At this point I offer a round of applause, the premise here perhaps shouldn’t work, but oh how it does! Star interrogator Leonard Flood is sent to investigate the suspected poisoning of the retired officer who recruited him. Here we are at book three, MI5 archives have divulged two stories so far, each readable as a standalone, the second being the LoveReading Star Book How To Betray Your Country. I so hope this isn’t remaining as a trilogy, I want more! Author James Wolff has worked within British Intelligence, even if you didn’t know this fact, there is a perceptive edge to these novels that ensures a feeling of credibility. I entered The Man in the Corduroy Suit (oh the image that evokes) and was immediately captured by the story, here you see the other side of intelligence to those offering slick all-action heroes. Leonard as a character is an absolute dream, full of quirks and eccentricities he makes the most fabulous interrogator. The plot hums along at speed, the smallest of details matter, adding spice and interest. The humour lies in wait, ready to catch you unawares, while in the background morals, scruples, and principles sit waiting for their moment. Chosen as a LoveReading Star Book, The Man in the Corduroy Suit is the most fabulously engaging and entertaining novel and comes as highly recommended by me, it’s a must-read in fact.
British spy Leonard Flood is asked to investigate the poisoning in London of Willa Karlsson, a retired British secret service vetting officer suspected of being a Russian agent. British intelligence is terrified by the possibility that Moscow poisoned her upon her retirement since she was no longer useful to them. When Leonard discovers that he is also a suspect in the investigation and that Willa’s story is less a story of betrayal than one of friendship, he must decide whether to hand her to her masters or to help her to escape.
James Wolff lives in London. He has been working for the British government for the last 10 years. This is his second novel in a planned trilogy about anti-terror espionage in the Middle East. The first was the highly acclaimed Beside the Syrian Sea.
