A tale of intrigue stretching from the Volga to the Adriatic via snowy Polish lakes and sleepy Cornish villages. Third in The Dylan Series. Winter 1981. Poland is in turmoil. The Communist regime is close to collapse and the CIA wants to help it on its way. They ask for MI6 assistance but insist the MI6 Station in Warsaw is not involved. Why not? And who will the Americans accept? MI6 agent Thomas Dylan is sent from Moscow. His wife has just witnessed a murder and the Russian authorities want her out of the country. But when Thomas and Julia arrive in Warsaw the bullets start to fly. Two American agents disappear near the Polish lakes, a terrified Polish sailor jumps ship in Middlesbrough, and a Polish peasant claims to have found the lost crown of a medieval King. Somebody needs to work out what's happening. And quickly. Because back in London a KGB killer is on the loose.

The classic Cold War thriller, published as a Penguin Essential for the first time. Alec Leamas is tired. It's the 1960s, he's been out in the cold for years, spying in Berlin for his British masters, and has seen too many good agents murdered for their troubles. Now Control wants to bring him in at last - but only after one final assignment. He must travel deep into the heart of Communist Germany and betray his country, a job that he will do with his usual cynical professionalism. But when George Smiley tries to help a young woman Leamas has befriended, Leamas's mission may prove to be the worst thing he could ever have done. In le Carre's breakthrough work of 1963, the spy story is reborn as a gritty and terrible tale of men who are caught up in politics beyond their imagining. 'Superbly constructed, with an atmosphere of chilly hell' J.B. Priestley 'The best spy story I have ever read' Graham Greene 'The master storyteller ... has lost none of his cunning' A. N. Wilson 'I have re-read The Spy Who Came In From The Cold over and over again since I first encountered it in my teens, just to remind myself how extraordinary a work of fiction can be' Malcolm Gladwell 'One of those very rare novels that changes the way you look at the world. Unflinching, highly sophisticated, superb' William Boyd

In order to foil a mass assassination plot, Matt Helm must undertake his most dangerous mission: matrimony. An agent like Helm might be a nice man to live with for a while, be he's not the kind a woman would marry. Unless she has too. Unless it's all part of maintaining an ingenious cover. The man whose daily bread is violence takes a most unlikely bride - just to make sure death doesn't part them.

A hilarious whodunnit about two kids trying to save the UK's top TV talent show from a mysterious saboteur! "Annoyingly good." - David Baddiel "Ivor is a funny, clever and brilliant writer, so it's no surprise that he's written such a funny, clever and brilliant book, which is also heartwarming and full of joy. The man's a marvel." - Dermot O'Leary "Kids are going to go crazy for this brilliant book!" "Ivor Baddiel tells a rip-roaring good story - pesky, gleeful and very funny"- Mel Giedroyc "This is a terrifically funny "whodunnit" children's book" - Peter Dickson (voice of the X Factor) Someone is threatening to destroy Britain's Biggest New Star, the country's favourite TV talent show. The secret service decides to send in two young spies, twins Harry and Abby, to investigate. Their ticket backstage is their father, washed up comedian Gus, who believes the contest is his chance to revive his career. The list of suspects is long, and the twins don't know whom to trust. But they better track down the culprit soon, before disaster strikes the show - and its royal guest! A fast-paced spy caper packed with laughs and surprising twists, from comedy writer Ivor Baddiel - someone who really knows backstage life on Britain's favourite talent shows! Perfect for fans of books by David Walliams and Tom Fletcher, and Maz Evans's Vi Spy. The cover and spine feature shiny gold lettering, and the book includes black and white illustrations throughout by James Lancett.

From world chemical weapons expert, Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, 'A brilliant marriage of fact and fiction' Kuwait 1960. With Soviet backing Iraq plans to invade. Gordon Carlisle lives in the expat community of Ahmadi with little to worry about other than when to next don his dinner jacket. When enlisted by an MI6 agent everything changes. Even marriage to his beautiful new wife Anita breaks down as he becomes a suspect in a chain of deaths in the Protectorate. Ian Fleming's time in Kuwait is recorded at first hand as Britain prepares to meet the Iraqi forces head on with Operation Vantage. Our Man In Kuwait is a colonial-era thriller set against the background of big power conflict. The ultimate timepiece tinderbox of sun, sex and spies.

