This Drakotny — Philip McCutchan

6D2, an independent undercover British organization specializing in dangerous fact-finding assignments, discovers that the acting Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia is to be assassinated. Knowing that the death of Drakotny will only lead to the tanks taking to the streets of Prague, they detain Drakotny's mistress, Nada Strecka, a spy, hoping she will help them prevent the assassination. But their hopes are slim. Nada Strecka is no longer a reliable spy, and her reliance on heroine makes her even more flaky.

Commander Simon Shaw is in charge of ensuring Nada is safely whisked away from the airport and kept safe. An effective tail preventative measure fails miserably when a Czech spy, Vaclav Vorsak, using the simplest of methods, turns up at their secluded hide-out.

Meanwhile, Racilek, the Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia and a man of liberal tendencies, is visiting Russia. 6D2 know that the window of opportunity to kill Drakotny has widened. Shaw finds himself heading to Czechoslovakia, where he finds himself caught between loyalties and agents who are out to ensure he doesn't get in the way of their plans for Drakotny.

But Shaw has a theory… but will Drakotny accept it? Or will his arrogance prevail… despite all the credible sources Shaw uses?

Philip McCutchan has been writing since 1956. He was in the British Navy during World War II, and finished as a lieutenant, having served in destroyers, aircraft carriers, cruisers, a battleship, a battlecruiser, an armed trawler and an ocean boarding vessel. For three years after the war he sailed in Orient Liners on the Australian run and then for a time became an assistant master in a preparatory school. Married with two children, he has been a full-time author since 1960, and is a past Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association, founded by John Creasey. His books are published in England, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden as well as in the United States. He is also the author of a number of sound radio scripts broadcast by the B.B.C. and overseas stations.