Jonas Forbes Saga Series

The 2nd Jonas Forbes Thriller Jonas Forbes, Enquiry Agent has been hired by the UK Foreign Office to help protect the Soviet leaders, Khrushchev and Bulganin, arriving at Portsmouth on a state visit to Britain in April 1956. However, Khrushchev has just publicly denounced Stalin and on board the cruiser ‘Ordzhonikidze’ are opponents determined to assassinate him and blame it on the British. They organise the theft of a British mine through local contacts but quickly lose control as this leads to murder and draws in Detective Inspector John Wyatt of Scotland Yard. Wyatt and Forbes must learn to work together and also secure the cooperation of the GRU (Soviet Military Intelligence), entrusted with the safety of the Soviet leaders. Almost immediately Jonas finds himself in trouble. His Whitehall contacts, except for Vanessa Clarke, come to dislike and distrust him – especially after he falls for Lt. Natasha Rykov of the GRU with tragic results. The police question both his methods and suitability for the task. Complications increase when the KGB become involved, determined to oust their GRU rivals as protectors of the Soviet leaders. The disappearance of Commander Crabbe near the Soviet vessel worsens relations between those aiming to foil the plotters and ensure the success of the visit. Violent death intrudes on shore and on the ‘Ordzhonikidze’ and both Jonas and the plot leaders themselves become targets for a killer, determined to complete his assignment and collect his pay. A fast-paced thriller firmly based on historical research.

1962. The 8th Jonas Forbes thriller. Martin Bormann, ex-Secretary to Hitler and fugitive war criminal, is rumoured to be alive and well in Uruguay. This awakes interest in various capitals – London, Washington and Tel Aviv – as, for differing reasons, Bormann is a very much wanted man. But Bormann has his protectors and Kameradenwerk decides he must disappear again. Jonas Forbes is sent by the UK Foreign Office to locate Bormann and encounters an American, Marilyn Beauregard III, and a Gernan, Ilse Buch. Both women might like to further the acquaintance but both have their own agendas. Having rescued Ilse, Jonas takes her with him as he hunts for Bormann, although he cannot discover what she’s after. As usual, communications between Jonas and any contact at home (Foreign Office, Scotland Yard and his factotum, Vanessa) weaken to vanishing point with time. Meanwhile from Brazil both Mossad and Kameradenwerk launch expeditions to find Bormann – one to take him back to Israel for trial as a war criminal and the other to bury him once again in obscurity. Life takes a turn for the worse when Jonas and Ilse intrude on the estancia of Don Esteban but they’ve got even worse trouble ahead. Why is Ilse accompanying Jonas? How do gauchos give Vanessa nightmares? How does Marilyn get it all wrong and then tries to make it right? Who will find Martin Bormann? A thriller firmly set in 1962 Uruguay and stretching Jonas’s resources to breaking point.

The 1st Jonas Forbes Thriller This is set in 1954 Kenya, before Jonas became an ‘Enquiry Agent’. After serving in the Korean War, Jonas leaves the army and, bored with civilian life, becomes a Police Inspector in Kenya, then struggling in the Mau Mau Emergency. Police and army may have a high degree of integration in this struggle but sometimes their objectives differ markedly. Stay-Alive Johnson is a soldier so troubled by the crimes of some of his fellows led by a sociopathic sergeant that he runs away. Jonas leads a patrol to recapture the deserter, which includes some with a special reason for hunting him down. Johnson is recaptured and dies in suspicious circumstances. Meanwhile the fight against Mau Mau goes on, including some mistreatment of the civilian population, and the wholesale rounding up of ‘suspects’ - and their mass internment, proving a great recruiting sergeant for Mau Mau. On the other hand, isolated settlers are butchered and an atmosphere of terror leads to mistreatment and injustice. Some victims of Mau Mau atrocities, like Karl Langer, are cruel employers but others, like the Tallyrand family are murdered because of their race or possessions. Many victims of Mau Mau are native Africans and some are forced into joining in acts of terror through demonic oath-taking ceremonies. On all sides there is disunion, distrust and rivalries – within the police, between white settlers, among the native peoples and even between Mau Mau leaders. Such conflicts lead to tragedy and for the survivors, including Jonas Forbes, a lesson in survival. This novel involves historical research into the chaos growing out of a struggle against colonial authority.