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE"In a country ruled by fear, no one is innocent."
Stalin's Soviet Union is an official paradise, where citizens live free from crime and fear only one thing: the all-powerful state. Defending this system is idealistic security officer Leo Demidov, a war hero who believes in the iron fist of the law. But when a murderer starts to kill at will and Leo dares to investigate, the State's obedient servant finds himself demoted and exiled. Now, with only his wife at his side, Leo must fight to uncover shocking truths about a killer-and a country where "crime" doesn't exist.

Summer in Paris. British art student Adam King undertakes an internship at a contemporary art museum. An encounter with an unusual collective of young people looking to change the world, along with a strange revelation in front of The Mona Lisa, sees him facing much more than his own coming-of-age. Against a backdrop of late capitalism, media and surveillance, 'The Eleven Associates of Alma-Marceau' not only asks questions about how people's images, words and lives are given a platform, used and manipulated in the digital era, but also invites readers to question the very nature of what they perceive. Within this modern-day story about painting, visual communication and how creative ideas are responded to by society, Leonardo, of course, is still ahead of the game, more than five hundred years after his death... ********** The Old School Writers Circle is a group of friends who periodically meet up to discuss art, writing and books. The current members studied at the same school in Birmingham, UK, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and now live in various locations around England. Famous literary alumni of the school include, somewhat eclectically, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lee Child and Jonathan Coe, all of whom are on the circle's ever-growing list of influences. Projects can be serious as well as playful, confronting unusual and challenging themes through stories that do not necessarily fit squarely within conventional genres. For their debut publication, 'The Eleven Associates of Alma-Marceau', the starting point was a shared love of Paris and The Louvre - inspired in part by numerous trips across the Channel by members of the circle over the past twenty-five years. The other driving force was the long-standing interest of circle member Matt Price in esoterica and unusual optical phenomena in the history of painting - ideas explored and brought together by the circle in the form of this curious, engaging and thought-provoking novel. 'The smart move here is to pursue meaning in painting through the medium of fiction' --Nicholas Alfrey, Art Historian

The start of a gripping new crime thriller series introducing Intelligence officer Sophie Racine and featuring ex-SAS officer Aidan Snow! 'Alex Shaw is one of the best thriller writers around!' Stephen Leather A TRAITOR WHO CAN'T BE CAUGHT French Intelligence officer Sophie Racine is tasked with travelling into the heart of a warzone in Ukraine. Her mission is to assassinate a Russian spy who took the French secret service apart piece by piece and gave their secrets to the Kremlin. A PRISONER WHO CAN'T BE KILLED Ex-SAS trooper and MI6 Officer Aidan Snow is also in Ukraine. Sent by British Intelligence, he must extract an innocent citizen caught up in the conflict in rebel-controlled Donetsk. A WAR THAT CAN'T BE WON When their missions collide, Snow and Racine find themselves outgunned and outnumbered. Even if they make it out of the warzone alive, danger won't be far behind... Perfect for fans of Killing Eve, Chris Ryan, James Deegan and Vince Flynn, this is an explosive action thriller you won't be able to put down. Don't miss the first book in the explosive Sophie Racine thriller series! Readers love Sophie Racine! 'Literally took my breath away*****' Netgalley reviewer 'An absolute must-read powerhouse smash-hit! *****' Netgalley reviewer 'I stayed up all night reading it! *****' Netgalley reviewer 'Wow, this was a cracker of a read! *****' Netgalley reviewer

THE FIFTH GEORGE SMILEY NOVEL A mole, implanted by Moscow Centre, has infiltrated the highest ranks of the British Intelligence Service, almost destroying it in the process. And so former spymaster George Smiley has been brought out of retirement in order to hunt down the traitor at the very heart of the Circus - even though it may be one of those closest to him. The first part of le Carre's acclaimed Karla Trilogy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy sees the beginning of the stealthy Cold War cat-and-mouse game between the taciturn, dogged Smiley and his wily Soviet counterpart. 'Le Carre's masterwork' William Boyd 'A great thriller, the best le Carre has written' Spectator

Captain Rake Ozenna of the elite Eskimo Scouts unit and his fiancee, trauma surgeon Carrie Walker, are at his remote home island in the Bering Strait when Russian helicopters swarm in. As news breaks of a possible invasion, Ozenna realizes that the only way to save his Alaskan island community is to undertake a perilous mission across the ice.

