Be forewarned that the ending of the first book "The House of Cards" by Michael Dobbs (who was a cabinet minister under Margaret Thatcher) is VERY different from the ending of the first BBC TV series of the same name.
When I watched the uk version on pbs I remember the host saying the author did not like how the movie version was done. Apparently he sold the film rights to the bbc and wasn’t actively involved in the making of the movie series.