Spies and Other Gods

An anonymous whistleblower had made a complaint about a secret service operation. Not ones to miss an opportunity to put the squeeze on the service and their power, the intelligence oversight committee in Parliament bring in an external investigator, Aphra McQueen to run the inquiry. Sir William Rentoul, the wily head of the intelligence service, is doing his best to head off the oversight committee and push Aphra's investigation down a cul-de-sac in a bid to maintain control. All seems going to plan for Sir William until he realises two things have happened. The first is that Aphra has left the building in possession of a secret and sensitive file. The second is that the complaint is a a hoax, planted by someone who wanted to get into the service's system and inside their building. What are Aphra's true motives? What links a dentist in Birmingham with an Iranian assassin? And why is Sir William suddenly hellbent on being an agent operating in the field? A cat-and-mouse chase that goes from London to Paris ensues, where pasts are revealed, covers are blown, and lives are put on the line.