January 2010 Book of the Month.

Daniel, the son of a disgraced MI5 chief and himself an MI5 operative, is about to fall foul of the same fate that befell his father.  On the run and not knowing who to trust, we are delivered one cracking good read.  A cut-above the norm with unexpected twists and turns, emotional and family complications and a vulnerable and highly endearing hero, this is first-rate.

Comparison: Lee Child, Tom Cain, Brett Battles.

Synopsis

Re-inventing the spy story for the 21st century. John Le Carre meets Jason Bourne! Daniel Marchant, a suspended MI6 officer, is running the London Marathon. He is also running out of time. A competitor is strapped with explosives. If he drops his pace, everyone around him will be killed, including the US ambassador to London. Marchant tries to thwart the attack, but is he secretly working for the terrorists? There are those in America who already suspect Marchant of treachery. Just like they suspected his late father, the former head of MI6, who was removed from his job by the CIA. Marchant is treated like an enemy combatant -- rendition, waterboarding -- but he has friends who are disillusioned with America's war on terror. Friends like Leila, his beautiful MI6 colleague and lover, and Sir Marcus Fielding, the new Chief who resents the White House's growing influence in Whitehall. On the run from the CIA, Marchant is determined to prove his father's innocence in a personal journey that takes him from Wiltshire, via Poland, to India. It was here that the former MI6 Chief once met with one of the world's most wanted terrorists, and where the new President of America is shortly to visit. But was that meeting proof of a mole within MI6 or the best penetration of al Q'aeda the West has ever had? And was Marchant's father the keeper of another, darker secret? In a compelling thriller that updates the spy novel for the 21st century -- think John Le Carre meets Jason Bourne -- Marchant discovers the shocking realities of personal betrayal and national loyalty, and that love can be the biggest risk of all.

Reviews

About the Author

Jon Stock is currently Weekend editor of the Telegraph. He is the author of two novels, 'The Riot Act' and the 'Cardamom Club', and is also a columnist with The Week magazine in India. He lives in Wiltshire with his wife and three young children. After reading English at Cambridge University, he worked as a freelance journalist in London, writing features for most of Britain's national newspapers, as well as contributing regularly to BBC Radio 4. He was also chosen for Carlton TV's acclaimed scriptwriters course. Between 1998 and 2000, he was Delhi correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. On his return to Britain, he worked on various Saturday sections of the paper before taking up a staff job as editor of Weekend in 2005. He has been writing the Last Word column in The Week since he lived in Cochin, South India in 1995. 'The Riot Act', published by Serpent's Tail, was launched on the 50th floor of Canary Wharf tower. The book was shortlisted by the Crime Writers' Association for its best first novel award and was subsequently published by Gallimard in France as part of its acclaimed Serie Noir. The 'Cardamom Club' was published by Blackamber (now Arcadia Books) in Britain and by Penguin in India. Both were spy novels. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation