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{{Short description|Book by Michael Dobbs}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox book
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'''''House of Cards''''' is a political thriller novel by British author [[Michael Dobbs]]. Published in 1989, it tells the story of [[Francis Urquhart]], a fictional [[Chief Whip of the Conservative Party|Chief Whip]] of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], and his amoral and manipulative scheme to become leader of the governing party and, thus, [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]].
 
A [[House of Cards (UKBritish TV series)|television adaptation]], written by [[Andrew Davies (writer)|Andrew Davies]] and produced by the [[BBC]] was aired in 1990. A six-part [[Radio drama|radio adaptation]] of the first novel, written by Neville Teller aired on [[BBC Radio 4]] in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0153nnh|title = BBC Radio 4 Extra - Michael Dobbs - House of Cards}}</ref> In 2013, the serial and the Dobbs novel were the basis for a [[House of Cards (U.S.American TV series)|US television adaptation]] set in Washington, D.C., commissioned and released by [[Netflix]].
 
The novel was followed by two sequels: ''[[To Play the King]]'' and ''[[The Final Cut (TV serial)|The Final Cut]]''. Both were adapted for television by the BBC and aired in 1993 and 1995 respectively.
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Following the resignation of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the ruling Conservative Party is about to elect a new leader. In the subsequent leadership election, the moderate but indecisive [[Minor characters in the House of Cards trilogy#Henry Collingridge, MP|Henry "Hal" Collingridge]] emerges victorious. Francis Urquhart, an [[Member of Parliament|MP]] and the Government Chief Whip in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], is secretly contemptuous of the well-meaning but weak Collingridge, but expects a promotion to a senior position in the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]]. After the general election, which the party wins by a reduced majority, Urquhart submits a memorandum to Collingridge advocating a [[cabinet reshuffle]] that would include a prominent ministerial position for Urquhart himself. However, Collingridge—citing [[Harold Macmillan]]'s political demise after the 1962 [[Night of the Long Knives (1962)|Night of the Long Knives]]—effects no changes at all. Urquhart resolves to oust Collingridge.
 
Urquhart exploits his position as Chief Whip to leakundermine Collingridge by leaking inside information to the press, toand undermine(using £50,000 given by a party donor) engineering an [[insider trading]] scandal implicating Charles Collingridge, ultimatelythe forcingPrime himMinister's toalcoholic, resignfinancially insolvent brother. Most of his leaks are to [[List of House of Cards trilogy characters#Mattie Storin|Mattie Storin]], a young reporter for ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''. After Collingridge is ultimately forced to resign, Urquhart then eliminates his enemies in the resulting leadership contest by means of fabricated scandals that he sets up himself or publicizes. These include threatening to publish photographs of [[Secretary of State for Education|Education Secretary]] Harold Earle in the company of a [[rent boy]]; causing [[Secretary of State for Health|Health Secretary]] Peter MacKenzie to accidentally run over a disabled man; and forcing [[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs|Foreign Secretary]] Patrick Woolton to withdraw by [[blackmail]]ing him with an audiotape of a [[one-night stand]], who in turn endorses Urquhart in the hope of being appointed [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] as reward and eventually succeeding him. His remaining rival, [[Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs|Environment Secretary]] Michael Samuels, is alleged by the press to have supported far-left politics as a university student. Urquhart thereby reaches the brink of victory.
 
Prior to the final ballot, Urquhart murders the party's drug-addicted and increasingly unstable public relations consultant, Roger O'Neill, whom he forced into helping him to remove Collingridge from office. Urquhart invites O'Neill to his [[country house]] near [[Southampton]], gets him drunk, and puts rat poison in his [[cocaine]].
 
Mattie untangles Urquhart's web and confronts him in the deserted roof garden of the [[Houses of Parliament]]. HeIn commitsresponse, suicideUrquhart bythrows jumpingher off the roof to hisher death, making it look like a suicide.
 
===Revision===
After the initial TV series the author revised the published novel to bring it in line with the UK TV series, in which Urquhart throws Mattie from the roof rather than committing [[suicide]], thus allowing for a continuation of the story. The name of the newspaper that Mattie Storin works for was changed from ''The Daily Telegraph'' to the fictional ''The Chronicle,'' same as the TV series.
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==Adaptations==
{{main|*''[[House of Cards (UK TV series)|House]]'', ofa Cards1990 (U.S. TVtelevision series written by [[Andrew Davies (writer)}}|Andrew Davies]], and produced by the [[BBC]].
A television adaptation, written by *''[[AndrewHouse Daviesof Cards (writer)|AndrewU.S. Davies]]TV and produced by the [[BBCseries)]]'', wasa aired2013 inseries 1990.based In 2013,on the televisionBBC series and the novel were the basis for a [[House of Cards (U.S. TV series)|US television adaptation]], set in Washington, D.C., commissioned and released by [[Netflix]].
In 2018 was announced an Argentinian adaptation produced by Pol-Ka and Cablevision Flow.
 
==References==
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{{House of Cards}}
 
[[Category:House of Cards| 1]]
[[Category:English novels]]
[[Category:1989 British novels]]
[[Category:British political novels]]
[[Category:Political thriller novels]]
[[Category:HarperCollins books]]
[[Category:British novels adapted into television shows]]
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