A study in Scarlet, senior spy

THE SCARLET PAPERS by Matthew Richardson

(Michael Joseph £14.99, 592pp)

THIS is the most impressive espionage debut since Mick Herron’s Slow Horses in 2010 — written by a Westminster researcher and speechwriter.

It tells the story of Scarlet King, now in her 90s, who was once a spymaster for the British, specialising in Russia, and has finally decided to tell her story, revealing her work since her recruitment at the end of World War II.

She asks Dr Max Arthur, a professor of Intelligence History, to work with her — and so begins an epic journey through the Byzantine coils of spying over seven decades.

For there is also a mystery at the heart of the plot — was King a double agent working for the Soviets and hired to do so by her old boss Kim Philby, who escaped to Russia in 1963? Filled with fast-moving action and a fine line in threat, it weaves a thrilling spell.

THE LAST WORD by Taylor Adams

(Hodder £22, 352pp)

LIVING alone in an isolated house on the coast of Washington State in the U.S., Emma Carpenter is trying to recover from a personal tragedy with only her golden retriever, Laika, for company. She is house-sitting and passes her time by reading e-books and sometimes reviewing them.

One particularly disappoints her — a gruesome horror story written by H. G. Kane. She gives it a ‘one-star’ review online. Within minutes she receives a withering reply from the author, demanding she delete the review.

She refuses, and so begins a tale of stalking as Kane pursues her relentlessly to change her mind, with the threat that she may suffer the same fate as many characters in his other 16 novels — death. The suspense ratchets up ever higher as she fights to survive. The story roars along like a roller-coaster on speed.

THE TRANSLATOR by Harriet Crawley

(Bitter Lemon Press £16.99, 416pp)

PART love story, part spy thriller, Crawley’s fifth book relies on her extensive knowledge of modern Russia.

Her heroine is Marina Volina, chief interpreter to the Russian president, who once fell in love with Clive Franklin, now acting as translator to the British prime minister on a visit to Moscow.

The two have not met since they were in New York together and she left him to marry a Russian, who has subsequently died.

Marina has already decided she wants to escape the grip of Russia and come to England. Then she discovers a plot to sabotage the undersea cables that link the U.S. to the UK, which would threaten the international economy by collapsing communications.

Together, Marina and Clive decide to try to stop the intended attack by supplying information to MI6 — but can they manage to save the European economy?

Brimming with intricate detail on Russia today, it is both moving and terrifying — a compelling combination.