Edward Wilson, author of the Catesby series..
‘Wilson is now firmly ensconced in the new firmament of espionage writing’ The Whitehall Mandarin Barry Forshaw, The Independent
‘Espionage and geopolitical history rewritten by Evelyn Waugh.’ The Whitehall Mandarin The Sunday Times
‘The best Vietnam novel ever’ A River in May Alan Sillitoe, Books of the Year, The Independent on Sunday
A Portrait of the Spy as a Young Man
The woman leaned forward and put her left hand on the driver’s shoulder. ‘You’ve been magnificent. Thank you for your help – and remember this is our secret.’
The driver blushed. ‘At your service, gnädige Frau.’
‘You should call me madame. I am French.’ The woman leaned further forward as if she were going to give the German soldier a collaborator’s kiss. The soldier’s blushing smile turned into an agonised grimace as the downward thrust of the knife cut deep through his chest into the aorta. As soon as Catesby saw what was happening, he put his hand over the driver’s mouth to muffle his ear-splitting scream. They waited half a minute until the driver had stopped twitching.
Edward Wilson
The author of eight books and six previous novels in the Catesby series. As a commentator and reviewer, he has written for The Independent, Tribune Magazine, The Guardian and Open Democracy.