AGENT OF THE STATE HC – ROGER PEARCE

A Groundbreaking new thriller by the former Commander of Special Branch who rose to a position co-ordinating all the secret services in London. This is a landmark debut novel for those who like insider fiction in the mould of Stella Rimington. Agent of the State is filled with the kind of authentic detail only a man in the know would be able to tell. A suspected terrorist is frisked for explosives on the Embankment. Operators do this so skilfully he remains completely unaware… In New Scotland Yard a new brand of manager fails to deal with escalating threats – aggressive indecision is what Detective Chief Inspector John Kerr calls it… He discovers that cocaine-fuelled sex parties in Knightsbridge are pulling in businessmen, Russian diplomats and senior members of the British government… When Kerr s investigations are blocked by his bosses in Scotland Yard, he decides to go it alone and begins to expose a cover-up that extends to all levels of the British Establishment. Agent of the State is the first novel by Roger Pearce, a former Special Branch officer at New Scotland Yard who rose to become its Commander and a key player in Whitehall s intelligence network. It is an authentic account of the way the British intelligence services work at all levels and of the hypocrisy of the British establishment. Vividly written and delivering a glimpse of what counter-terrorism feels like, it s a highly promising start from a writer who could well have a big future. Daily Mail It s a tribute to Roger Pearce s ability that the plot never becomes impenetrable and there s an uncomfortable authenticity as real-life operations are referenced… a breathless, hurtling page-turner. Financial Times