'A MASTER OF THE RARE ART OF STORYTELLING' NEW YORK TIMES

When a Turkish bandit holds engineers building the Baghdad railway to ransom, Britain is secretly relieved as the railway threatens the precious Persian Gulf oilfields.

Pretending to help, the Foreign Office sends the notorious Lady Kelso, once the lover of the bandit-in-chief, with Captain Matthew Ranklin and Conall O'Gilroy of the fledgling Secret Service Bureau as 'diplomatic protection'.

A journey on the Kaiser's private train to the bandit stronghold leads the group through ambush, betrayal, murder and bombardment. For there are others - German, Turkish and French - honourably putting their own countries' interests above everything else.

In the misty Turkish mountains, all Ranklin's military experience and O'Gilroy's back-streets savvy will be tested to the full.

What the critics say about Gavin Lyall and his Captain Matthew Ranklin Spy Thrillers:

'For style without affectation, ruthlessness without the usual mindlessness, Lyall is likely to be your man' The Observer

'A master of the rare art of storytelling' New York Times

'Gavin Lyall is one of the best writers of intelligent spy thrillers in the business' Spectator

'A great read... satisfying plot... one of this year's unputdownable thrillers' Sunday Telegraph

'Wry observations on spies and spying... action-packed adventure... told with sly humour and great gusto' Hampstead and Highgate Express

'High adventure and a good yarn in the old-fashioned sense' The Guardian

'Excellent addition to the genre... engrossing... convincing' Daily Express

'Fluent, readable yarn' Daily Telegraph

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• Crime, Thriller & MysteryThrillers

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• Print Length: 358 Pages
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