The 3rd Jonas Forbes Thriller This is set in 1956 Egypt immediately after the Suez Crisis. The conflict, however, hasn’t been settled for Egypt, Israel and Britain and when a cypher key undermining Israeli espionage is reported hidden in Luxor, they all want to get their hands on it; but, for once, Britain is the first to react. Despite the doubts of certain Foreign Office mandarins Jonas Forbes is sent to recover the document. Not surprisingly he’s soon spotted by Egyptian Intelligence. He eludes them long enough to get the document but the Mukhabarat aren’t easily shaken off and return home via Cairo is clearly impossible. So Jonas decides to use the daunting exit through the desert bordering Sudan. He soon finds he can’t rely on help from local British sympathisers and hides himself away among a band of gypsies travelling south. But they’re soon anxious to be rid of such a dangerous companion so he’s quickly back on his own resources on the shore of the Red Sea and unable to contact London. He doesn’t know that, as certain mandarins in Whitehall clearly would prefer him dead than succeed, help from home is not guaranteed. The Mukhabarat haven’t given up and the frontier with Sudan is closely watched. They can rely on help finding their quarry through patriotic (or greedy!) elements in the native population. However, a far greater menace to success is an Israeli Mossad unit determined to recover ‘their’ property. Somehow, and after weeks of being posted as missing, Jonas reaches the Sudan – unexpected and not exactly welcome to British agents based there. But he’s still got to dodge both Egyptian and Israeli Intelligence units before he’s safe. Will Britain send help to get him out – especially as Whitehall can’t be sure whether the cypher still has any value? Historical research underlies this thriller in which a lone man in a challenging environment has to tackle both human and natural threats.

The 10th Jonas Forbes Thriller 1964 Khrushchev has fallen from power in the Soviet Union and his successor, Brezhnev, seems intent on restoring iron control from the Kremlin. Somebody wants a dissident historian, Svetlana Petrova, to escape to the UK. Jonas Forbes is selected by MI6 to help, mainly because he’s considered expendable. Just before Jonas, as James Marston, lands Svetlana’s liberal husband is arrested and sent off to the Gulag system but escapes on the way. From the start Major Feliks Vladimirovich Golovkin of the KGB, knows of the plans but fails to catch Jonas and Svetlana before they slip out of Moscow.His efforts are not helped by a superior, Colonel Alexandra Tolstoy, conspiring with a subordinate, Lieutenant Valentina Boykov, to by-pass him. Jonas and Svetlana reach Leningrad where they assume new identities, before moving on for Finland. Meanwhile, Dmitri Petrov, Svetlana’s husband, is helped by Karelians and reaches Finland. Golovkin defies orders and tries to capture Jonas and Svetlana but the attempt ends in disaster and Golovkin is removed. Jonas becomes certain the escape has been betrayed, especially after Svetlana kills her husband because he’s betrayed them. Why does Lieut. Boykov feel a failure? Why has Svetlana been brought to the UK? How does Jonas deal with his suspicions?

1960. The 7th Jonas Forbes thriller. In Beijing the Chinese Government decides to disrupt international enemies by infiltrating the UK system.. They order the Chinese Embassy in London to infiltrate the CND Movement to change Labour Party Policy on nuclear weapons and so split UK and US Defence Policies. A Taiwanese agent in the high ranks of the CCP in Beijing betrays the plot to London but is identified and goes on the run. There are two distinct story-lines. In China Wu Tao attempts to escape to Taiwan. In London MI5 recruit Jonas Forbes infiltrates CND to foil the plot. Soviet attempts to undermine both sides through their London Embassy supplies an extra ingredient. Jonas poses as a mature student at London University and mixes with radical students. He’s attracted to a fellow student, Wou San-San, unaware that her twin sister, Wou Mei-Mei, is a Chinese agent. Jonas joins the Aldermaston March but is spotted as a spy and goes into hiding. Violence intrudes into rivalries both inside and outside the Chinese Embassy. Will Jonas expose traitors or will the Chinese undermine the British Trade Union movement? Who will triumph within the Chinese Embassy? Can the USSR exploit the situation? A fast-paced thriller set against an unstable political background.

