Spycraft ain’t what it used to be in this modern world. It’s far scarier.
Adam Hamdy first rose to literary prominence with his first trilogy, The Pendulum Series, and now he returns with a thoroughly researched and gut-churning new thriller series set in a 21st Century Brexit-inspired Britain.
Scott Pearce is a retired member of MI6 living a peaceful life in a seaside town on a quiet island, having left the Agency after a disastrous final mission in the Middle East. That all comes to a crashing end when he is approached by a woman who says she has been sent to find him by her now deceased boss (who committed suicide to save his family).
With the arrival of Finance District powerhouse employee, Melody Gold, Pearce is drawn into a nightmare scenario and faces off against a secretive cabal and their security team, known only as Black 13.
Scott’s investigation and infiltration takes him all across London, into the clubs and homes of the elite and rich who know they are untouchable and are unashamedly self-motivated. The action is fast-paced, the characters well defined and the storyline a little too close to reality for comfort.
Over the ensuing 470 pages, Pearce’s life is irreversible changed along with that of Melody, her handler Wayne, and two other espionage specialists: former Middle Eastern agent Leila Nahum, and former MI6 Agent Wollerton. They discover the tangled web that lies beneath one of Britain’s most aggressive right-wing groups, the powerbrokers that support those endeavours, and the lengths that Black 13 will go to in order to achieve their ideal England.
Hamdy, in his Author’s Note, gives a brief outline of the research, litmus testing and online engagement that he went through to develop the novel’s intricate story. It is a tale that could not be more current or relevant.
This is the first book in the series and as it ends, with more questions than answers, the reader will be on tenterhooks waiting for the next novel and the further adventures of Scott Pearce.
Reviewed by Glen Christie
Distributed by: Pan Macmillan Australia
Released: January 2020
RRP: $29.99
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