An audio book.
October 1964. The Buckingham liner is on its maiden voyage to New York. 3 IRA men are on board. So are the owners, Barringtons. A bomb is in their cabin. They call their security who throw it into the sea just in time. The passengers are told it was a navy night exercise.
The attempt had been paid for by Martinez, who'd tried to take over the shipping company.
The Barrington board meet on the ship. Emma Clifton (nicknamed the Bodacia of Bristol) is the chair (her husband Harry is a novelist). Her brother Giles is a politician. Her sister Grace is an academic, a labour supporter. Her 24 y.o. son Sebastian is voted onto the board. His US girlfriend is Samantha, who plans to do a PhD in London. Jessica, a younger sister of Seb, died a few years before. Bob Bingham's also on the board. He owns a fish-paste firm in Bristol. His wife is Presilla. Their son had been engaged to Jessica.
In New York Harry meets his publisher, Ginsburg. He wants to be active in PEN, helping an imprisoned Russian author. Emma visits the home of cousin Alistair, who she's not seen for 20 years. He's out. They all return to England.
Seb, a deputy at the property section of a Farthings (a bank), realises that his line-manager Sloan is cheating the firm. He tells the bank's boss about it. The boss is sacking Sloan when he has a heart attack. Sloan does nothing to help him. He dies, and Sloan takes over the firm, sacking Seb. Seb puts money before morals so Samantha leaves him.
Harry, who has contacts with the PM's office, goes to Moscow to do a PEN talk, memorises some data about spies, and returns. Harold Wilson is prime-minister.
Lady Virginia, Giles' first wife, convinces Prisilla to divorce Bingham. Alex Fisher is Lady Virginia's enforcer. Seb helps them reconcile.
Giles is 50. His marriage to Gwynneth isn't going well. Their first child died at 3 and she can't have any more. On a Berlin trip as Minister for Foreign affairs Giles sleeps with his interpreter, Karin. She's not Stasi or hired by Fisher, but nevertheless photos are released to the press. Gwynneth leaves him. He resigns as minister but is encouraged to stay as candidate for the forthcoming General Election. Fisher is the Tory candidate. Giles loses by a few votes. He flies to East Berlin to find Karin. At passport control he's asked if he supports Harry's campaign to free a criminal. He says yes, and is refused access.
In 1970 Seb goes to the States in search of Samantha. He sees her daughter and realises she's his daughter. Sam has recently married, though her husband is gravely ill. He secretly donates money to them.
There are attempts by people to take over the board of Farthings Bank and of the Barrington board - insider dealing etc.
Harry learns from the wife of the imprisoned Russian that the only copy of "Uncle Jo" is hidden in plain sight in a Leningrad bookshop. He fetches it but is arrested at Leningrad airport. If he signs a confession that he's an MI5 spy, he'll be released. Instead, he submits to a show trial. To his surprise, the imprisoned author appears as a witness. He says that his book was all lies. Harry pretends to believe him. They're left in the same cell! The Russian dictates the novel to Harry, who has a prefect memory. Harry signs a statement and is released.
Meanwhile, Emma has to defend herself in court against Lady Virginia's accusation of libel/slander. George Fisher is called as a suprise witness. After being exposed, he kills himself. The 2 trials are described in parallel. The novel ends on a cliff-hanger.
Honour and reputation matter to many of the characters. The initial bombing didn't in the end have such a bearing on events.
I didn't realise until I'd nearly completed the book that it was part of a series, a family saga. That explains the treatment of things like Jessica's death, Emma's visit to her cousin, etc.
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