by Jack Treby
I put the spectacles back on and wobbled slightly as the world resumed its deep blur. ‘You’re going to have to help me, Morris,’ I said.
‘Of course, Monsieur.’ He placed a light hand on the small of my back and guided me gently towards the gang plank.
‘I never did thank you properly for...for the other night,’ I said. The proximity of the steps had brought the horror of that moment back to me and I hesitated for an instant. ‘You saved my life, Morris. I...I’m grateful.’
‘It was nothing, Monsieur.’
I could hear the cameras clicking furiously once more as I placed a foot onto the first rung. ‘Nonetheless, you have my thanks.’ I hesitated again and glanced across at him, his battered face a reddish blur through the over-sized lenses. ‘Thank you,’ I said, ‘Maurice.’
His lips curled slightly as we stepped out into the light. ‘You are most welcome. Sir.’
Acknowledgements
The LZ128 airship was never built, but plans were drawn up for its construction and it is these which form the basis of the vehicle portrayed in this book. In the real world, the design was abandoned in the aftermath of the R101 disaster and a new ship commissioned, the LZ129 Hindenburg.
I am indebted to Patrick Russell and Dennis Kromm for their detailed article Before The Beginning, available to read at:
http://projektlz129.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/before-beginning.html.
More general information was obtained from Hindenburg: An Illustrated History by Rick Archbold and Ken Marschall (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1994). The Faces of the Hindenburg blogspot and Airships.net were also very helpful.
The relationship between Marguerite Alibert and Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) is a matter of historical record. The extent to which her trial at the Old Bailey was compromised by the government and the royal family is a matter of some debate, but the case for the prosecution is argued persuasively by Andrew Rose in The Prince, The Princess And The Perfect Murder (Coronet, 2013).
The official histories of MI5 and MI6 (by Christopher Andrew and Keith Jeffery respectively) have once again proved useful, especially with regard to the shortcomings of Scotland Yard. The Branch: A History Of The Metropolitan Police Special Branch by Rupert Allason was also very helpful. For general period information, I am indebted to the Times Archive.
Many thanks to my beta readers, Steve, Kathryn and Willow; and to my family for insisting that I write this book in the first place (‘Sequel? Why would I want to write a sequel?!?’). Oh, and apologies to Sara and Grace for stealing their surnames.
As to the future, well...Sir Hilary is now in New York, but she will soon be heading south to take up her position at the British Legation in Guatemala City. And that’s when things will start to get really tricky...
Jack Treby
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The Devil's Brew
"Your predecessor was sitting in that chair when he shot himself. You can still see the blood stains on the wall behind you."
Central America, 1931. Hilary Manningham-Butler is settling into her new job as passport control officer at the British legation in Guatemala City. Her predecessor Giles Markham is dead, having embezzled a large sum of money from the office’s visa receipts and then taken his own life. Freddie Reeves, a friend at the legation, believes there is more to his death than suicide. The weekend before he died, Markham spent some time at a remote coffee plantation in the north central highlands. Freddie knows the owner of the plantation and invites Hilary to accompany him there for the weekend, in the hope that she might be able to discover the truth. Hilary has no intention of getting involved, but when a house guest dies in suspicious circumstances it soon becomes clear that she will not be given the choice.
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The Pineapple Republic
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The Daily Herald needs a man on the spot and in desperation they turn to Patrick Malone, a feckless junior reporter who just happens to speak a few words of Spanish.
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The year is 1929. As the world teeters on the brink of a global recession, Bletchley Park plays host to a rather special event. MI5 is celebrating its twentieth anniversary and a select band of former and current employees are gathering at the private estate for a weekend of music, dance and heavy drinking. Among them is Sir Hilary Manningham-Butler, a middle aged woman whose entire adult life has been spent masquerading as a man. She doesn’t know why she has been invited – it is many years since she left the secret service – but it is clear she is not the only one with things to hide. And when one of the other guests threatens to expose her secret, the consequences could prove disastrous for everyone.
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"A dangerous disease requires a desperate remedy..."
Robert Catesby is a man in despair. His father is dead and his wife is burning in the fires of Hell - his punishment from God for marrying a Protestant. A new king presents a new hope but the persecution of Catholics in England continues unabated and Catesby can tolerate it no longer. King James bears responsibility but the whole government must be eradicated if anything is to really change. And Catesby has a plan...
The Gunpowder Treason is a fast-paced historical thriller. Every character is based on a real person and almost every scene is derived from eye-witness accounts. This is the story of the Gunpowder Plot, as told by the people who were there...
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A remote Scottish island plays host to a deadly reunion...
It should be a lot of fun, meeting up for a long weekend in a rented lighthouse on a chunk of rock miles from anywhere. There will be drinks and games and all sorts of other amusements. It is ten years since the last get-together and twenty years since Nadia and her friends graduated from university. But not everything goes according to plan. One of the group has a more sinister agenda and, as events begin to spiral out of control, it becomes clear that not everyone will get off the island alive...
