This was the first thing I've read by A.N. Wilson and I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was a short novel, written and set amongst a Westminster political elite in the early 1980s. Without giving away any more than the notes on the cover, the basic plot is that the KGB learn that Derek Blore, a rising British political star, pays weekly visits to a prostitute, Berenadette, and seek to turn that to their advantage. The plot is well constructed, with more than a passing reference to the Profumo Affair and the behaviour of the lead characters well observed. But somehow, despite being a shortish novel, this plods along a little. ( )