Part of Palliser, book 5
First published 2001
Plantagenet Palliser holds the highest office in England, but his political authority means nothing against Ferdinand Lopez. This enigmatic stranger has conquered London society without revealing his origins or true nature. Ladies of the highest rank compete to advance Lopez's interests. Even Lady Glencora, Palliser's own wife, champions the mysterious newcomer. Lopez secures a marriage that elevates his social position further. When he seeks political office, Palliser confronts an impossible choice. He can support his wife's candidate and risk his reputation, or he can abandon Lopez and watch him fall as his deceptions surface. The decision will test whether Palliser's moral principles can survive the demands of leadership. Lopez represents everything Palliser's class fears: ambition without breeding, charm without substance, success without legitimacy. The Prime Minister must choose between personal loyalty and public duty while Lopez's true nature threatens to destroy everyone around him.
Genres: historical-fiction, british-literature, 19th-century, political-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: England, London
Period: 19th-century
864 pages · Paperback · Oxford University Press