Spies and Other Gods - by James Wolff (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

In this cat-and-mouse spy thriller, an anonymous whistleblower sends British Intelligence into a frenzy, threatening to reveal secrets that could bring the establishment to its knees.

The Head of British Intelligence is having a bad day. Only six months off retirement and Sir William Rentoul is wondering if he'll make it that far, what with the sudden descent of a brain fog dense enough to turn every day into a series of small humiliations.

To make matters worse, when parliamentary researcher Aphra McQueen is brought in to investigate an internal complaint, she discovers something horrifying: the murder of nine Iranian dissidents. The elusive assassin, nicknamed CASPIAN, kills across borders, forcing intelligence services throughout Europe into an alliance. Their only lead? An unsuspecting dentist in the UK.

Aphra McQueen seems to know more about the operation than she is letting on. What will she uncover? What is she really up to? And can she survive the unexpected events that will bounce her from London to Birmingham to Paris to Lausanne?

In the exhilarating chase that follows, Spies and Other Gods offers a vibrant, fresh and darkly funny take on the spy thriller that lays bare the human cost of secrecy.

Review Quotes

Praise for James Wolff's Discipline Files Series:

"A memorable voice in the genre, Wolff's prose, all sharp edges and abrupt surprises, keeping the reader in a state of edgy discomfort."--New York Times

"Extraordinarily good."--The Spectator

"'The Man in the Corduroy Suit' reads like a classic spy story shaped by what Graham Greene called the 'human factor.' It's also a warning against losing one's perspective in the intelligence world's infinity of mirrors. Best enjoy this whimsical, inventive and shape-shifting book as it comes."--The Wall Street Journal

"I loved Beside the Syrian Sea . . . How to Betray Your Country is even better."--Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland series

"A distinctly more thought-provoking novel than is customary in the genre."--The Times, Thriller of the Month

"2021's outstanding espionage novel."--Crime Fiction Lover

"Superb . . . Wolff is a new maestro."--Simon Sebag Montefiore, Evening Standard Books of the Year

"A superb debut . . . Wolff has written a work that seems not to have depended on copying the style and structure of the usual tales of espionage."--The Times, Thriller of the Month

"A real original . . . trembles with realistic detail."--James Naughtie, The Radio Times

About the Author

James Wolff is the author of the Discipline Files series, including the three novels Beside the Syrian Sea, How to Betray Your Country, and The Man in the Corduroy Suit. The first book in the series was a Times Thriller of the Month, and the latest installment is the only espionage novel to be longlisted for the 2023 CWA Silver Dagger award. A former British intelligence officer, he grew up in the Middle East and now lives in London.