The Mandrake Assignment

"There is a risk of our worst nightmare taking place…"

The Mandrake Assignment is a spy thriller with an intriguing plot – full of twists and turns worthy of the best of the genre. Within the broad themes of tragedy, treachery and revenge, the story weaves together intelligence activities against the IRA in Ireland and against jihadist terrorists, the common thread being the illegal arms trade and its ruthless practitioners.

John Hunter is an intelligence officer with the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. No longer on active operations, he monitors risks of nuclear proliferation, but an alarming new threat emerges which propels him back into an operational role. The Raven, an amoral arms dealer in Pakistan, is planning his most audacious deal yet and Hunter's expertise is required. But the response to personal tragedy on both sides complicates attempts to avert a major terrorist catastrophe. Hunter seeks the truth within a labyrinth of deceit, and the murky trail leads him from his quiet life in Kent to the teeming metropolis of Karachi and the deserts of Baluchistan. The Raven simply seeks bloody revenge. The clash of personal and political motives culminates in a shocking denouement.

Much of the story’s action takes place in Pakistan, in the city of Karachi and in exotic locations in Baluchistan. The story also takes the reader to Ireland, Hungary, Holland and Austria. The author brings all these locations alive through his personal experience of them during a busy academic and commercial life. His inspirations as an author are Graham Greene and John Le Carre for their creation of atmosphere, Len Deighton for his clever plots and dialogue, and Frederick Forsyth for his sheer page-turning readability. He feels indebted to all of them for instilling in him his love for this genre of fiction.