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The Peak

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The Peak

By: Sam Guthrie
Narrated by: Max Brown
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About this listen

 An Australian bestseller!

Geopolitics and espionage collide in this explosive espionage thriller.

'Hands down the best debut of the year' Tim Shipman

'My favourite debut novel of 2025’ Antonia Senior

THREE WORDS IN MANDARIN.

THAT’S ALL IT TAKES TO END THE WORLD.

Planes circle, unable to land. The phone lines are down. The power is out.

And the only person who knows why is dead.

That man was Sebastian, a handsome politician on the rise. Charlie, his political attack dog and childhood friend, just watched him kill himself.

Then the Secret Intelligence Service comes knocking.

What the hell did Sebastian do?

And can Charlie find out before the world implodes?

The Peak is a nailbiting and fast-moving international thriller that weaves a story of friendship and betrayal together with the ruthless geopolitics of China's rise, set in the last twenty four hours of the world as we know it.

________________________

Readers love The Peak:

'Rewrites the script for spy fiction in the 21st century' Nigel Inkster, former Deputy Chief MI6

‘Packed with lies, sex and betrayal, a compelling debut’ – Daily Mail

'Fast, furious and original’ The Sun

‘[An] impressive first novel … illuminating and extremely alarming’ Literary Review

'True to life … Sam Guthrie’s own diplomatic experience adds a bit of heft to the novel’s ominous undertow' The Times

'A compelling, authentic tale of politics and espionage … A stunning debut' Jason King, Spybrary

'A taught and compelling tale recommended for fans of Tom Fletcher and Frederick Forsyth' real reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This was everything I love in a book and I just wish there were more books like this out there' real reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I absolutely couldn’t put it down – even reading well through one night' real reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'An excellent political thriller and one heck of a debut' real reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A fast-paced and edge-of-the-seat political thriller' real reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This is one cracking, outstanding, excellent political thriller debut and if that’s a genre you like, this is a MUST read' real reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

©2025 Sam Guthrie (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers Action & Adventure Espionage Genre Fiction Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Political Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense China Fiction

Critic reviews

'Hands down the best debut of the year … It positively crackles and the pages turn themselves' Tim Shipman

'My favourite debut novel of 2025 … An alarming insight into the tortuous geo-politics which are defining our modern world’ – Antonia Senior

‘Packed with lies, sex and betrayal, a compelling debut’ – Daily Mail

'True to life … Sam Guthrie’s own diplomatic experience adds a bit of heft to the novel’s ominous undertow' – The Times

'Fast, furious and original’ The Sun

'A compelling, authentic tale of politics and espionage … A stunning debut' Jason King, Spybrary

'One of the year's ultimate page-turners' Australian Financial Review

‘Sam Guthrie … uses his insider knowledge to create a pacy international political thriller’ – Crime Time

'Rewrites the script for spy fiction in the 21st century. Sam Guthrie draws on a lifetime’s experience to provide a compelling depiction of China as a major player in the global intelligence game' Nigel Inkster, former Deputy Chief and director for operations and intelligence for MI6

‘A twisty political thriller that asks if it's possible to really ever know your friends. The Peak provides a rare insider's look into the world of international trade policy, set against the ascendency of China as the world's leading superpower’ – Alma Katsu, former CIA and NSA analyst

‘The Peak is a classy and very clever contemporary thriller' Alex Gerlis

'Will there be a showdown between China and the west? The answer thrills – and chills – in Sam Guthrie’s addictive tale of how human passion and geopolitical intrigue might bring doomsday closer' – Professor Rana Mitter

‘The Peak is a fast-moving thriller, weaving a story of friendship and betrayal with ruthless geopolitics' – Adele Parks for Platinum Magazine

'It's brilliant, page-turning stuff, and an extremely impressive debut' R. S. Burnett

‘Sam Guthrie is a born writer – this is a cracking thriller' Dervla McTiernan

‘Gripping and original … an insight into contemporary espionage and geopolitics' Oliver Harris
All stars
Most relevant
Hard to believe this is Sam's first book. A great thriller, with some great goosebumps moments. This will be one of those 'go back and listen again' books.

Love the Peak

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Great story, really well told. Having the slightly unreliable narrator fits so well given the story is written from the pov of a political advisor trying to spin things. Obviously loads of research was done and it really shows. Definitely recommend

Exceptional debut

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I’m not sure if I’m glad I read this. I am impressed that it’s the debut novel and the plot is clever & thought provoking . I won’t give any spoilers but i think perhaps I’m in the right place emotionally to cope with this “cautionary tale” without coming away feeling thoroughly depressed .

The ultimate moral dilemma?

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The Peak is an inspiring and insightful read that keeps you hooked from the very beginning. It’s packed with practical lessons and thought-provoking ideas that make it both motivating and actionable. While a few sections felt like they lingered longer than necessary, the overall journey was absolutely worth it. A true page-turner that I’d highly recommend to anyone looking to challenge themselves and unlock their potential. Rate it 4.25/5

Gripping read

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An absolute rollercoaster of a 1st book and hoping for more to come! Gripping storyline although some of the pauses in the narration was a bit too long I felt but doesn’t not detract from the story whatsoever. Would highly recommend this one. Give it a go!

Great 1st Book

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