A long forgotten book conceals a dangerous secret.James Faraday is about to turn eighty and his daughter has organised a gathering of friends and family at Woodford Grange to celebrate the big day. There will be a marquee in the garden, plenty of food and drink, and a huge stack of birthday presents. One particular gift, however, is proving difficult to track down.For Simon Turing, who works in the local bookshop, it is just another order; an out of print b...

"I've been a scoundrel, a thief, a blackmailer and a whore, but never a murderer. Until now..."The year is 1929. As the world teeters on the brink of a global recession, Bletchley Park plays host to a rather special event. MI5 is celebrating its twentieth anniversary and a select band of former and current employees are gathering at the private estate for a weekend of music, dance and heavy drinking. Among them is Sir Hilary Manningham-Butler, a middle aged woman w...

Democracy is coming to the Central American Republic of San Doloroso. But it won't be staying long...The year is 1990. Ace reporter Daniel Parr has been injured in a freak surfing accident, just as the provisional government of San Doloroso has announced the country's first democratic elections.The Daily Herald needs a man on the spot and in desperation they turn to Patrick Malone, a feckless junior reporter who just happens to speak a few words of Spanish....

His dad was a legend. He doesn’t have a clue.Everyone has heard of the Stiletto, the infamous assassin who strikes without warning. He has been running rings around the police for years. But nobody has the slightest idea who he really is.Eric Primrose has more important concerns. He is about to get married and there is a baby on the way. A chance meeting with his dad up in London puts a spanner in the works, however, when his father accidentally chokes to d...

THE BOOK OF DEATHA long forgotten book conceals a dangerous secret.James Faraday is about to turn eighty and his daughter has organised a gathering of friends and family at Woodford Grange to celebrate the big day. There will be a marquee in the garden, plenty of food and drink, and a huge stack of birthday presents. One particular gift, however, is proving difficult to track down.For Simon Turing, who works in the local bookshop, it is just another...

‘If this man succeeds,’ the agent said, ‘he will damage us as much as he damages you.’Secrets are going missing from the Foreign Office cypher room in London.Hilary Manningham-Butler is in the process of moving house and takes up the offer of a temporary berth from Oliver Chisholm, a gambling acquaintance and work colleague who just happens to be MI5’s number one suspect.Hilary arrives at the lavish Belgravia residence to discover a household riven ...

"Your predecessor was sitting in that chair when he shot himself. You can still see the blood stains on the wall behind you."Central America, 1931. Hilary Manningham-Butler is settling into her new job as passport control officer at the British legation in Guatemala City. Her predecessor Giles Markham is dead, having embezzled a large sum of money from the office’s visa receipts and then taken his own life. Freddie Reeves, a friend at the legation, believes there i...

"You'll never get me up in one of those things. They're absolutely lethal."Seville, 1931. Six months after the loss of the British airship the R101, a German Zeppelin is coming in to land in Southern Spain.Hilary Manningham-Butler is an MI5 operative eking out a pitiful existence on the Rock of Gibraltar. The offer of a job in the Americas provides a potential life line but there are strings attached. First she must prove her mettle to her masters in London...

Belize, British Honduras. 10th September 1931. As good a place as any to die...

“Hurrah for the Blackshirts!” the headline screams on 15th January 1934.Hilary Manningham-Butler is less than impressed. She has inveigled her way into the January Club, an elite debating society which acts as a recruiting ground for the newly formed British Union of Fascists. The Security Service is concerned that the BUF may be receiving funds from a foreign power. Using her newly acquired contacts, Hilary is despatched to Rome to investigate. Arriving at the vil...

"It's a bomb!" some fat idiot yelled, as I was heading for the exit. "They've found a bomb!"New York 1932. A letter bomb campaign throws the city into a panic and Hilary Manningham-Butler is anxious to get away. The RMS Galitia is setting sail for Southampton, but there will be no respite onboard ship. Another campaign is in the offing, less explosive but equally deadly. A series of anonymous letters are being distributed across the decks. Someone knows far too muc...

Whatever you do, don't eat the paella!Simon Turing is on holiday in southern Spain and things are not going at all well. The hire car breaks down on the way from the airport and, while phoning for help, Simon hears a cry of distress from a nearby orange grove.He arrives to find a man lying dead in a ditch. By the time the authorities arrive, however, the body has disappeared. The police think Simon must have disturbed a tramp who scarpered when he went to c...