From the Edgar award-winning, internationally bestselling British writer Robert Goddard comes a captivating new trilogy of historical thrillers, set at the tail end of World War I and featuring the devilishly charismatic James Max Maxted, a Royal Flying Corps veteran who has a hard time keeping himself out of trouble. Four years of horrific fighting have finally ended on the battlefield, but in the spring of 1919, Paris is filled with delegates from around the world who are still trying to hammer out the terms of peace. One such delegate is British diplomat Sir Henry Maxted, in charge of liaising with the Brazilians regarding seized ships. But before a deal is reached Sir Henry Maxted turns up dead outside a Montparnasse apartment building, apparently having fallen from the roof. His sons Max and Ashley are sent to Paris to collect the body, and it quickly becomes clear that the theory the French police have put forward is flawed. But since the murder of a diplomat could be disastrous for the peace conference, no one is keen to ask questions—except Max.
What begins as an innocent inquiry into his father's death soon leads Max into a dangerous world of secret allegiances, international espionage, and people double-crossing each other at the highest levels of government. How far is he willing to go discover the truth about the death of a father he barely knew? And how much will the authorities—and others—let him find out before threatening Max's own life?
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“British narrator Derek Perkins authentically delivers this spy story set in Paris in the early twentieth century. His facility with accents makes for an outstanding listening experience… With verve and flawless pacing, Perkins displays excellent storytelling skills. His French and American accents are good, so the international cast is fully believable, and the clever plot moves forward quickly and precisely…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
“Maxted, the dashing protagonist of Robert Goddard’s historical espionage thriller, is a refreshing throwback to an earlier romantic tradition of heroes…A rip-roaring adventure.”
— New York Times Book Review“Goddard paints the Paris of that era with sure strokes.”
— St. Louis Post-Dispatch“Robert Goddard is the master of complex, tricky thrillers that dazzle with surprises. Another stellar performance.”
— Sydney Morning Herald“Dashed good yarn-spanning. The action is insistent and often deadly.”
— Toronto Star (Canada)“[A] wildly entertaining historical thriller…The prospect of a series starring a suave yet gutsy WWI vet cavorting about the international espionage stage (imagine Cary Grant in the role) is, well, more than a little intoxicating.”
— Booklist (starred review)“A sly, highbrow take on the espionage thriller with a rich background that lends sophistication to an already opulent story.”
— Kirkus ReviewsRobert Goddard is an award-winning English novelist. In 2019 he was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger by the Crime Writers’ Association for his outstanding lifetime’s contribution to the crime fiction genre. His Into the Blue won the first WH Smith Thumping Good Read Award, and Long Time Coming won the Edgar Award. He read history at the University of Cambridge.
Derek Perkins is a professional narrator and voice actor. He has earned numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, as well as numerous Society of Voice Arts nominations. AudioFile magazine named him a Best Voice consecutively in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Augmented by a knowledge of three foreign languages and a facility with accents, he has narrated numerous titles in a wide range of fiction and nonfiction genres.