The fact that this novel is seriously riveting is a testament to Robert Harris’s storytelling power; he conjures knuckle-blanching suspense from a very well-known piece of history.

Harris’ retelling of the Dreyfus case is as taut and exciting as anything by Forsyth or Follet.

Menace and suspense twist tight in a narrative of tremendous tension.

Superb . . . Harris demonstrates his unique ability to recreate historical events and turn them into spellbinding thriller . . . Written with scalpel-like precision and the elegance we expect of Harris, there is a passion here that justifies calling it a masterpiece.

A brilliant retelling of a scandal that became one of the most famous miscarriages of justice . . . the most gripping book I’ve read this year.

A gripping tale, its shocking power heightened by Harris’s narrative skills.

A master storyteller at the top of his game

A compelling tale of power, cover-ups and idealism.

Many readers prize him as our supreme exponent of the “literary” thriller. His novels are not difficult – they are whizzing page-turners… They also combine masterly suspense and mystery with historical insight and political shrewdness. His latest novel is no exception: it is a cracking read from start to finish… It offers a bravura display of Harris’s fictional skills. The first is sureness of historical touch. In both general and specific terms the period comes alive… There is no need to wait for the film: it can scarcely be more exciting than the book.

Harris is committed to the belief that you can get at a truth as a novelist that you can’t as an historian… and he does give us the look, sensations, sounds and smells as no historian could… it is informative, accomplished and highly enjoyable