HarperCollins Publishers Seventy-Two Virgins

Boris Johnson's first novel, Seventy-Two Virgins is a no-holds-barred political satire, a comic romp peopled with a gallery of grotesques which lampoons both the absurdities and the extremes of modern society. The American President, on a State Visit to Britain is giving a major address to a top-level audience in Westminster Hall.Ferocious security – with some difficulties in communication – is provided by a joint force of the United States Secret Service and Scotland Yard.The best sharpshooters from both countries are stationed on the roof of the Parliament buildings. Then a stolen ambulance runs into trouble with the Parking Authorities.A hapless Member of Parliament, having mislaid his crucial pass, is barred from Westminster, his bicycle regarded as a potential lethal weapon. And a man going by the name of Jones, although born in Karachi, successfully slips through the barriers, and a whole new ball game starts. Despite the united efforts of the finest security minds, events begin to spin out of control.A remarkable new worldwide reality television show dominates the airwaves. And the most unlikely heroes emerge…