From a prison cell, in which he has been held on suspicion of breaking the Official Secrets Act, Charles Thoroughgood awaits not only his bail, but also the reappearance of the woman whom all the major roads in his life have led back to. After his years in the army and then with MI6, Charles has begun a new chapter in his life with the Secret Intelligence Agency, shadowing the movements of a suspected double agent. Charles knows that he has nothing to hide, and as he casts his mind over th...

After university and Sandhurst, Charles Thoroughgood has now joined the Assault Commandos and is on a four-month tour of duty in Armagh and Belfast. The thankless task facing him and his men -- to patrol the tension-filled streets through weeks of boredom punctuated by bursts of horror -- takes them through times of tragedy, madness, laughter and terror.Alan Judd tells Thoroughgood's tale with verve, compassion and humour. The result is an exceptionally fine novel which blends bitt...

A fictionalised account of the Kaiser Wilhelm’s last years in Nazi-occupied Holland.It is 1940 and the exiled Kaiser is living in Holland, at his palace Huis Doorn.The old German king spends his days chopping logs and musing on what might have been.When the Nazis invade Holland, the Kaiser’s Dutch staff are replaced by SS guards, led by young, eager Untersturmfuhrer Krebbs, and an unlikely relationship develops between the king and his keeper. While they agree on the rightf...

Charles Thoroughgood is now the recently-appointed chief of a reconstituted MI6, married to his predecessor's widow and tasked with halting the increasingly disruptive cyber attacks on Britain, which are threatening government itself and all the normal transactions of daily life - not to mention a missing nuclear missile-carrying submarine.At the same time another aspect of Charles Thoroughgood's past emerges with the murder of one of his former agents and the escape from prison of...

From the author of Legacy, now a major BBC Film, comes a brilliant new novel for fans of le Carre, Graham Greene and Charles Cumming.During a time of political disruption and rising anti-nuclear sentiment, MI5 discovers that an extremist fringe group, Action Against Austerity, appears to have links to an established political party while planning sabotage using something or someone called Deep Blue. Banned from investigating British political parties, the head of MI5 seeks...

'Alan Judd's special magic is to mix contemporary events as they break over our heads with the codes and crafts of the secret world on whose special traits he is always uncannily up to date' Peter Hennessy'Plotting in the best le Carré tradition' Mail on Sunday'A well researched plot, intelligent prose and topicality' SpectatorFrom the author of Legacy, now a major BBC Film, and The Kaiser's Last...

A powerful Cold War thriller in the tradition of John le Carré from the acclaimed author of A Breed of HeroesCharles Thoroughgood, hero of Alan Judd's classic A Breed of Heroes, has left the army to be trained by MI6 in the arts of the Cold War.Nothing could prepare him, however, for the unexpected inheritance left him by his late father, which leads him back into an old school friendship with Viktor, a Russian diplomat living in London, and beyond that into the murky world...

*SUNDAY TIMES HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH, MARCH 2021*‘Absolutely spellbinding. I gobbled it up in two days and could not stop' Miranda SeymourA remarkable and meticulously researched novel from award-winning writer Alan Judd, exploring the life of literary genius Kit Marlowe, whose violent death compose one of the most fascinating unresolved mysteries of all time.In Elizabethan England, the Queen’s chief s...

In a dangerous world nothing is straightforward. Not even murder.**‘**Judd…knows his stuff when it comes to the milieu of espionage.’ The Times**‘**An elegant and informed British espionage novel.’ Financial Times‘Authentic, clever and wonderfully entertaining.’ Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of MI6'We can't think of a better Christmas read.' Oxford Alumni Magazi...

A beautifully written, highly emotional love story about an RAF pilot in WWII, from the acclaimed author of Legacy.Frank Foucham risks his life night after night flying raids over Germany. The war shows no sign of ending and Frank is scared his luck is running out.On a rare day off, fishing for relaxation, he meets Kenneth Ovenden. Forging an immediate friendship based on shared wartime experiences, Frank is then introduced to Kenneth's daughter-in-law Vanessa. Their connec...

From the author of Legacy, now a major BBC Film, comes a brilliant new historical crime novella for fans of Antonia Hodgson and CJ Sansom.‘To Mr Thomas Combe my sword.’ These six words in Shakespeare’s will tell us that Shakespeare had a sword. Did he wear it? Did he use it? What sort was it? When and why did he get it? What happened to it? Might it – does it – still exist?These questions plague Simon Gold, an antiques dealer. He believes ...

In April 1945 Hitler's bunker in Berlin was the last place Edith Mecklenburg wanted to be. But Edith had no choice: as secretary to Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress and -- for a few final, desperate hours -- his wife, Edith had to see it through to the bitter end.Edith was one of the lucky few. She not only got out alive but made a new life for herself in England. Sixty years on, now a widow and grandmother, the Bunker is almost forgotten. But the past has not forgotten her. Hans, a so...