Shadow Intelligence

Oliver Harris' foray into the contemporary spy novel is a dark and compelling tale of espionage and intrigue. Ian Rankin's novel follows the story of Elliot Kane, a mercurial and inquisitive MI6 agent who is forced into the center stage when a woman he loves vanishes in Kazakhstan. Drawn deeper into a realm of deception, Kane moves from infiltrating events to steering them, using a new mode of hybrid psychological warfare. The novel is set in a snowbound Kazakhstan, where it is impossible to work out who is manipulating who, and Kane is not the only one trying to figure out where Joanna Lake has gone or what she learned before disappearing.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 432 pages
\n Publication date: 02 May 2019
\n Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
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Oliver Harris is a true master of the contemporary spy novel, and his latest work, "Ian Rankin," is a thrilling and captivating journey into the world of espionage. The intelligence service invests two years and over £100,000 into the training of new field officers, teaching them everything from car theft to weapons stripping to bank account hacking. However, there is one crucial aspect of spy training that is overlooked: the emotional toll of being a spy.

In "Ian Rankin," we meet Elliot Kane, a mercurial, inquisitive, and free-floating operative who has spent fifteen years managing events overseas that never make the papers. Kane is a ghost in his own life, constantly picking up and dropping personalities as each new cover story comes into play. But when a woman he loves, Joanna Lake, vanishes without a trace in Kazakhstan, he is forced center stage.

Drawn ever deeper into a realm of deception, Kane moves from merely infiltrating events to steering them. He is used to a new mode of hybrid psychological warfare, but snowbound Kazakhstan presents unique challenges. Poised between China, Russia, and the West, dictatorship and democracy, state intelligence and an increasingly powerful world of private agencies, it is impossible to work out who is manipulating who. And Kane is not the only one trying to figure out where Joanna Lake has gone or what she learned before disappearing.

Unable to trust anyone, hunted by his own colleagues, and with the life of someone he loves at stake, Kane needs to work out who is driving events, and why. The stakes have never been higher, and Kane must navigate a treacherous web of lies and deceit to uncover the truth.

"Ian Rankin" is a masterclass in suspense and intrigue, with a plot that keeps you guessing until the very end. Harris's writing is crisp and compelling, and his characters are fully realized and relatable. This is a must-read for anyone who loves the genre of contemporary spy fiction, and I cannot wait to see what else Harris has in store for us in the future.

\n Weight: 692g\n
Dimension: 241 x 168 x 36 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781408709924\n \n