1958 The 5th Jonas Forbes Thriller This is set in Western Europe during the summer months of 1958. In July 1958 King Feisal of Iraq was assassinated and the UK Foreign Office have discovered his cousin, Prince Abdullah, is in danger. They hire Jonas Forbes to escort the Prince from Rome to London. It‘s not going to be an easy task and Jonas comes to describe his charge as ‘the awkward package’. The Prince is a spoilt bully wallowing in ‘la dolce vita’ and with no intention of changing his ways. Almost from the start Prince Abdullah hates Jonas but very soon comes to fear him once he’s seen his escort in action. By road and rail Jonas and his charge use deception and violence to try and escape the contract placed on the Prince’s life with the Mafia. But they fail and the threat crosses the Italian border with them – especially as the Mafia are prepared to sub-contract their task to the Unione Corse and even to a London-based gang to prevent Jonas crossing the English Channel with his charge. At no time and in no place can Jonas feel free from danger,. The Prince, however, becomes attached to Sandra, a mysterious blonde who challenges the control of his suspicious escort. Vanessa Clarke, the Girl Friday of Jonas, is summoned from London to Switzerland to help out but is quickly rejected by Prince Abdullah who is ready to complain about his guardians to anyone who’ll listen. Will the Prince survive the journey – or perhaps even a frustrated Jonas will throw him out of the train? Based on historical research, this is a fast-paced thriller set against the background of roads and railways of Western Europe over fifty years ago.

The 4th Jonas Forbes Thriller This is set in 1957 Cuba. Three UK diplomats have gone missing and the Foreign Office hire Jonas Forbes, ‘’Enquiry Agent’, to find out what’s happened. He quickly finds Cuba is a very troubled place: on one side is the corrupt regime of Batista with links to the American Mafia; on the other side are the Marxist rebels under Fidel Castro but still largely confined to the mountains. Either side might find UK diplomats an ‘inconvenience’ at times perhaps – but there are also other threats hidden away among a volatile populace, with growing alarm at a number of child-murders. Excessive wealth and abject poverty exist almost side by side and provide a challenge to an Englishman who soon feels out of his depth. Jonas rapidly finds himself suspected (if not disliked) by both the regime and its enemies. It takes some time for him to realise he’s the target for spying from both government and rebels. He seeks comfort in female company but even that can get out of control. An enforced stay in the mountains with Che Guevara doesn’t help his prospects of getting home safely, and even then he still hasn’t a clue as to who is responsible for the disappearances. Once again staff in embassies, prone to unwelcome influence from London and Washington, prove uncooperative in his search for the truth. This thriller set in a society about to be turned upside-down employs historical research to help present a dramatic story.

1959 The 6th Jonas Forbes Thriller This is set in 1959 London when the Shah of Iran is paying a state visit to Britain. However, the Shah has a glut of enemies both inside and outside his country – including liberals, religious fanatics and communists. Jonas Forbes is hired to help protect the Shah during the visit to Britain, along with Tim Ripley (MI5), Jack Sharpe (MI6) and the police. It soon becomes clear that cooperation between these would-be protectors of the Shah does have its limits. Even so, the enemy itself is hampered by internal rivalries with differing ideas of what sort of Iran will take over from the Pahlevi dynasty. The obvious threat to the Shah comes from a religious group led by Youness Ghasemi, but an attempt by the police to complete a pre-emptive strike is bungled and the group go into hiding. Danger also comes from the exiled Tudeh Party, but are they merely talking revolution encouraged by the USSR – or is it China?. The Shah’s safety is secure in the hands of Savak, the notorious secret police – or do events within the Iranian Embassy show that to be a fallacy? Jonas tries to secure cooperation with Savak through Reza Karimidad but neither trust the other. Jack Sharpe spots Jalal Qazwini, an assassin long on the run from Savak, but then he disappears, clearly with murder on his agenda. People are being exploited on all sides, perhaps as a distraction from the real threat: somebody is using Youness Ghasemi as a stalking-horse to mislead those protecting the Shah; others, both Iranian and British, are dragged into open acts against the Shah. Jack and Jalal must settle a half-forgotten battle of long ago and Jonas must unmask the arch-manipulator who aims to kill the Shah, but why?. Historical research underlies a thriller set against an often overlooked incident in the relationship between two political systems undergoing change.

1965. The 11th Jonas Forbes thriller. Britain 1965 and the country teeters on the edge of racial unrest – encouraged by the ruthless plans of unknown forces. The life of a radical politician, Tom Cardew, is under threat so Anne Demas, a glamorous American hires Jonas Forbes to protect him. Immediately Jonas himself comes under threat – with a letter bomb, then his secretary, Vanessa Clarke, is kidnapped and then a booby trap almost kills him. Jonas fights back in his own direct, unorthodox way. Can he overcome Plato, the ruthless assassin who terrifies even his own side? Bodies start to pile up as Jonas and Plato make it a fight to the death. And then........ another assassin is at work and has to be tracked down. The police always seem to be one step behind, arriving to clear up the carnage. One riot reveals the danger facing Britain. Almost too late Jonas realises he’s been fooled and, at last, gets the real villains in his sights A lightly written thriller firmly set in the period and with a frenetic pace and a kaleidoscope of characters.

