Blacklist — Andrew Taylor

During the bleak closing decade of the Cold War, there is no sign of a thaw between the opposing powers of East and West. But what if there is a common threat, which can only be faced with a common response? Unless, of course, the common threat itself is an illusion created by one of the players in the intelligence game.

But someone, for some reason, is blackmailing key members of the intelligence community on both sides of the Iron Curtain. And people are dying - in violent circumstances. Coincidence? If not, what is the common link uniting the different cases?

Eric Blaines, the dyspeptic trouble-shooter from the Ministry of Defence, is the only man who can find the answer. But to do so he must confront the ghosts in his own past.

“As Andrew Taylor triumphantly proves . . . there is still room for excellence.” �" Irish Times
“Eye-blinking finale and a refreshing air of being plotted on the hoof.“ �" The Guardian

Andrew Taylor's 30-plus novels include the bestseller, The American Boy, chosen by The Times as one of the top ten crime novels of the decade; the Roth Trilogy (filmed for TV as Fallen Angel); the Lydmouth Series; Bleeding Heart Square; The Anatomy of Ghosts, shortlisted for Theakston's best crime novel of the year; and The Scent of Death (February 2013).

His most recent awards are the CWA Diamond Dagger and Sweden's Martin Beck Award. He is The Spectator's crime fiction reviewer. Further information: www.andrew-taylor.co.uk and on twitter @andrewjrtaylor.