Seventy-Two Virgins

Seventy-Two Virgins is a comic political novel, with similar appeal to Stephen Fry or Ben Elton, written by one of Britain's most popular politicians. It is Boris Johnson's first novel. 

To much fanfare, the American President is on an inaugural visit to the Houses of Parliament. Our hero, a hapless MP on a bicycle, gets caught up in the ferocious security arrangements. A stolen ambulance runs into trouble with the Westminster Parking Authorities. A man, born in Lebanon but going by the name of Jones, manages to persuade his way through the barriers. The best sharpshooter in the United States is enlisted and stationed on the roof of the building adjoining Westminster Hall. Henry VIII's tennis ball gets caught up in the melee.

These disparate parts meet head-on - and the events are broadcast live on worldwide television.

Boris Johnson:  is the editor of the Spectator, MP for Henley, writes a column for the Daily Telegraph and has just been appointed Shadow Arts Minister. He lives in London and Oxfordshire with his wife and their children.