The Enemy Within: An Armstrong and Burton Political Adventure (The Armstrong and Burton Series)
About
It is 1985. Months after the Brighton bombing, grief-stricken Home Secretary, Sir Norman Armstrong, has all but disappeared from public view, although he remains very much in control of his powerful government department.
Sir Norman finds himself once again at odds with his unlikely friend, influential left-wing political commentator, Alf Burton, whose deep involvement in the legal aftermath of the Miner’s Strike is making life very difficult for the police, the Thatcher government, and for the Home Secretary personally. A miner from the troubled pit village of Headleyton is on trial for murder, but serious questions hang over the police evidence. Can Alf get to the truth before it’s too late?
Alf’s already divided loyalties are stretched to the limit as his Tyneside hometown confronts a long and potentially violent strike in the face of massive job losses in shipbuilding, with his own family heavily impacted. Meanwhile, he is called upon, unofficially, to investigate two seemingly unrelated deaths from World War Two; a newspaper mogul with close ties to the British government and alleged Nazi sympathies, and a tenacious young Scotland Yard detective. Alf soon closes in on eminent dynasties still at the heart of power four decades on, including Sir Norman’s own celebrated family. What will Alf uncover, and will the truth push the old friends even further apart?
”...George Fairbrother skilfully brings to life an incredible period of British political history, told through an array of fascinating characters...” Oliver Crocker (Devonfire Books, The Bill Podcast)
”...Another great read from George Fairbrother...” (Goodreads)
”...I also liked the fact that in the parts of the story set in 1985, we saw more of the characters beyond the politics and power, and new generations of the main families emerged. I hope another volume will be forthcoming because I would love to know more about all the characters, past and future...” (BookBub)