Double Agent series

‘Gerlis writes some of the best historical spy thrillers in the business and The Second Traitor is no exception’ Daily Express

‘Plenty of atmospheric intrigue to relish’ The Times

‘The series showcases the ambiguity of espionage, and its human cost… Gerlis conjures up wartime London with skilfully deployed period detail in this atmospheric tale of deception and betrayal’ Financial Times

‘An outstanding work of fiction from a writer at the top of his game… he is most certainly one of the spy fiction stars of today’ Mark Ellis, author of The Embassy Murders

The countdown to invasion begins…

It’s September 1940, and British intelligence is on high alert: the Nazi invasion of Britain is imminent. The German navy is assembling a vast fleet in Rotterdam to ferry men and materiel across the Channel.

Meanwhile, a sinister organisation called The Group a collection of British and Irish Nazi collaborators is at work within the UK trying to pave the way for the Wehrmacht.

The Invasion Warning Sub-Committee is established to counter this threat, and Charles Cooper, coming in from the cold after the disintegration of The Annexe, joins up and is tasked with cracking this nefarious network.

But that is not the only concern for the spy chiefs: the search for double agent ‘Archie’ the Soviet spy and British traitor is hotting up: they are now confident he works within MI6, and an elaborate scheme is set up to narrow down the list of suspects To make things worse, they now know for certain that a second traitor, ‘Bertie’, is also in play.

With suspicion at paranoia pitch, can MI6 clean house before the Nazis arrive to help them do it?

Taking the reader from wartime London to the south coast of England, from Berlin to neutral Ireland and from the German intelligence headquarters in Hamburg to the port of Rotterdam, The Second Traitor is the second novel in Alex Gerlis’s highly acclaimed Double Agent series, a follow-up to Every Spy a Traitor.

A Financial Times Best Book of 2024’One of the superstars of modern spy fiction’ Daily Express

‘One of the best spy novels I’ve read’ I. S. Berry, author of The Peacock and the Sparrow

‘Gerlis is at the top of his game’ Paul Vidich, author of Beirut Station

Trust no one. Suspect everyone.

It’s 1937. Fear and suspicion stalk the Continent. A million have died in Stalin’s Great Purge and the Nazi terror grips Germany. But British intelligence is still trying to work out who the enemy is.

As Europe heads towards war, treason is in the air. British spymasters know there is one Soviet agent in their ranks, codenamed Agent ‘Archie’, and there’s a frantic search to find them. What they don’t know is that he is not the only traitor.

The life of Charles Cooper, a young British writer travelling Europe to research his novel, is about to change for ever

The thrilling first novel in Alex Gerlis’ new Double Agent espionage series, perfect for fans of Charles Cumming and Mick Herron.

‘Fascinating… A pleasant blend of John Buchan derring-do if lightweight adventures and the more gritty Le Carr-like grey travails in the secret corridors of power’ Maxim Jakubowski, Crime Time

‘Clever plotting, rich detail and a compelling story of a young man forced to become a double agent to survive in a world where friends become adversaries and no one can be trusted.Every Spy a Traitor will reward fans of Graham Greene, Charles Cumming, Frederick Forsythe and Alan Furst’ Paul Vidich, author of Beirut Station

‘An absorbing portrait of a world on the brink that disarms you before it floors you’ Tim Glister, author of Red Corona

‘With this brilliant tale of a writer entangled in pre-World War II espionage, Gerlis cleverly builds an ironic and darkly realistic world that shows just how nebulous is the border between good and evil, observer and participant, our inner and outer lives. Richly imagined, meticulously plotted, and chockfull of historic details, Every Spy a Traitor is one of those rare books that gets better with every page. One of the best spy novels I’ve read’ I. S. Berry, author of The Peacock and the Sparrow