"The second in the highly praised Emily Grey series
‘Emily Grey proves so engaging that I hope she'll keep going into the Cold War', JakeKerridge, Daily Telegraph
At the height of the First World War, Emily Grey finds herself far away from the action, collating Swiss rubber imports in a hut in the middle of St James’ Park. Summoned to MI6’s Whitehall headquarters, Emily learns that her talent for languages is needed elsewhere and she is despatched to Bern to debrief Fritz the Ritz, an agent reporting on the wartime activities of German industry.
However, when she discovers that Fritz the Ritz may not be all he claims to be, she is led to the door of an import-export dealership in Lausanne and the unassuming couple who run it. Could they really be at the heart of a network that threatens the lives of millions of Allied soldiers? And, if they are, can Emily, and her ever-eager partner Nigel Nisbet, stop them before they go too far?
With a matchless flair for historical accuracy, psychological acuity and breathtaking adventure, Judd’s latest historical thriller demonstrates once again that he is one of the finest spy novelists writing today and that this series of novels about the origin of MI6 bears comparison with John Le Carre, Patrick O’Brien and Joseph Conrad.
Praise for No. 2 Whitehall Court
'Judd, a veteran spy novelist and former diplomat, knows his way around Britain's world of shadows. He takes the reader straight back to the start of the first world war and the long, smoke-filled, gloomy corridors of Whitehall ministries.' Financial Times
'Veteran spy writer Alan Judd eschews easy drama and obvious cliffhangers in this elegantly written novel.' Literary Review
'A masterful storyteller with an intricate knowledge of his subject' The Daily Telegraph"
"THE NEW FIRST WORLD WAR SPY THRILLER FROM THE MASTER OF THE GENRE
'A masterful storyteller with an intricate knowledge of his subject' The Daily Telegraph
'Judd, a veteran spy novelist and former diplomat, knows his way around Britain's world of shadows. He takes the reader straight back to the start of the first world war and the long, smoke-filled, gloomy corridors of Whitehall ministries.' Financial Times
'Veteran spy writer Alan Judd eschews easy drama and obvious cliffhangers in this elegantly written novel.' Literary Review
1915: The First World War rages, tearing families apart and dividing loved ones. Emily Grey, having recently completed her studies at Cambridge, finds herself recruited into the newly-formed Secret Service (also know as MI6) by its first chief, the formidable and eccentric Commander Cumming, known to the outside world simply as ‘C’. Wanting to make use of Emily's language skills, he despatches her to Rotterdam to debrief one of the service's most important agents. Through him, Emily learns of a plot so audacious it has the potential to alter the entire course of the war.
Posted to Rosyth, the home of the British Grand Fleet, Emily works undercover to locate the mole at the heart of the naval establishment. Who is the traitor know only by the codename ‘Heiffer’? And can he stopped in time to prevent a military catastrophe?
In No. 2 Whitehall Court, Judd blends unparalleled authenticity with literary flair to create a gripping thriller about the early days of MI6 that cements his reputation as a master of the historical spy novel."
"From the author of Legacy, now a major BBC Film, comes a brilliant new historical crime novella for fans of Antonia Hodgson and CJ Sansom.
'To Mr Thomas Combe my sword.' These six words in Shakespeare's will tell us that Shakespeare had a sword. Did he wear it? Did he use it? What sort was it? When and why did he get it? What happened to it? Might it - does it - still exist?
These questions plague Simon Gold, an antiques dealer. He believes he has identified the sword as belonging to a customer, an unworthy owner indifferent to cultural icons and uninterested in history. Simon is desperate to acquire the sword, but how? How far is he prepared to go to get it? In alliance with Charlotte, his customer's attractive and disaffected wife, Simon finds himself going farther than he had intended - and finds, too, that Charlotte is rather more than she appears.
Praise for Alan Judd:
'Judd has an infallible grasp of intelligence' Spectator
'Wonderful. One of the best spy novels ever' Peter Hennessey on Legacy
'Plotting in the best le Carré tradition' Mail on Sunday
'Belongs to the classic tradition of spy writing' Guardian"
"Russian defectors are dying and only Charles Thoroughgood can make it stop
'He saw Cleaner Bob arrive that morning, the morning of his death.'
In the peaceful towns and villages of England, Cleaner Bob is washing windows, and people are dying in sudden and unexpected circumstances. When it becomes clear that the victims have a common history as Russian defectors, foul play is suspected and a hunt begins to locate their assailant, the lethal poison that killed them, and the mole who is leaking their locations.
In a race against time, only one man has the connections and experience to crack the case before more people perish. Charles Thoroughgood, former head of MI6, is enjoying retirement in the Oxfordshire hamlet he calls home when the call comes in. A man of duty, he agrees to take part in a mission that will lead him into the heart of enemy territory and threaten to undermine the very values he holds most dear.
Tense, engrossing and terrifyingly believable, the latest Charles Thoroughgood novel is a timely and brilliant reminder that Alan Judd is a master of the spy thriller and a writer of the very highest quality.
"
"*SUNDAY TIMES HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH, MARCH 2021*
'Absolutely spellbinding. I gobbled it up in two days and could not stop' Miranda Seymour
A remarkable and meticulously researched novel from award-winning writer Alan Judd, exploring the life of literary genius Kit Marlowe, whose violent death compose one of the most fascinating unresolved mysteries of all time.
