Washington Shadow - Hardcover

Praise for the first in the Cotton series, The Maze of Cadiz: -- --- 'A splendid debut mystery' -- The Times 'Clever and fascinating' -- Guardian 'An impressive novel with an extraordinary, dream-like atmosphere ... The next can't come too soon' -- Financial Times 'I have been looking forward to Aly Monroe's second historical spy mystery ever since I read her first, The Maze of Cadiz and I am delighted to say it does not disappoint. In fact, I think it's even better... it beautifully captures the political skulduggery going on between supposed allies, the pomposity of formal dimplomacy (and the British class system) and does something I never thought a thriller could: it makes economics interesting.' -- Mike Ripley, Shots Magazine "This story is told with such subtlety that following it requires concentration on tiny hints, but it's worth the effort because the atmosphere of the time and place is so vividly evoked" -- Literary Review 'A cerebral, sedately paced novel, wonderfully atmospheric..excellent' -- The Guardian WASHINGTON SHADOW has intelligent dialogue, considerable tension, a love story, and the credible period attitudes of the characters produce a tense atmosphere that simply makes you want to keep turning the pages to discover what happens next. WASHINGTON SHADOW has a suitably evocative period atmosphere, some really imaginative character portraits, and a well-researched plot which successfully weaves real life events into the fictional story making it such an interesting read that I am looking forward to the next chapter in Peter Cotton's career. -- Eurocrime 'A brilliantly readable book full of human history and entertaining anecdotes' -- Lancashire Evening Post 'The deliberate anticlimax is a bold and broadly justified gesture of confidence in the power of her sense of time, place and character to charm the reader into a story told entirely on her own terms' -- Daily Telegraph 'Plenty of room for future development' -- TLS 'Stands out from the current glut of period thrillers' -- Mail on Sunday Praise for the first in the Cotton series, The Maze of Cadiz: -- --- 'A splendid debut mystery' -- The Times 'Clever and fascinating' -- Guardian 'An impressive novel with an extraordinary, dream-like atmosphere ... The next can't come too soon' -- Financial Times 'I have been looking forward to Aly Monroe's second historical spy mystery ever since I read her first, The Maze of Cadiz and I am delighted to say it does not disappoint. In fact, I think it's even better... it beautifully captures the political skulduggery going on between supposed allies, the pomposity of formal dimplomacy (and the British class system) and does something I never thought a thriller could: it makes economics interesting.' -- Mike Ripley, Shots Magazine "This story is told with such subtlety that following it requires concentration on tiny hints, but it's worth the effort because the atmosphere of the time and place is so vividly evoked" -- Literary Review 'A cerebral, sedately paced novel, wonderfully atmospheric..excellent' -- The Guardian WASHINGTON SHADOW has intelligent dialogue, considerable tension, a love story, and the credible period attitudes of the characters produce a tense atmosphere that simply makes you want to keep turning the pages to discover what happens next. WASHINGTON SHADOW has a suitably evocative period atmosphere, some really imaginative character portraits, and a well-researched plot which successfully weaves real life events into the fictional story making it such an interesting read that I am looking forward to the next chapter in Peter Cotton's career. -- Eurocrime 'A brilliantly readable book full of human history and entertaining anecdotes' -- Lancashire Evening Post 'The deliberate anticlimax is a bold and broadly justified gesture of confidence in the power of her sense of time, place and character to charm the reader into a story told entirely on her own terms' -- Daily Telegraph 'Plenty of room for future development' -- TLS 'Stands out from the current glut of period thrillers' -- Mail on Sunday

September 1945. Bankrupt and desperate, Britain sends John Maynard Keynes to boom town Washington to beg for a loan. Under cover of the backup team, agent Peter Cotton is sent to investigate the break-up of America's wartime intelligence agency. Cotton finds himself caught up in a world of shadows involving an extraordinarily attractive girl from the US State Department, a Soviet ex-tank commander claiming to be his opposite number, a contrarian African academic, an ambitious, quick-tempered boss from the world of misinformation ...and an Anglo-American conspiracy that will change the world of post-war intelligence for ever.