitler's way -- yet Churchill is still deeply mistrusted within his own Cabinet and haunted by the memory of his tortured father. Never Surrender is a novel about the courage and defiance that were displayed in abundance -- not just by Churchill, but by ordinary men and women over three of the most momentous weeks in British history.

''Winston's War' is a masterful blending of imagination and compelling fact that places the reader at the right hand of the most momentous events in our history.'

Saturday 1 October 1938. Two men meet. One is elderly, the other in his twenties. One will become the most revered man of his time, and the other known as the greatest of traitors.

Winston Churchill met Guy Burgess at a moment when the world was about to explode. Now in his astonishing new novel, Michael Dobbs throws brilliant fresh light upon Churchill's relationship with the Soviet spy and the twenty months of conspiracy, chance and outright treachery that were to propel Churchill from outcast to messiah and change the course of history.

'A thriller writer with a marvellous inside track knowledge of government.'
'Daily Express'

Colonel Peter Amadeus is an old soldier with a grievance. He wants an apology from the Prime Minister. But this Prime Minister does not believe in apologizing for anything.For Amadeus it becomes a matter of honour – and retribution. Soon London is a city under siege, its lifelines cut. Then comes his ultimatum: the Prime Minister must resign – or London will be destroyed.Only one man stands between the capital and disaster – Tom Goodfellowe, a backbench MP who can’t even sort out his own life, let alone save the lives of others. He is a man torn between ambition, honour and love – with the fate of London slipping swiftly through his fingers.

Backbench MP Tom Goodfellowe is caught up in the search for the new Dalai Lama in this highly original and compelling thriller from the author of GOODFELLOWE MP and HOUSE OF CARDS - now reissued in new cover style. Tom Goodfellowe is the unlikeliest of political heroes. An MP whose career has already been consigned to the scrapheap of history, with a private life that staggers between confusion and chaos... And it's all about to get worse. A new Dalai Lama is born. The infant god-king of Tibet. And around the child explodes an international conspiracy that will carve a trail of death from the slopes of Mount Everest right to the heart of London's Chinatown. Goodfellowe becomes drawn into a murderous race against time and against sinister sources within his own government. On the outcome will hang the fate of one of the world's great religions - and Goodfellowe's turbulent personal life. Because someone, someone very close, is betraying him at every turn.

Michael Dobbs' popular new character Tom Goodfellowe, the crumpled backbench MP, makes his debut and takes on the might of the press in this highly acclaimed novel of power and corruption -- now reissued in a new cover style. INTO AN AGE CRYING OUT FOR NEW LEADERS STUMBLES THE MOST UNLIKELY POLITICAL HERO OF ALL. Tom Goodfellowe is not like other MPs. His private life is a mess, his love life is abysmal, he has an overdraft and a drink-driving conviction. He also has a talent for getting into trouble. He lives in London's Chinatown, and when he is asked to help a young Chinese girl, he has no idea he's heading into conflict with the Prime Minister, the police and the press -- particularly Freddy Corsa, a newspaper proprietor who sets out to ruin Goodfellowe financially, politically and sexually. Goodfellowe is one man against the system, and he is about to be destroyed in tomorrow's newspaper.

It is always the innocent who suffer to make the powerful rich. A gripping thriller from the author of the Goodfellowe Series. Paul Deveraux is one of the most powerful politicians in the country. Isadora Dean is the rising star of television news journalism. Two exceptionally talented, successful people brought in to dangerous conflict. Izzy cannot accept the death of her baby daughter Bella. Stubborn and at times irrational, her belief that her daughter is alive leads her to the sordid truth - an international black market where babies are sold for cash. Behind this horrific truth, Isadora detects the sinister hand of Devereux. She is just one woman against the world.The search for her daughter will cost her everything, but as long as she believes that Bella is alive she will never surrender and Paul Devereux must use every means in his power to make sure she is silenced for good.

In the Swiss Alps a teenage girl is thrown from a helicopter and her boyfriend is brutally abducted to Trieste, a city filled with undercurrents of past hatreds. Ruari, son of Irish media owner J J Breslin, is in desperate danger, at the mercy of ruthless kidnappers making impossible demands. His terrified mother contacts the only person she knows can help her son: Harry Jones, her former lover, who she walked out on many years ago. Now memories of their passionate affair, the guilt, hurt, anger and humiliation, come flooding back. Time is running out for Ruari and Harry, torn between his loyalties, is quickly drawn into a political game played for high stakes. Far higher than he realizes...