When you're the president's daughter and the closest thing the country has to a first lady, your life is never really your own. When you're the woman charged to guard the first daughter, and you also happen to be her lover, every moment of every day is filled with challenges-and a mistake could cost you everything. Unbeknownst to either Blair Powell or Secret Service agent Cameron Roberts, they are at the center of a conspiracy that will rock the world when a net of violence and death draws down upon them and the nation. In a journey that begins on the streets of Paris's Left Bank and culminates in a wild flight for their lives, the president's daughter and those who are sworn to protect her wage a desperate struggle for survival.

He's out of options. Kill. Or be killed. A searing thriller that will leave you reelingDisgraced Navy SEAL Finn is on the run. A wanted man, he's sought for questioning in connection to war crimes committed in Yemen by a rogue element in his SEAL team. But he can remember nothing. Finn learns that three members of his team have been quietly redeployed to Iceland, which is a puzzle in itself; the island is famous for being one of the most peaceful places on the planet. His mission is simple: track down the three SEALs and find out what really happened in Yemen. But two problems stand in his way. On his first night in town a young woman mysteriously drowns-and a local detective suspects his involvement. Worse, a hardened SEAL-turned-contract-killer has been hired to stop him. And he's followed Finn all the way to the icy north. The riveting follow-up to Steel Fear, from the New York Times bestselling writing team, combat decorated Navy SEAL Brandon Webb and award-winning author John David Mann, comes a gripping thriller perfect for fans of Lee Child and Brad Thor.

Two of the greatest villains James Patterson has ever created in one book! Minutes after soldiers evacuate a Nevada town, a bomb completely destroys it. On vacation, FBI agent Alex Cross gets the call: the blast was perpetrated by the Wolf. A supercriminal and Cross's deadliest nemesis, the Wolf threatens to obliterate major cities, including London, Paris, and New York. Then evidence reveals the involvement of a ruthless assassin known as the Weasel. Could these two dark geniuses be working together? Now with just four days to prevent an unimaginable cataclysm, Cross is catapulted into an international chase of astonishing danger - and toward the explosive truth about the Wolf's identity, a revelation that Cross may not survive.

DIRK PITT'S FIRST, MOST TERRIFYING ADVENTURE!
Dirk Pitt, death-defying adventurer and deep-sea expert, is put to the ultimate test as he plunges into the perilous waters of the Pacific Vortex--a fog-shrouded area where dozens of ships have vanished without a trace. The latest victim is the awesome supersub Starbuck, bearing America's deep-diving nuclear arsenal. Its loss poses an unthinkable threat to national defense. Pitt's job is to find it and salvage it before international forces beat him to the prize or the sea explodes in a nuclear blast--whichever comes first. Pitt's mission also leads him into the arms of Summer Moran, the most stunningly exotic and dangerous woman ever to enter his life. As the countdown heads toward disaster, Pitt has no choice but to descend through the shark-infested depths to an ancient sunken island, from which he may never again emerge to see the light of day.

Tree of Smoke - the name given to a 'psy op' that might or might not be hypothetical and might or might not be officially sanctioned - is Denis Johnson's most gripping, visionary and ambitious work to date. Set in south-east Asia and the US, and spanning two decades, it ostensibly tells the story of Skip Sands, a CIA spy who may or may not be engaged in psychological operations against the Viet Cong -- but also takes the reader on a surreal yet vivid journey, dipping in and out of characters' lives to reveal fundamental truths at the heart of the human condition. 'A Catch-22 for our times' Alan Warner, Books of the Year, Observer 'The God I want to believe in has a voice and a sense of humour like Denis Johnson's' Jonathan Franzen 'An epic of drenched sensuality and absurdly chewable dialogue, as though Don DeLillo and Joseph Heller had collaborated on a Vietnam war novel' Steven Poole, Books of the Year, New Statesman

