Overview

Knowledge is power. And they know everything. The tech company Public Square believes in 'doing well by doing good'. It's built a multi-billion dollar business on this philosophy and by getting to know what people want. They know a lot. But who else can access all that information and what are they planning to do with it? Reporter William Carver isn't the most tech-savvy man in the world but he needs to learn fast - the people he cares most about are in harm's way. From the Chilean mines where they dig for raw materials that enable tech revolution, to the streets of Hong Kong where anti-government protesters are fighting against the Chinese State, to the shiny research laboratories of Silicon Valley where personal data is being mined everyday - A Cursed Place is a thrilling saga set against the global forces that shape our times.

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9781529305227

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Reviews

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. * Michael Palin * An impressive debut by Peter Hanington... 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. * The Times * A tremendous novel - shot-through with great authenticity and insider knowledge - wholly compelling and shrewdly wise. * William Boyd * 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 Carre, 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. * The Sunday Times (Thriller of the Month) * *Praise for A Dying Breed*

*Praise for A Dying Breed* 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 Carre, 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. * The Sunday Times (Thriller of the Month) * A tremendous novel - shot-through with great authenticity and insider knowledge - wholly compelling and shrewdly wise. * William Boyd * An impressive debut by Peter Hanington... 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. * The Times * 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. * Michael Palin * *Praise for A Cursed Place* Whether in rioting Hong Kong, or a doomed Chilean mining town, or a sinister data-mining outfit in Silicon Valley, or the shabbiness of London's Elephant & Castle, Peter Hanington sustains a narrative drive that catapults you from first word to last. Just make sure you don't miss the scenery on the way - seeing from the inside how the BBC works and how news is made leaves you feeling that W1A may not be entirely caricature. A good, pacy, sinister and timely read. * Alan Judd, author of A Fine Madness * Exciting, addictive & just plain brilliant; a timely political thriller with that authentic insider's view shining through in the gripping plot, spot-on characters, & sharp dialogue. A must-read for 2021. * Caroline Skanne, editor of the journal of the British Haiku Society * A Cursed Place is an exhilarating and beautiful novel that answers the most pressing question of our time: how to reconcile new technology with timeless human needs. It is written with such verve and precision, and its plot emerges with such terrifying force, that I enjoyed it even when the message it conveyed terrified me. Its characters will, I think, become literary legends. I have gotten to know William Carver quite well. He feels achingly familiar from my newspaper days. I don't always like him. But I do always admire him: especially that itchy yearning to hold mighty powers to account, and to discover the truth behind their dissembling. Peter Hanington's remarkable achievement is to have told a story which is as important as it is unputdownable. Anyone vaguely interested in the survival of our species ought to read this book - and will be thrilled they did so. -- Amol Rajan Peter Hanington draws you into the dark world of private cyber-surveillance, and the menace of the world he conjures - the world we all now live in - crackles off the page. His characters are beautifully drawn and so convincing that I found myself shouting Get out of there now! The writing is taut - not a wasted word - and the story is fast-paced, moving and twisting and quickening to a conclusion that is full of jeopardy and suspense. And when it ends, it doesn't end: it leaves you wanting the next chapter. * Allan Little *

Author Information

Peter Hanington is the author of A Dying Breed and A Single Source. He has worked as a journalist for over twenty-five years, including fourteen years at the Today Programme and more recently The World Tonight and Newshour on the BBC World Service. He lives in London with his wife and has two grown-up children.

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