The world is peering into the terrifying chasm of a new kind of conflict, where computers take over from missiles and global damnation comes at the click of a button. Cyber-warfare: the kind that brings nations to their knees, switching off energy lifelines, crippling the financial markets, starving leaders of authority. An old Russian nuclear reactor goes into Chernobyl-style meltdown, while on the other side of the world, the US Eastern Seabord is plunged into darkness. Nobody knows -- yet -- who is responsible for the chaos. Hidden from the rest of the world, an extraordinary meeting of the US President, the Russian President and the British Prime Minister is about to take place. They have the weekend to save the world -- and they must do it alone. Meanwhile something serious is going on in Beijing: it looks as though the Chinese are preparing for the final thrust against their old enemies, bringing them to their knees without a single shot being fired...

The combination of Michael Dobbs' excellent writing skills and historical passion, and the legendary character of Winston Churchill, have provided two triumphantly successful books in WINSTON'S WAR and NEVER SURRENDER. In 1941, the war appears to be going badly on many fronts. Churchill is the confirmed leader and so his domestic political struggles are slightly lessened, but battered, bloody and almost bankrupt, Britain limps on. Churchill knows his country cannot win the war alone. An alliance with America is paramount, and Churchill is determined to develop and use a friendship with Averall Harriman, American Ambassador to Britain, and personal friend of President Franklin Roosevelt. But his son's wife exploits this first. Pamela Churchill's passionate affair, conducted under her father-in-law's roof, presents Churchill with the appalling dilemma between saving his country, and allowing his son Randolph to be cuckolded. With no British battlefield successes, and with a jubilant Germany controlling Europe, 1941 was a bleak year. America continued resolute against fighting, but by the year's close Pearl Harbour had forced America into the war. Why had the Japanese been persuaded to attack American targets? And how were the rumours of the attack prevented from reaching American ears? Decisions of love and war are often matters of perception. And so it was in this case. This is an extraordinary novel of a man at bay, a nation facing disaster, and the political skills, human dilemmas and brilliant leadership that saved the day.

The finale in the trilogy that inspired the hit Netflix series House of Cards

He schemed his way to power in House of Cards and had a memorable battle of wills with the new king in To Play the King. Now Francis Urquhart is about to take his place in the record books as the longest-serving Prime Minister this century. Yet it seems the public is tiring of him at last, and the movement to force him from power is growing. But Urquhart is not yet ready to be driven from office. If the public demands new blood, that is precisely what he will give them...

This is a different Francis Urquhart more vulnerable, more loving, and more ruthless than ever. He will risk everything, but one thing is certain: whatever the outcome of this, his greatest gamble, the name of Francis Urquhart will never be forgotten.

Finishing the dark tale of greed, corruption, and unquenchable ambition, The Final Cut reveals that no matter the country, politics, intrigue and passion reign in the corridors of power.

"A triumphant return...the best book of the three. The action is unflagging, the characterization razor-sharp, the satirical barbs at politics and politicians unfailingly accurate. What a brilliant creation F.U. is." --Sunday Telegraph"

Michael Dobbs, author of the No. 1 bestseller that inspired the hit Netflix series House of Cards, returns to the subject that made him a household name - the human drama and scandal in Westminster. First Lady is a compelling and witty novel of power, seduction and revenge, perfect for fans of John Grisham and Philip Kerr. Virginia Edge: mid-thirties, attractive, self-sufficient, ambitious. This is the story of her transformation from dutiful political wife to masterful manipulator of the entire political process at Westminster. She is a woman who is driven by the failings of men and the greed of others to take over their system and undermine it, to repay them in kind. In this battle she has two great allies - the intuition and determination of a wronged wife, and the blind ineptitude of Westminster men. Praise for Michael Dobbs: 'Brilliant... Full of magnificently dark political characters' Daily Mail 'It's barbed and breakneck, often very funny and hugely entertaining' The Times 'Here is a political thriller writer with a marvellous inside track knowledge of government' Daily Express