The 9th Jonas Forbes Thriller 1963 The British Establishment becomes rocked by the ‘sex-and-espionage’ scandal centred on John Profumo, Cabinet Minister, and Christine Keeler, a friend of Stephen Ward, an osteopath charged with living on her immoral earnings. Christine is linked with Eugene Ivanov, a charming Soviet attaché, making the case a matter of national security. Both Christine and Ward are receiving threatening letters so the Home Office hire Jonas Forbes to protect them, at least until after Ward’s trial. As ‘Jimmy Neville’ Jonas infiltrates Ward’s circle and soon realises how determined is the Establishment to secure Ward’s conviction. He becomes attached to Ward and some members of his circle, especially Sheree Thompson. Then somebody tries to get Jonas killed and the stakes rise drastically. Sheree disappears and Jonas clashes with a gang headed by Laurence ‘Chopper’ Simpson and his weird brother, Anansi. Sheree’s body is found and it appears the sex-killer has struck before. Jonas gives evidence on behalf of Ward although a guilty verdict seems inevitable. And then Jonas disappears. Is the sex-killer also targeting Ward? How does Jonas come to develop future nightmares involving zombies and sewers? What is the link between Simpson’s gang and Ward’s circle? This lightly-written thriller, rich in period detail, uses actual legal and police accounts.

The 15th Jonas Forbes Thriller 1969, Jonas Forbes, ‘Enquiry Agent’, is now a married man. After 14 years sorting out problems, chasing villains and upsetting certain members of the ‘good and the great’, he’s still not got rid of that restless streak. So Vanessa, long his Girl Friday and now his wife, watches helplessly as he jumps at the chance of helping Reverend Obasi whose son has gone missing. Unfortunately, Emmanuel Obasi, a newly-qualified brain surgeon in London, has run off to Nigeria, then racked by a civil war with the secession of Biafra in 1967. Emmanuel’s lover had gone off to use her nursing skills her help her Igbo people suffering from the effects of the war and Emmanuel followed her. Then he suddenly disappeared. Of course, the UK Foreign Office expect Jonas to do a ‘little job’ for them as Biafra slides to defeat but Jonas has other ideas. The High Commission in Lagos, however, has been warned about him by Whitehall critics, and won’t cooperate to the point of hostility. So Jonas disappears into the war zone near Owerri. It’s December 1969 and the Nigerian Federal army, at last on the brink of victory, doesn’t welcome any intrusion which might disturb their strategy; nor do their opponents, fighting with their backs against the wall. Civilians are subjected to humiliation and violence from both sides and so obviously have little time for strangers. Standing both apart and above the battlefield is the ruthless Shaidan, as much a myth as reality, waging his own hate-filled campaign of atrocities against the Nigerian government and its supporters. Even so Jonas does find some help but he just can’t keep them with him. as the Federal net tightens on the last Biafran resistance Jonas falls into the hands of Shaidan. As he faces death it looks as if his mission has failed. At home DS John Wyatt, his long-time friend, and Vanessa can’t even find out where he is, let alone give him any help. Even so, the story isn’t over yet as other minor characters, such as a deserter from the Federal army and a disgraced sergeant out to catch him, have a part to play in the finale of an adventure which, the reader may recognise, eventually comes to be interpreted as three different scenarios. This thriller is really dedicated to the little people, the victims of one of the most disastrous conflicts in the 20th century. It contains cruelty and heroism, endurance and deceit. It uses research into a war of such confusion that, even today, participants still argue about their roles and intentions.

The 12th Jonas Forbes Thriller 1966. London is plagued by gangs led by the Kray twins and Charlie Richardson. Daniel Longcroft, the senior partner in a Tunbridge Wells legal practice has been working for the Morrisons, another London gang in a swindle gang exploiting the housing boom. That attracts the attention of his secretary, Hilda Frost. He starts cheating the gang but is betrayed by his spend-thrift wife, Cecile, to her lover, Maxwell Morrison. Both Daniel and Cecile are kidnapped, tortured and Daniel disappears PERMANENTLY. John Fairbrother, a junior partner, is seriously injured when he rejects advances from the Morrison gang. However, he’s the brother-in-law of Jonas Forbes, Enquiry Agent, who decides to strike back at the gang. He kills Archie Morrison and goes into hiding near Petworth in Sussex. There he’s helped by his cousin, David Simmonds, and rapidly blends in with the local population – to the irritation of some. The police are so concentrating on smashing the Richardson and Kray gangs they’re reluctant to be diverted towards the Morrison gang. In fact, they’re just as determined to arrest Jonas for murder. Jonas is betrayed by a jealous local to the gang who arrive to hunt him down. But the tale isn’t over yet. How does Jonas, isolated and outnumbered, escape death? Why do the gang release a mentally-fragile Cecile back into the public arena? How does intervention by Hilda Frost help to bring about the final destruction of the gang?

