A simply outstanding read, one of the top 3 spy thrillers I have ever read. Well researched with excellent detail and exceptionally well written. The book has a great pace with characters fully developed to the point you understand them in a way that is rarely experienced. The plot is complex and interwoven with surprises. The ending is satisfying and unexpected.

I just recommend this book without any hesitation. I do advise you choose a reading time that is without too much in the way of distraction but know you will love it.

This is very carefully devised story based ,clearly, on extensive research. The two main characters are Scarlet King and Max Archer. Scarlet’s background is a complex mystery gradually revealed. She has been a double agent and has secrets that endanger many important people. Max Archer is a dissatisfied academic. He has not been promoted as he expected, his marriage is over. He has had books published on famous spies and hopes for another opportunity. Scarlet approaches him with a tantalising opportunity. The trouble is it would reveal information that might damage national security and would certainly spoil the careers of senior officials. The book is intriguing with information released gradually to the reader. It requires concentration as it is, as it says, “ a riddle rapped in an enigma”. The title refers to explosive material held by Scarlet whose name is not that either. This is a compulsive read. I recommend it.

A gripping spy thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat until the novel was finished.

Max is approached clandestinely by Scarlet King, a retired spy, to write a memoir, but things are not as they seem. A chain of events is set in motion with potentially far reaching repercussions.

I really enjoyed the novel, I have not read this particular author's work before but I will look out for his books in the future.