"A wonderful, artful, absorbing espionage novel." Adam Brookes, author
of Night Heron
The story of an internal investigation into the past of a British
spy suspected of having been turned by Russian agents. British
intelligence is in a state of panic. Cracks are appearing, or so a run
of disciplinary cases would suggest. To cap it all, Willa Karlsson, a
retired secret services officer collapses, the victim of what looks like
a Russian poisoning.
Leonard Flood is ordered to investigate - and quickly. Notorious for his
sharp elbows and blunt manner, Leonard's only objective is to get the
job done, whatever the cost. When Leonard discovers that he is also a
suspect in the investigation and that Willa's story is less a story of
betrayal than one of friendship and a deep sense of duty, he must decide
whether to hand her to her masters or to help her to escape.
The third in the espionage trilogy The Discipline Files, after the
acclaimed debut Beside the Syrian Sea, and its follow-on novel How to
Betray Your Country.
Written by an insider: James Wolff is the pseudonym of a young English
novelist who worked for the British government for over ten years before
leaving to write spy fiction.
Against the backdrop of increasing Russian spying and interference
(including assassination) in the UK, this novel explores themes of
loyalty and betrayal in modern intelligence work, threatened from the
inside by whistle-blowers, serial leakers and Robin Hood hackers. A taut
thriller about the thin line between following your conscience and
following orders. A fascinating conundrum we have been struggling with
for decades. Edward Snowden, hero or traitor?
