This is the 2nd Robert Harris novel I've read, 'Archangel' being the first. 'The Ghost' is an excellent novel and holds your attention from beginning to end. I see that some (New Labour?) reviewers are attempting to play down the similarities between Adam & Ruth Lang, and Tony & Cherie Blair. There is merit in either argument but it is certainly true that Harris, since publication of 'The Ghost', is now apparently deemed a 'non person' from all insider accounts coming from within the Blair Court - this after having being so close to the centre for so long. Certainly, the similarities between Lang and Blair are striking. The playing to the cameras, the desire for an audience to believe in, and to justify his actions, and the overall persona, is Blair all over. Read a dialogue passage of Lang's, close your eyes and it's 'All things to all Men Tony' once again. Lang himself doesn't resort to a 'Death of Diana' performance but we are left in no doubt that there is certainly one beneath the surface. Ruth Lang is a cold unattractive character. Again, your political views may well determine whether or not she is a reminder of Cherie Blair's ambition and general attitude. To my mind, there are certainly strong similarities. Harris paints a convincing picture of Marthas Vineyard and is generally good on scenics throughout. All characters are well fleshed out and are generally believable. To slay one ghost, the spectre of Robin Cook does not stalk these pages. Since his death Cook has claimed a posthumous gravitas, one which his political and ministerial career frankly never merited - and the suggestion (not Harris's, I believe) that he is supposedly the important and influential Rycart character does not hold water. All in all, an excellent novel and recommended.