Leader of the NUMA Special Assignments team, Kurt Austin must work with a former KGB spy to save the United States from a lunatic with a generations-spanning grudge in this novel in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series. Kurt Austin is preparing for an interview while aboard a research vessel in the Black Sea. But his television spot suddenly becomes a rescue mission when the waiting film crew is attacked on a nearby island. With little information on the attackers, and no clue to their true agenda, Austin is forced to turn to an unlikely source: his old KGB Cold War adversary Vladimir Petrov. According to Petrov, the island is actually an old submarine base that's been commandeered by clever mobster-turned-billionaire-businessman Mikhail Razov. Razov is certain he descends from the great Romanov family and he's out to reclaim his rightful position as czar of Russia. With a powerful resource called "fire ice", discovered by his mining company, Razov may just have the ammunition he needs to take over the modern world. To stop him, Austin will have to work with Petrov. And he'll have to find out fast how much trust he can offer an old nemesis in this thrilling adventure that "goes down like a chilled Stolichnaya martini." (Kirkus Reviews)

Brigitte Sharp is a brilliant but haunted young MI6 hacker. When she decodes encrypted online messages, which she believes are connected to her best friend's murder, Bridge uncovers evidence of a mole inside a top secret Anglo-French military drone project. Forced back into the field by MI6, after three years deskbound and in therapy, she discovers that the truth behind the Exphoria code is far worse than she could have imagined. Soon she's on the run, desperate and alone, as a nuclear terrorist plot unfolds around her...

An exhilarating new tale of modern espionage and international intrigue - sure to appeal to the many fans of Tom Clancy, Dale Brown and Patrick Robinson. Jerry Piat has been on the run from the FBI for two years, but he's about to be made an offer he cannot refuse. Clyde Partlow an upper CIA executive needs him for a mission that involves a member of the Saudi ruling clique, a fearsome man who's been cheating his own associates out of their funding for terrorism against the West ,and using the money for his own personal profit. Piat's job is to entice former agent Digger Hackbutt into working for the CIA again. Hackbutt will use his exemplary skills as a falconer as bait for the Saudi aristocrat, which in turn will hatch a daring plan for blackmail. Meanwhile behind the scenes Alan Craik is highly suspicious of Clyde Partlow's intentions and sets about trying to find out exactly what is going on. With the bait set and Jerry Pitat about to be a free man for the frist time in years, everything is set for success. But the best laid plans seldom run smoothly and the ultimate disaster is just moments away.

Now in paperback, Nocturnal Butterflies of the Russian Empire was acclaimed by The Hartford Courant as "a thrilling discovery ... a reversal of the letters [of] Saul Bellow's Herzog ... [with] a Nabokovian delight in words and texts." J. is a smuggler living in Russia, making his living fencing the flotsam of communism's collapse. In Istanbul he takes a commission to trap an endangered Russian butterfly and decides to use it as an opportunity to smuggle V., his Russian lover who has no papers, back into her homeland. In the port of Odessa, she disappears, and J. continues alone to a small village on the Black Sea. Letters from V. begin to arrive, and as J. hunts the butterfly, he seeks a way to lure V. back into his life. Equal parts bittersweet love story, international intrigue, and one man's quest to write the perfect love letter, Nocturnal Butterflies of the Russian Empire, wrote The Tennessean, is "an amazing jewel of a story ... that winks with wit [and] wears its astonishing craftsmanship lightly." "An aesthetically blissful reading experience ... Nabokov's spirit, alive and kind, has touched [Prieto] with its butterfly wings." -- Aleksandar Hemon, The Village Voice Literary Supplement ."..Nocturnal Butterflies is an impressive performance by a writer whose gifts are clearly abundant." -- Richard Bernstein, The New York Times "A beautiful, lavish, seedy, poetic, and magical book.... Pure pleasure for the literary mind." -- Chris Kridler, The Baltimore Sun

Longlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Historical Fiction Dagger, 2019 A Walter Scott Prize Academy Recommended Read 2019 'Rich, intelligent and dark in equal measure, leaving you wrung out with terror. Historical fiction at its most sumptuous.' Rory Clements ________________________ Heresy. Conspiracy. Murder... London, 1590: Amidst a tumultuous backdrop of Spanish plotters, Catholic heretics and foreign wars, Queen Elizabeth I's control over her kingdom is wavering. And a killer is at work, preying on the weak and destitute of London... Idealistic physician Nicholas Shelby becomes determined to end these terrible murders. Joined in his investigations by Bianca, a beautiful but mysterious tavern keeper, the pair find themselves caught in the middle of a sinister plot. With the killer still at large, Bianca finds herself in terrible danger. Nicholas's choice seems impossible - to save Bianca, or save himself... 'Wonderful! Perry's Elizabethan London is so skilfully evoked, so real that one can almost smell it.' Giles Kristian