The Disobedient Servant: A Political Comedy

By Tom Ackland

A comic thriller, reminiscent of Greene, that shines a light upon the ways of Whitehall. 

Guy Colchester is a civil servant of no particular distinction at the Ministry of Exports. He is paid to know about such quotidian matters as export credits, the dollar/drachma rate and the times of high tide in Alexandria. His ambition is to write the definitive psychology of the pheasant.

Why then is someone following him home to his utility flat in suburbia, and even on his birdwatching expeditions? Why should the sleek Mr de la Fosse, clearly an international businessman of some standing, invite him to lunch? And why on earth is the beautiful woman giving Colchester the eye in the Coach and Horses? Is she perhaps also interested in pheasants?

In the tradition of Our Man in Havana, The Disobedient Servant is humorous, yet wise in the ways of Whitehall, bureaucracy and global realpolitik. It will appeal not only to fans of Greene and Boyd, but also to those who enjoy political comedy.