?This is a magnificent novel. It will hold the reader's fascination from beginning to end.?
-Press Association
This stunning historical novel brings you deep inside Winston Churchill's mind and heart as he becomes Prime Minister and takes on the terrifying challenge of halting Hitler's murderous invasion of France, Holland and Belgium with only his wits and his magnificent words. Only his courage stands between the people of the British Isles and advancing enemy armies as they drive his retreating soldiers onto the beaches of Dunkirk and into the English channel. You will live at Churchill's side as he deals with his own feelings of inadequacy while contending with his fellow ministers, who plot to throw him out of office. And you will be the fly on the wall of history as he matches wits with Hitler in the most crucial battlefield of all, the battlefield of the mind.
Best-selling author Michael Dobbs has written fifteen novels. He served as one of the chief advisers to Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major.
?Dobbs doesn?t put a foot wrong. I read it in two gulps in just two nights; the characters are brilliantly sketched.?
-Churchill Center website
?Dobbs masterfully dissects three weeks of the Second World War. A historical hit.?
-Daily Mirror
?Better than any other fiction, [Dobbs's books] convey the desperation of those times, which we today, six decades removed, cannot possibly imagine.?
-Finest Hour, magazine of the Churchill Center

It doesn't seem so odd nowadays that people in their 20s through 60s quote Bugs Bunny or collect animation art or look forward to a new animated DVD chock full of extras. Growing up in the 1950s and '60s, cartoons were definitely kid's stuff. Oh sure, adults watched The Flintstones, which was shown during prime time. And Rocky and Bullwinkle had jokes I didn't get but my parents did. Generally, though cartoons were thought of as the programs children watched on Saturday morning or feature films that were deemed suitable entertainment. By the late 1980s the status of animation had begun to change. The fact is if you were 25 years old in 1965 and loved cartoons, many people would have thought you had some sort of arrested development. Today, there's nothing wrong with adults decorating their cubicle at work with Loony Tune action figures or a Betty Boop toy. This book is more than just a collection of updated articles, interviews and reviews I wrote for my two animation magazines, Animato and Animation Planet. It is also a look at how animation went from being perceived as a throwaway medium aimed at kids to a commercial art form for both adults and children. How did this change take place? How did an adult fan base for animation emerge? Several key factors made this shift take place. This book, chock full of interviews and photos, examines the change in the animation industry. Have fun, kids!

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"In 1942, Hitler's Nazi regime trained eight operatives for a mission to infiltrate America and do devastating damage to its infrastructure. It was a plot that proved historically remarkable for two reasons: the surprising extent of its success and the astounding nature of its failure. Soon after two U-Boats packed with explosives arrived on America's shores-one on Long Island, one in Florida-it became clear that the incompetence of the eight saboteurs was matched only by that of American authorities. In fact, had one of the saboteurs not tipped them off, the FBI might never have caught the plot's perpetrators-though a dozen witnesses saw a submarine moored on Long Island.
As told by Michael Dobbs, the story of the botched mission and a subsequent trial by military tribunal, resulting in the swift execution of six saboteurs, offers great insight into the tenor of the country--and the state of American intelligence--during World War II and becomes what is perhaps a cautionary tale for our times.

From the bestselling author of One Minute to Midnight, this is the riveting story of the last six months of World War II, when the hopeful Allied situation inspired by the Yalta Conference descended into the open conflict that would lead to the Cold War. When FDR, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin gathered outside the Crimean city of Yalta in February 1945, they had Hitler's armies on the run, and victory was just a matter of time. Their mission was to forge the decisions that would shape the postwar world, and above all to divide up Europe between Soviet and Western influence. These men had been fighting side by side for nearly four years but the cracks in their alliance were emerging; even before the Second World War ended, another conflict was beginning. Six Months captures this turning point of the twentieth century, re-creating the steady breakdown in relations between powers. While the Berlin airlift and the Iron Curtain would not arrive for three years, by August 1945 the West and the Soviet Union were firmly on the path to a Cold War. Michael Dobbs brilliantly renders the personalities and geopolitics that drove this descent, illuminating the aims and frustrations of the key leaders. This is a vivid story of power, personalities, and national interests competing at a crucial moment in history.