British Library Spy Classics Series

Spy thriller fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder 'The men who work for you, General', he observed, 'should rid themselves of any fear of death'. Rome, 1934. Martin Fawley leaves the American secret service and is recruited by General Berati, the most feared man in fascist Italy, as a spy. After a brief encounter with a glamorous yet murderous Italian princess, Fawley's mission takes him undercover to Monaco. Suave and worldly, Fawley is quite at home in the casinos and golf courses of Monte Carlo—but he is soon entangled in a game with higher stakes. As the nations of Europe vie for power, Fawley discovers the secret weapon that will determine the outcome of the looming war. This classic thriller—undoubtedly an influence on Ian Fleming's James Bond novels—is now republished for the first time since the 1930s. With its yachts and cocktail parties, its steely hero and brutal assassins, and its cinematic range across the cities of Europe, this is a gripping and sophisticated tale of a spy who saves the world.

Spy thriller fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder "Espionage, a ghostly presence, an evil crone, a woman scorned, and secret documents on which the future of Europe depend are just a few of the melodramatic elements that enrich this fun, far-fetched tale." —Publishers Weekly East Africa, 1913. The disgraced English aristocrat Everard Dominey stumbles out of the bush, and comes face to face with his lookalike—the German Baron von Ragastein. Months later, Dominey returns to London and resumes his glittering social life. But is it really Dominey who has come back—or a German secret agent seeking to infiltrate English high society? As international tension mounts and the great powers of Europe move closer to war, Dominey finds himself entangled in a story of suspicion and intrigue. He must try to evade his insane and murderous wife as well as escape the attentions of the passionate Princess Eiderstrom—and will eventually uncover the secret of the ghost that haunts his ancestral home. This classic thriller was hugely popular when it was first published in 1920, selling over one million copies in that year alone, and was filmed three times. It was selected by the Guardian as one of 1000 novels everyone must read.

Spy thriller fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder "War is coming-and that means our secret agents must get busy." August 1918. On his way to the Western Front, Captain Alan Clinton spends a night in Paris with a young Frenchwoman, Marie Roget. Seduced by Marie's charms, Clinton discloses British military secrets-with disastrous consequences. Seventeen years later. The central European state of Ronstadt is ruled by the ruthless dictator Kuhnreich, and Europe is inching towards another war. Clinton's son Bobby travels to Europe as the political situation grows tenser, and seems dangerously close to repeating the sins of his father-leaving only his girlfriend to prove his innocence in a race against time. This new edition of The Traitor gives contemporary readers a long overdue chance to rediscover an early thriller that is plotted with dash and verve-a novel that helps to explain the author's phenomenal popularity in his own time.

Spy thriller fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder "A literary craftsman, who could spring surprises with his humour and sense of suspense." —The Times Owen Bradwell is a courageous naval officer who returns to England in the 1930s. He believes that his career is over because he has become colour-blind—but with Nazi Germany an increasing menace, the authorities cannot do without Bradwell, and he is assigned a special mission. A former acquaintance of Bradwell's has been trapped into betraying his country's secrets by a Nazi agent. Bradwell is sent to spy on the spy, and travels down the Thames on a surveillance trip under cover of a fishing weekend. Things soon take an unexpected turn, and Bradwell finds himself in the company of a dead man, and a pretty young interior decorator called Sally. Will Bradwell triumph over the villains, and will he and Sally fall in love? This neglected thriller from 1945 is a pacy and entertaining read, rich with the classic twists of the genre: amnesia, blackmail, and a convict's escape from Dartmoor.