A Single Source

Critics Review

• This hugely accomplished political thriller, brilliantly plotted . . . is written with all the dash and verve shown in Hanington’s stunning debut

  Irish Independent

• Topical, authoritative and gripping

  Charles Cumming

• Tight, pacy and strong on atmosphere

  Michael Palin

• Completely unputdownable – gripping

  Seb Emina

• A compelling story set against some of the global forces shaping our times

  Mishal Husain, BBC Today presenter

• Peter Hanington has a gift for fast-paced narrative, atmospheric location and authentic, often hilarious dialogue . . . people trafficking, gun smuggling, murder and betrayal are all conjured in a shifting interplay that draws you in from the first line and keeps you guessing until, literally, the very last.

  Allan Little, former BBC special correspondent

• If you love le Carré, were gripped by Homeland and couldn’t get your nose out of A Dying Breed, Hanington’s first novel about war reporters, here’s another thrilling read for you . . .The anti-hero in both novels is hard-bitten hack William Carver – a classic Lunchtime O’Booze figure – who is, miraculously, still alive. Carver fans will look forward to meeting the old curmudgeon again in Hanington’s next cracking tale.

  Dame Ann Leslie

• A fascinating, atmospheric read. Peter Hanington weaves a page-turning tale that is both compulsive and terrifying in equal measure. Will keep you up till the early hours.

  Kate Hamer, author of THE GIRL IN THE RED COAT

• It’s such a pleasure to read a novel by a writer who is the real deal. Peter Hanington is entirely in command of this thrilling story and tells it with great verve.

  Kirsty Wark, author of THE LEGACY OF ELIZABETH PRINGLE

• One of the most assured pieces of writing I have read for a very long time. Peter Hanington’s characters come completely alive, and you feel he knows them intimately. The sense of setting out on a journey in safe hands makes it all the more shocking when the plot takes its gut-wrenching twists. A foreign correspondent’s life is, like a soldier’s, made up of long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror; my advice to Peter’s BBC colleagues is ‘pack this in your grab bag, and the dull hours will fly by’. It’s very good indeed.

  Edward Stourton

• Hanington has a knack for telling the stories of the lives behind the news headlines in a way that invites you, the reader, to care about his characters. It is an invitation I am happy to accept. It is one of his many talents as a writer.

  Fi Glover, the Fortunately podcast

• A Single Source is a considered, almost deceptively suspenseful thriller with a host of well-drawn characters, including hard-bitten foreign correspondents, young idealistic Egyptian girls, creepy public relations men, a grotesque (and totally credible) arms-dealer and a wonderfully slimy Cairo hotelier. It is written by a journalist whom you feel has been there and done that – or at least some of it – with skill and humanity, and no unnecessary pyrotechnics.

  Shots Mag

• A Single Source is a considered, almost deceptively suspenseful thriller with a host of well-drawn characters . . . written by a journalist whom you feel has been there and done that – or at least some of it – with skill and humanity. Ingenious and, dare I say it, rather Ambler-esque.

  Mike Ripley, author of the Angel series

• An enthralling read that answers the question everyone asks of journalists: how do you get your stories?

  Roy Greenslade

• Passion and politics . . . extremely well-written and an excellent read

  Crime Pieces

• A highly readable conspiracy theory

  Morning Star

• An intelligent spellbinding thriller

  NB Books

• Convincingly told

  Choice

• It’s topical, authoritative and gripping, tight-paced and strong on atmosphere, full of vivid characters and so clearly mined from Hanington’s own experiences as to make it feel totally authentic. The initiated may pose nods to le Carré, Greene and Ambler, but this impressive and atmospheric story, punctuated with interludes of hilarious dialogue, does entirely its own thing – and is far the stronger for it . . . There have been many books about journalism in war or near war zones. But this tale of investigative reporting, shady deals, intelligence men and conflicted diplomats is another absolutely outstanding addition from an author who spins an almost Kipling-esque story with insight, humanity, humour and, at times, near fury.

  Crime Review

• A fine read

  Women's Weekly (Australia)

• Convincingly atmospheric

  Country and Town House