The Bell Ringers: A Novel

by Henry Porter Narrated by John Lee

Overview

In The Bell Ringers, England in the near future appears largely unchanged. There are concerns over the threat of terrorism, the press is feisty, and the prime minister is soon to call a general election. But quietly-and largely unknown to the public or even most in government-things have become undeniably Orwellian: cameras with license plate recognition software record every car's movements, and a sophisticated, top-secret data-mining system known as Deep Truth combs through personal records, identifying violators of minor laws as well as those disposed to "antigovernment" beliefs. In the interest of security, the divide between private and public has crumbled. Freedom has given way to control.



David Eyam was once the prime minister's head of intelligence. He was one of those who knew about Deep Truth, but he suffered a fall from grace and then died in a terrorist bombing. Now his former lover, Kate Lockhart, has been named as the benefactor of his estate. But Eyam has left her more than just his wealth; Kate is also the heir to his dangerous secrets and unfinished business.



The full power of the out-of-control, security-obsessed state comes down on Kate, but with the help of the secret resistance known as the Bell Ringers, hope for freedom is not lost.

Editorial Reviews

Patrick Anderson

…one of many novels that have attempted to update Nineteen Eighty-Four—and one of the more impressive…This is a sophisticated, engrossing and important political thriller. Porter wants us to see that the same technological tools that can be used to fight terrorism or to make government more efficient can also, in the wrong hands, be used to destroy freedom. Perhaps Porter's most important updating of Orwell is to show how corporate money might work with political corruption to create a dictatorship behind a democratic facade. The American corporation in this novel supports charities and think tanks, but it also makes the supercomputers that endanger civil liberties, pays huge bribes to the prime minister and his top aides, and provides hit men to dispose of critics.
—The Washington Post

Kirkus Reviews

After her former lover's death, an English spy turned high-powered New York lawyer discovers clues that point to a sinister conspiracy. Kate Lockhart is shocked to hear that David Eyam has been killed in a terrorist bombing in Colombia. But while the inquest seems to leave little doubt as to the immediate circumstances surrounding his death (the blast was captured on video), Kate still finds herself asking a number of questions. What was David doing in Colombia? Why had he suddenly left his senior post in the British government and relocated to a provincial village in Wales? Why did he leave a sizable amount of money to a local group of bell ringers? And why, considering the fact that he and Kate weren't exactly on speaking terms, did he make her the principal beneficiary in his will? When a packet of papers that David's attorney seems especially anxious to deliver to Kate are stolen from his office, these questions take on a new urgency, and they become positively life-or-death when the attorney is shot and killed immediately after leaving the cottage Kate just inherited from David. As she scrambles to make sense of recent events, Kate finds several clues David left behind pointing to a plot that might implicate high-ranking members of the British government, and as she nears the truth she finds herself in greater and greater danger. Porter (Brandenburg Gate, 2005, etc.) sets his story at an unspecified point in the next few years, and his vision of near-future England is chilling, primarily because it so closely resembles England today, with near-ubiquitous CCTV cameras (something like one for every 14 people) keeping British citizens under almost constant surveillance. While thenarrative occasionally bogs down in details, the prose sings, and fully fleshed characters unraveling a compelling mystery provide more than enough momentum to power through the slow bits. Gripping and chillingly realistic.

From the Publisher

Praise for The Bell Ringers

“A sophisticated, engrossing, and important political thriller.” —Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post

“Superb.” —Anna Mundow, The Boston Globe

“A wonderful novel. I read it addictively and was sorry the minute it was over. It's way too good to be called a thriller." —Richard Ford

“Porter has battled for years against the insidious creep of government snooping. If you worry about too large a dollop of didacticism, fear not: The Bell Ringers is a thriller, and Porter is a stylist who enjoys a bit of theatrical flourish. You’ll find yourself imagining the movie it would make—North by Northwest meets House of Cards. Still, the message is clear, and persuasive. Porter claims that the novel is set in the near future. Don’t be fooled.” —Cullen Murphy, Vanity Fair

“[An] outstanding near-future thriller. . . . Shaken U.S. readers will wonder how much of the fiction might soon become fact on this side of the Atlantic.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Read it and you'll be hooked.” —Alan Cheuse, Dallas Morning News

“Henry Porter writes fabulous novels. Empire State was one of my favorites a couple of years back. The Bell Ringers is even better, a spy novel for everyone who loves le Carré and Deighton, but with a crisp modern woman in charge. You won't put this novel down until the final paragraph.” —Margaret Cannon, The Globe & Mail (Canada)

“A vibrant thriller dealing with … the surveillance state and the erosion of individual liberty. Although set in the future, it feels as up-to-the-minute as tomorrow’s headlines.” —Roger Alton, The New Statesmen, Books of the Year

“The prose sings . . . Gripping and chillingly realistic.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[The] characters are skillfully rendered, and Porter deftly ratchets up the tension as MI5, hired assassins, and police close in . . . . A superb thriller.” —Thomas Gaughan, Booklist (starred review)

“The Orwellian parallels are clear, but Porter gives the subject a subtle, complex and well-timed shot in the arm.” —Adam Woog, The Seattle Times

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170657834
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	03/23/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged

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