Like him or loathe him, there is no ignoring Peter Mandelson and his contribution to creating New Labour and making it electable. The author, Donald Macintyre, is a London journalist whose columns for the Independent often give valuable insights into British Government thinking on the North and other issues. Although not an authorised biography, this book was written with generous co-operation from its subject. Irish readers will have most interest in the concluding chapters, which cover the period since Mandelson became Northern Ireland Secretary and contain a considerable amount of new information. An amusing anecdote describes how Mandelson was in the company of Gerry Adams at Hillsborough when the Northern Secretary's dog, Bobby, turned up with, of all things, a plastic bullet in his mouth. "It's my contribution to decommissioning," Mandelson quipped.