A political thriller for our time, but with a strand of gentle humour woven through it, making this intriguing story into an entertaining page turner.

Its 2024. Popular TV chat show host, and former MP, Bradley Deakin is the man wanted by the Opposition Party of the day to lead them back to power, breaking the chain of endless hung parliaments and uninspiring political leaders. They just need to get him elected first.

Meanwhile, in Brighton, retired bank manager Harvey Britten is enjoying life with the three things he loves most - his family, the city of his birth and his beloved football team, Brighton and Hove Albion, (known locally as The Seagulls). His support for the team has led to a regular spot on the local radio breakfast show, which has turned him into something of a minor celebrity.

It proves very difficult to find Bradley a suitable by-election until one unexpectedly occurs in Brighton. But Harvey strongly objects to a big shot candidate like Deakin being parachuted into his city and is reluctantly persuaded by his family and radio listeners to stand against him as a protest candidate. But only in the knowledge that he won't actually win!

The race is otherwise between Bradley and the Government party candidate, Alistair Buckland, a local Councillor with a big secret. But as the campaign is gradually engulfed in scandal and conspiracy theories, it throws the whole contest wide open. Can a high class call girl with a plan for revenge change the outcome? Just how far did Bradley and his team go to cause the by-election in the first place? Will Harvey's worst nightmare come true, in that he might actually win? And how bad does it have to get for a candidate before their loyal party supporters will refuse to vote for them?

As each candidate increasingly has to defend themselves against more and more serious accusations, both they and the people they love soon realise that there's far more at stake for them all than just who will end up winning the election.

Review of 'SEAGULLS OVER WESTMINSTER by Dr Peter Critten

"At a time of political uncertainty, when politicians of all parties seem to have lost the public's respect, the publication of this novel is very opportune and welcome. It revolves around the intricate relationships amongst diverse characters matched against each other as candidates in a local By Election in Brighton (which may give you a clue as to the title).

Richard Wade deftly gives us byte sized insights into each one and plays one against another on a stage of which he is in total control. One of the delights of this book is how he enables the reader to get inside the head of each character and admire or dislike each one. He has a knack of building up tension right up till the end, the night of the election. He is able to keep us guessing as to what happens next all the way through.

Nothing can take away the fact that Richard Wade is a born storyteller whose attention to detail makes the fast moving plot all the more credible."

• We started tracking this book on March 25, 2019.
• This book was £0.00 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 49 times in the past 2,261 days.
• The current price of this book is £0.99 last checked 17 hours ago.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is FREE.
• The lowest price to date was FREE last reached on May 30, 2025.
• This book has been FREE 24 times since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was £2.99 last reached on March 28, 2019.
• This book has been £2.99 one time since we started tracking it.

• Literature & FictionGenre FictionPolitical
• Literature & FictionHumour & SatireLiterary Humour
• Humour

• Publication Date: February 14, 2019
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 382 Pages
• File Size: 10 KB