A Dying Breed

A gripping political thriller split between war-torn Kabul and the shadowy chambers of Whitehall

Preview

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.

Try for £0.00

More purchase options

A Dying Breed

By: Peter Hanington

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £14.35

Summary

A SUNDAY TIMES THRILLER OF THE MONTH

'HANINGTON EXCELS... THERE ARE NODS TO LE CARRE' BUT HIS IMPRESSIVE DEBUT IS HIS OWN THING' The Sunday Times
'THOUGHTFUL, ATMOSPHERIC AND GRIPPINGLY PLOTTED' Guardian
'IMPRESSIVE... HANINGTON HAS TRUE TALENT' The Times
'TREMENDOUS' William Boyd
'ENTHRALLING' Michael Palin
'AMAZINGLY GRIPPING' Melvyn Bragg
'A BELTING GOOD READ' A.L. Kennedy
'I LOVED EVERY MINUTE IN THIS BOOK'S COMPANY' Fi Glover
'A NATURAL STORYTELLER' John Humphrys
'DEEPLY INTELLIGENT' Will Gompertz

Kabul, Afghanistan.

In a brilliantly plotted contemporary thriller with echoes of Graham Greene and John le Carré, William Carver, a veteran but unpredictable BBC hack, is thrown into the unknown when a bomb goes off killing a local official. Warned off the story from every direction, Carver won't give in until he finds the truth.
Patrick, a young producer, is sent out on his first foreign assignment to control the wayward Carver, but as the story unravels it looks like the real story lies between the shadowy corridors of the BBC, the perilous streets of Kabul and the dark chambers of Whitehall.

Set in a shadowy world of dubious morality and political treachery, A Dying Breed is a gripping novel about journalism in a time of war, about the struggle to tell the stories that need to be told - even if it is much easier not to.

And William Carver returns in Peter Hanington's new novel, A Single Source - available to pre-order now!

(P) 2016 John Murray Press©2016 Peter Hanington

Peter HaningtonJonathan KeebleBaskervilleWilliam Carver Novels

Espionage

Political

Spies & Politics

Thriller & Suspense

Exciting

Espionage Political Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Exciting

Continue the series

A Single Source

By: Peter Hanington

A Cursed Place

By: Peter Hanington

The Burning Time

By: Peter Hanington

Critic reviews

Thoughtful, atmospheric and grippingly plotted

A former stalwart on the Today programme, Hanington is as good on BBC politics as he is on the UK's ambiguous role east of Suez, and excels, too, at character portraits of figures such as the British ambassador. There are nods to John le Carré, but his impressive debut is its own thing, with three radio men (including the Radio 4 breakfast show's dissolute editor) at its centre, not spooks or civil servants

It is a pleasure to welcome A Dying Breed, an impressive debut by Peter Hanington, with many years on Radio 4's Today programme behind him. The multilayered plot, set in Afghanistan and BBC headquarters, moves excitingly and entertainingly but also raises serious current issues about dodgy political and commercial interference with the search for truth by journalists...The subplots and secondary characters are admirable. Hanington has true talent

Graham Greene-lite but rings true, like an episode of Homeland spiked with a bit of Spooks

A powerful and compelling story. His characters are vivid and interestingly unpredictable... These are real people in real places and it is impossible not to become too deeply involved in a plot that is intriguing without becoming over-complicated, and which builds to a gripping climax

A tremendous novel - shot-through with great authenticity and insider knowledge - wholly compelling and shrewdly wise

A Dying Breed is an enthralling page-turner, and, as befits an author steeped in newsgathering, there's a real sense of authority and authenticity at work in this quality thriller.

A tremendously good debut with characters who leap to life. I was particularly struck by the vivid detail and intensity of it: I have not read anything that has taken me anywhere near as close to Afghanistan as a place. I look forward to more of Hanington's work with great expectations

'A Dying Breed is a deeply insightful, humane, funny and furious novel. This is both a timely reflection on how Britain does business and a belting good read

A compelling read, and a great insider's view of life in broadcast journalism. I'm disappointed I am not to feature in the book: it is a brilliant read

Buy this book. Find a quiet place. Switch off your phone and devour it. Hanington's ability to wrap a story around the ghosts of truth is superb. He spins his tale with a true writer's gift. I loved every minute in this book's company

Peter is that rare commodity in the journalistic fraternity... a natural storyteller. You really want to turn the pages. And that's what matters

Urgent, compelling, new bright light on the dark dilemmas of broadcast news

a deeply intelligent, beautifully constructed story

Most relevant

Where does A Dying Breed rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

top 20 - very good indeed

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Dying Breed?

insight into the political/foreign correspondents world

Which scene did you most enjoy?

interaction(s) with the British Ambassador

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the death of the translator

Any additional comments?

I rarely write reviews or recommend and I was (probably quite unreasonably) wary of what was described as a debut novel - I shall be looking out for more from this author.