Invasion

Discover the explosive new Luke Carlton spy thriller from the Sunday Times bestseller and BBC security correspondent. ‘Everything is impressive in this masterly account . . . Exhilarating ’ Sunday Times ‘ Genuinely unnerving and fast-paced . . . highly recommended’ Irish Independent The world is on high alert. Across the strait from Taiwan, China’s armed forces appear to be readying for war. Could the People’s Republic be preparing to invade its island neighbour? A mole deep within the Chinese Communist Party leadership has some explosive intel that could defuse this geo-political timebomb. But before Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service can get hold of the data, the ‘collector’ sent to recover it is abducted. As global tensions rise, MI6 operatives Luke Carlton and Jenny Li are dispatched to find the missing agent and the precious information she carries. With the clock ticking and tip-offs taking them to shady Macau casinos, tawdry night clubs and down multiple dead ends, Luke is convinced they are being deliberately strung along. Then they get the vital lead they need. It points to Taiwan – a country frantically preparing for imminent invasion. And it’s there that Luke and Jenny uncover what is really going on. . . Drawing on his years of experience reporting on global security stories and in-depth knowledge of the security services, Frank Gardner has written his most frighteningly real, unnerving and explosive thriller yet. Praise for Frank Gardner: 'Fast, taut, tense, accurate.' Frederick Forsyth, bestselling author of The Day of the Jackal 'Utterly authentic.' Daily Mail ‘Thriller writing of a high order.' Financial Times 'Nerve-shredding.' Tony Parsons, bestselling author of the Max Wolfe series 'Heart-in-mouth.' i-Newspaper 'Compulsively readable.' Radio Times

Discover the explosive new Luke Carlton spy thriller from the Sunday Times bestseller and BBC security correspondent. ‘Everything is impressive in this masterly account . . . Exhilarating ’ Sunday Times ‘ Genuinely unnerving and fast-paced . . . highly recommended’ Irish Independent The world is on high alert. Across the strait from Taiwan, China’s armed forces appear to be readying for war. Could the People’s Republic be preparing to invade its island neighbour? A mole deep within the Chinese Communist Party leadership has some explosive intel that could defuse this geo-political timebomb. But before Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service can get hold of the data, the ‘collector’ sent to recover it is abducted. As global tensions rise, MI6 operatives Luke Carlton and Jenny Li are dispatched to find the missing agent and the precious information she carries. With the clock ticking and tip-offs taking them to shady Macau casinos, tawdry night clubs and down multiple dead ends, Luke is convinced they are being deliberately strung along. Then they get the vital lead they need. It points to Taiwan – a country frantically preparing for imminent invasion. And it’s there that Luke and Jenny uncover what is really going on. . . Drawing on his years of experience reporting on global security stories and in-depth knowledge of the security services, Frank Gardner has written his most frighteningly real, unnerving and explosive thriller yet. Praise for Frank Gardner: 'Fast, taut, tense, accurate.' Frederick Forsyth, bestselling author of The Day of the Jackal 'Utterly authentic.' Daily Mail ‘Thriller writing of a high order.' Financial Times 'Nerve-shredding.' Tony Parsons, bestselling author of the Max Wolfe series 'Heart-in-mouth.' i-Newspaper 'Compulsively readable.' Radio Times

A FINALIST FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING The first book of reportage from the front line of the Ukraine war. This is a powerful, moving first draft of history written by the award-winning Guardian journalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Collusion and Shadow State. 'An excellent, moving account of an ongoing tragedy.' ANNE APPLEBAUM ' Compelling, important and heartbreaking.' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE 'Essential reading.' ELIOT HIGGINS , founder of Bellingcat 'Brilliant.' ANDREY KURKOV For months, the omens had pointed in one scarcely believable direction: Russia was about to invade Ukraine. And yet, the world was stunned by the epochal scale of the assault that began in February 2022. It was an attempt by one nation to devour another. Invasion is Luke Harding's compelling chronicle of the war that changed everything. For this breathtaking work of reportage he spent months reporting on the ground during the build up to the conflict and afterward; his book tells of the initial days of shock and panic, the grim reality of this ongoing war, and the unheard human stories behind the headlines. Invasion also offers insightful portraits of the the war's two great personalities. One, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is an actor-turned-president who rallied support on a global stage. The other, Vladimir Putin, is a dictator who dwells in a strange and unreachable realm. Harding examines the ideological, religious and personal reasons behind Putin's decision to invade. And he confronts a crucial question: which side will prevail in this terrible war? With the ripple effects of the largest armed conflict in Europe since 1945 already being felt beyond Ukraine and Russia's borders, it is more vital than ever to understand how the situation on the front line will have profound effects for us all. Written in Luke Harding's starkly transfixing style, Invasion makes for essential reading. *Includes a brand new chapter for the paperback edition* *** Author royalties from this edition will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

A FINALIST FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING The first book of reportage from the front line of the Ukraine war. This is a powerful, moving first draft of history written by the award-winning Guardian journalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Collusion and Shadow State. 'An excellent, moving account of an ongoing tragedy.' ANNE APPLEBAUM ' Compelling, important and heartbreaking.' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE 'Essential reading.' ELIOT HIGGINS , founder of Bellingcat 'Brilliant.' ANDREY KURKOV For months, the omens had pointed in one scarcely believable direction: Russia was about to invade Ukraine. And yet, the world was stunned by the epochal scale of the assault that began in February 2022. It was an attempt by one nation to devour another. Invasion is Luke Harding's compelling chronicle of the war that changed everything. For this breathtaking work of reportage he spent months reporting on the ground during the build up to the conflict and afterward; his book tells of the initial days of shock and panic, the grim reality of this ongoing war, and the unheard human stories behind the headlines. Invasion also offers insightful portraits of the the war's two great personalities. One, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is an actor-turned-president who rallied support on a global stage. The other, Vladimir Putin, is a dictator who dwells in a strange and unreachable realm. Harding examines the ideological, religious and personal reasons behind Putin's decision to invade. And he confronts a crucial question: which side will prevail in this terrible war? With the ripple effects of the largest armed conflict in Europe since 1945 already being felt beyond Ukraine and Russia's borders, it is more vital than ever to understand how the situation on the front line will have profound effects for us all. Written in Luke Harding's starkly transfixing style, Invasion makes for essential reading. *Includes a brand new chapter for the paperback edition* *** Author royalties from this edition will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.