In Elizabethan England, the Queen's chief spymaster, Francis Walsingham, and his team of agents must maintain the highest levels of vigilance to ward off Catholic plots and the ever-present threat of invasion.
One agent in particular - a young Cambridge undergraduate of humble origins, controversial beliefs and literary genius who goes by the name of Kit Marlowe - is relentless in his pursuit of intelligence for the Crown. When he is killed outside an inn in Deptford, his mysterious death becomes the subject of rumours and suspicion that are never satisfactorily resolved.
Years later, when Thomas Phelippes, a former colleague of Marlowe's, finds himself imprisoned in the Tower, there is one thing that could give him his freedom back. He must give the king every detail he is able to recall about his murdered friend's life and death. But why is King James so fascinated about Kit Marlowe - and does Phelippes know enough to secure his own redemption?
Praise for A Fine Madness
'A masterful storyteller with an intricate knowledge of his subject' The Daily Telegraph
'Alan Judd knows more about the secret world than any other writer living. To have him turn his expert eye on the world of Christopher Marlowe - and on Francis Walsingham, the Elizabethan George Smiley - is a special kind of literary treat.' Mick Herron
'Well-researched splice of fiction and historical fact... A vivid tale of espionage, dissent and intellectual discourse, with the past brought to teeming, pungent life'' GUARDIAN
'Judd skilfully evokes the atmosphere of suspicion and fear...convincing portrait of the mercurial dramatist while still allowing Marlowe to remain something of the enigma he has always been' Sunday Times
'At the heart of this spy novel stands the mercurial, enigmatic figure of Christopher Marlowe, whose premature death is a tavern brawl has proven an enduring mystery... drawing on the real records of Marlowe's death and the secret service to craft a gripping story' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE
"
"'Plotting in the best le Carré tradition' Mail on Sunday
From the author of Legacy, now a major BBC Film, and The Kaiser's Last Kiss comes a brilliant new novel for fans of John le Carre and Charles Cumming
Brexit looms and Charles Thoroughgood, Chief of MI6, is forbidden for political reasons from spying on the EU. But when an EU official volunteers the EU's negotiating bottom lines to one of his officers, Charles has to report it.
Whitehall is eager for more but as the case develops Charles realises that it may not be quite what it appears. At the same time, he finds he has a family connection with a possible terrorist whom MI5 want checked out. In both cases, Charles is forced to become his own agent, seeking what he really does not want to find.
Authoritative and packed with in-depth knowledge, Accidental Agent is a gripping new spy thriller from a master of the genre.
'Judd infuses his writing with insider knowledge' New Statesman
'Wonderful. One of the best spy novels ever' Peter Hennessey on Legacy
'Belongs to the classic tradition of spy writing' Guardian
'Judd has an infallible grasp of intelligence' Spectator"
"A fictionalised account of the Kaiser Wilhelm’s last years in Nazi-occupied Holland.
It is 1940 and the exiled Kaiser is living in Holland, at his palace Huis Doorn.The old German king spends his days chopping logs and musing on what might have been.
When the Nazis invade Holland, the Kaiser’s Dutch staff are replaced by SS guards, led by young, eager Untersturmfuhrer Krebbs, and an unlikely relationship develops between the king and his keeper. While they agree on the rightfulness of German expansion and on holding the country’s Jewish population accountable for all ills, they disagree on the solutions. Krebbs’s growing attraction and love affair with Akki, a Jewish maid in the house, further undermines his belief in Nazism. But as the tides of war roll around them, all three find themselves increasingly compromised and gravely at risk.
This subtle, tender novel borrows heavily from real history and events, but remains a work of superlative, literary fiction.Through Judd’s depiction of the Lear-like Kaiser and the softening of brutal Krebbs, the novel draws unique parallels between Germany at the turn of the 20th century and Hitler’s Germany."
"From the author of Legacy, now a major BBC Film, comes a brilliant new novel for fans of le Carre, Graham Greene and Charles Cumming.
During a time of political disruption and rising anti-nuclear sentiment, MI5 discovers that an extremist fringe group, Action Against Austerity, appears to have links to an established political party while planning sabotage using something or someone called Deep Blue. Banned from investigating British political parties, the head of MI5 seeks advice from Charles Thoroughgood, his opposite number in MI6.
Agreeing to help unofficially with the case, Charles must delve deep into his own past, to an unresolved Cold War case linked to his private life. Using the past as key to the present, he soon finds himself in a race against time to prevent a plot which is politically nuclear …
Authoritative and packed with in-depth knowledge, Deep Blue is a gripping new spy thriller from a master of the genre.
'Judd infuses his writing with insider knowledge' New Statesman"
"A beautifully written, highly emotional love story about an RAF pilot in WWII, from the acclaimed author of Legacy.
Frank Foucham risks his life night after night flying raids over Germany. The war shows no sign of ending and Frank is scared his luck is running out.
On a rare day off, fishing for relaxation, he meets Kenneth Ovenden. Forging an immediate friendship based on shared wartime experiences, Frank is then introduced to Kenneth's daughter-in-law Vanessa. Their connection is immediate. With an urgency that the shadow of war brings, these two must follow their hearts before time runs out."
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