The 13th Jonas Forbes Thriller 1967 A British rock band, HAVOK, are planning to drive across Europe to introduce Russians to rock-and-roll. Somebody is threatening VICE, the lead guitarist – and MI6 want a little job done for them so they persuade Jonas Forbes to accompany the group as a bodyguard. He poses as Joseph Franklin, a substitute Manager, irritating most of the band but helped out by his ‘PA’ Vanessa Holmes. By the time they’ve passed through East Germany and Poland he is sure the KGB know they’re on their way –and he ‘s right. In the USSR the KGB are prepared to pounce on dissenters led by OBROK. At the same time leaks from the UK Embassy reveal a British agent is with the band. Jonas gains one supporter in the band when he rescues ACID and VICE become increasingly unstable – even though the tour is proving a success. Jonas, trying to contact dissidents, raises suspicion by his frequent absences. VICE is sure he can profit by betraying MI6’s scheme to the KGB but his plan backfires. In Moscow VICE is killed in an accident – or was it murder? Jonas warns the dissidents that the KGB are about to pounce, but is the warning too late? Attention focuses on the group as it becomes clear VICE’s death was murder. Will they catch the killer? Jonas realises he’s met one of the KGB involved before – but will he be recognised? A thriller closely set in its background – both musical and political.

The 14th Jonas Forbes Thriller 1968. A British hitman is rumoured to have been hired to assassinate Robert Kennedy, then a favourite to be the Democratic candidate in the Presidential Election. Reluctantly the UK Foreign Office hire Jonas Forbes to investigate the rumour. He homes in on the Carter gang and narrowly escapes with his life, killing Charlie Carter, the boss’s son, in the process. Joe Carter is out for revenge and, as the hitman, Lennie Denton, has already left for the USA, pays Ernest Jones to eliminate Forbes. However, by mistake he kills Simon Holmes, husband of Jonas’s factotum, Vanessa. That provides Jonas with a more personal motivation as he flies to the USA, leaving Scotland Yard to track down Simon’s killer. San Francisco is not a welcoming place for British imports: Lennie Denton is resented by ‘The Team’(a branch of the Mafia), especially its leader, Clint McAdam; Jonas is resented by the SFPD, especially Inspector Harry Callaghan. However, both quickly overcome such early rejection. Lennie finds himself a lover in Mandy Faber, McAdam’s ‘Girl Friday’ and Jonas partners ‘Dirty Harry’ in busting up McAdam’s base. But before that Jonas has caught up with Lennie Denton. Has he saved Bobby Kennedy? There are more questions. Who’s been tipping off Lennie about police progress on both sides of the Atlantic? Has Scotland Yard caught up with the murderer of Simon Holmes? Why were the SFPD so pleased to see Jonas leave for London? And now that Vanessa’s a widow will she at last get together with her boss? A Fast-paced thriller firmly set in 1968.

1973 The 16th Jonas Forbes Thriller March 1973 and the Watergate Scandal is drifting over into public outcry. President Nixon struggles to avoid exposure of a decade’s misdeeds. A tension-filled Washington may not be the best place to be. An English diplomat, Peter Northwood, is murdered - surely by mistake. Jonas Forbes, notorious for his ‘direct approach’ to solving crime, is sent by the UK Foreign Office to help the MPD and FBI in their competitive investigations. But he’s certainly not a welcome addition to the investigation and soon realises he can trust nobody. Quickly he’s sheltering a witness from the Mafia. But is information being leaked from the MPD or the FBI – or both? Certainly a hitman is in desperate pursuit – knowing failure will mean his own death. Fearing betrayal the Trafficante capofamiglia orders a thorough ‘spring-clean’ to be carried out by the subordinate Gibellina famiglia. Meanwhile, within the Gibellina famiglia trouble opens up a second front. Vespasianu, heir apparent to the crown of capofamiglia, is more ambitious than his consigliere father, ready to use both his sister, Cettina, and extreme violence to further his ambitions. Cettina is determined to strike back and looks for help both inside and outside the famiglia. What can induce Jonas to offer her help? Will betraying Peter’s murderer prove enough? How can she pit him against her brother without destroying her family? Jonas disappears - to the irritation of the MPD and FBI, the alarm of the Gibellinas and the despair of friends and family back home. Who will come out on top? A fast-paced and violent thriller set against a political system in crisis.