AGENT OF THE STATE HC

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 Kerrs 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 Whitehalls 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, its a highly promising start from a writer who could well have a big future. Daily Mail Its a tribute to Roger Pearces ability that the plot never becomes impenetrable and theres an uncomfortable authenticity as real-life operations are referenced... a breathless, hurtling page-turner. Financial Times