Alan Judd

The second instalment in the highly praised Emily Grey series‘Emily Grey proves so engaging that I hope she'll keep going into the Cold War', Jake Kerridge, Daily TelegraphAt the height of the First World War, Emily Grey finds herself far away from the action, collating Swiss rubber imports in a hut in the middle of St James’ Park. Summoned to MI6’s Whitehall headquarters, Emily learns that her talent for languages is needed elsewhere and she is despatched to Bern to debrief Fritz the Ritz, an agent reporting on the wartime activities of German industry. However, when she discovers that Fritz the Ritz may not be all he claims to be, she is led to the door of an import-export dealership in Lausanne and the unassuming couple who run it. Could they really be at the heart of a network that threatens the lives of millions of Allied soldiers? And, if they are, can Emily, and her ever-eager partner Nigel Nisbet, stop them before they go too fa? ith a matchless flair for historical accuracy, psychological acuity and breathtaking adventure, Judd’s latest historical thriller demonstrates once again that he is one of the finest spy novelists writing today and that this series of novels about the origin of MI6 bears comparison with John Le Carre, Patrick O’Brien and Joseph Conrad. Praise for No. 2 Whitehall Court'Judd, a veteran spy novelist and former diplomat, knows his way around Britain's world of shadows. He takes the reader straight back to the start of the first world war and the long, smoke-filled, gloomy corridors of Whitehall ministries.' Financial Times'Veteran spy writer Alan Judd eschews easy drama and obvious cliffhangers in this elegantly written novel.' Literary Review'A masterful storyteller with an intricate knowledge of his subject' The Daily Telegraph

THE NEW FIRST WORLD WAR SPY THRILLER FROM THE MASTER OF THE GENRE 'Judd, a veteran spy novelist and former diplomat, knows his way around Britain's world of shadows. He takes the reader straight back to the start of the first world war and the long, smoke-filled, gloomy corridors of Whitehall ministries', Financial Times 'Emily Grey proves so engaging that I hope she'll keep going into the Cold War', Jake Kerridge, Daily Telegraph 'Veteran spy writer Alan Judd eschews easy drama and obvious cliffhangers in this elegantly written novel' Literary Review In the glorious summer of 1914, Emily Grey, a young Cambridge undergraduate, is studying German in Heidelberg. While there she meets Hans, a philosopher with grey eyes and long lashes, who wins her heart and asks her to marry him. When the First World War intervenes, however, she is forced to return to England, leaving Hans behind to join the Imperial Navy.   A year later, Emily is recruited to serve in a recently established government department. Commander Cumming, head of His Majesty’s newly-formed Secret Service — sometimes also known as MI6 — is keen to make use of Emily’s language skills. Assigned to interview an informer known as ‘The Dane’, she learns of a plot so audacious it has the potential to change the entire course of the war.   At Rosyth in Scotland, the home of the British Grand Fleet, Emily must work undercover to locate the mole the heart of the British naval establishment. Who is the traitor known only by the codename ‘Heiffer’? And can she find him in time to prevent a military catastrophe that would spell disaster for the country she serves?   Blending unparalleled authenticity with literary flair and historical accuracy, Alan Judd has created a gripping thriller about the early days of MI6 that cements his reputation as a master of the historical spy novel. 'A masterful storyteller with an intricate knowledge of his subject' The Daily Telegraph