(Douglas Hurd's fine political novel, set in the near future, eloquently conveys the sheer anarchic pressure of political life at the top - the way problems jostle for attention in the day, with the small ones prevailing because they are urgent, and the pressure slowly building until it distorts judgement and relationships. With the narrative momentum of a good thriller, THE SHAPE OF ICE reflects the way ominous events can develop from near-invisibility into momentous crises, like the slowly growing iceberg that finally sank the Titanic. PM Simon Russell's personal alarm clock is ticking away. Beyond No.10. prison riots, bombs in Ireland, corporate blackmail in China and civil unrest in Russia jostle for his attention. From the smallest details of the PM's office to the global significance of an international crisis, THE SHAPE OF ICE unfolds the political process with real authenticity)