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Reading lists

9 must-read books for Slow Horses fans

The Insider

The thrilling novel of espionage and murder set in the dark heart of Westminster, from the UK's most exciting new spy writer 
 
A Russian defector is found brutally murdered in a London hotel. 
 
Only four people knew he had turned - the four most important and powerful figures in Whitehall. 
 
There's only one conclusion: 
 
A mole has infiltrated the highest levels of the nation's security. 
 
Operating in secret from within Westminster's darkest corners, former spy, Solomon Vine, must uncover the traitor. 
 
Because Britain's future hangs in the balance. 
 
And with it, the fate of the whole world . . . 
 
Praise for Matthew Richardson 
 
'Proof that the spy genre is flourishing in the 21st century . . . [Richardson's] plotting has an old-school, Swiss-clock precision' The Guardian 
 
'Compelling, intense and sharply authentic' James Swallow, bestselling author of Nomad 
 
'A splendid tale of espionage starring an old-fashioned MI6 hero . . . Exciting spy literature' The Times 
 
 'A bang-up-to-date thriller told with old-school panache. A great read' Mick Herron, CWA Gold Dagger-winning author of the Slough House Series

Praise for Matthew Richardson

Proof that the spy genre is flourishing in the 21st century . . . [Richardson's] plotting has an old-school, Swiss-clock precision

Compelling, intense and sharply authentic

James Swallow, bestselling author of Nomad

A bang-up-to-date thriller told with old-school panache. A great read.

Mick Herron, CWA Gold Dagger-winning author of Dead Lions

A splendid tale of espionage starring an old-fashioned MI6 hero . . . exciting spy literature

Combines immaculate Cold War tradecraft with modern tech savvy as our maverick hero comes up against a le Carré-esque establishment while trying to find a mole

Supremely confident . . . told with panache and a taste for spy craft that mark it as outstanding

Authentic, mysterious, fraught with deception, betrayal, and uncertain allegiances, it captures perfectly the foggy world of spies

Gregg Hurwitz, bestselling author of Orphan X

Truly authentic and frighteningly so . . . a remarkable thriller

A Russian defector is found brutally murdered in a London hotel. 
 
Only four people in the world knew he had turned - the four most important and powerful figures in Whitehall. 
 
There's only one conclusion - a mole has infiltrated the highest levels of the nation's security. 
 
Operating in secret from within Westminster's darkest corners, former spy, Solomon Vine, must uncover the traitor. 
 
Because Britain's future hangs in the balance. 
 
And with it the fate of the whole world . . .

My Name Is Nobody

'PROOF THAT THE SPY GENRE IS FLOURISHING IN THE 21ST CENTURY' Guardian 
 
'I know for certain that there is a mole somewhere within the intelligence services . . . His codename is Nobody . . .' 
 
 Solomon Vine is a spy on a fast track to the top. But when a prisoner is shot in unexplained circumstances on his watch, only suspension and exile beckon. 
 
 Three months later, MI6's Head of Station in Istanbul is violently abducted from his home. With the Service in lockdown, uncertain of who can be trusted, thoughts turn to the missing man's oldest friend: Solomon Vine. 
 
 On the run and determined to clear his name, Vine tries to uncover the truth. But his investigation soon reveals that there's much more at stake than the life of a single spy... 
 
'Compelling, intense and sharply authentic' James Swallow, bestselling author of Nomad 
 
'A supremely confident debut' Daily Mail 
 
 'Authentic, mysterious, fraught with deception, betrayal, and uncertain allegiances' Jason Matthews, author of Red Sparrow 
 
 'Such a smart, pacey, twisty thriller. Tremendous!' C.J. Tudor, author of The Chalk Man# 
 
Test

Now comes Matthew Richardson, hailed as the next Charles Cumming. My Name is Nobody actually falls somewhere between Robert Ludlum and Le Carre

A splendid tale of espionage starring an old-fashioned MI6 hero . . . exciting spy literature

All debut spy novelists are dubbed the new John le Carre but Richardson has made a good fist of living up to the accolade at his first attempt . . . [a] knowledgeable thriller

Proof that the genre is flourishing anew in the 21st century . . . [he] distinguishes the more ambitious offerings in the spy genre, but his plotting has an old-school, Swiss-clock precision that keeps the reader pleasurably engaged.

I dare you to find a first novel as self-assured, impeccably researched and beautifully rendered . . . Richardson paints a portrait of espionage that calls to mind early le Carré

Compelling, intense and sharply authentic

A pleasingly convoluted spy saga . . . which combines immaculate Cold War tradecraft with modern tech savvy as our maverick hero comes up against a Le Carre-esque establishment while trying to find a mole and head off a terrorist atrocity

Authentic, mysterious, fraught with deception, betrayal, and uncertain allegiances, it captures perfectly the foggy world of spies, populated by conspiracy and turncoats, both friends and enemies, an evocative descent into the Wilderness of Mirrors

Matthew Richardson's debut is a bang-up-to-date thriller told with old-school panache. A great read

CWA Gold Dagger-winning author of Dead Lions

Elegant and assured, My Name is Nobody weaves a complex web of moles, double agents and tradecraft, brought right up to date by a fresh young voice . . . compelling spy fiction

A supremely confident debut . . . This story is told with panache and a taste for spy craft that mark it as outstanding

Told with panache and a taste for the intricacies of craft that mark it as outstanding ... Solomon Vine reminds me not so much of le Carre's Smiley, but rather Len Deighton's spy in his marvellous debut The Ipcress File. If he keeps going, Vine could be that good ... a supremely confident debut

'I know a secret. A secret that changes everything . . .' 
 
A vine and wilde adventure

Matthew Richardson

Chosen by many readers as the best spy novel of this year

Superbly constructed and written with flair, it manages to debunk John le Carré's world and to reaffirm its mystique. It's highly unlikely that there will be a better espionage novel this year

A shot in the arm for thriller fans

A breathtaking thriller. A classic in the making

This is the most impressive espionage debut since Mick Herron's Slow Horses. Filled with fast-moving action and a fine line in threat, it weaves a thrilling spell

Look out for The Scarlet Papers . . . Engrossing

Smart, slick and totally gripping . . . The Scarlet Papers is always credible, always startling and almost painfully human. A total triumph

Grand in scope and packed with fascinating insights

Addictive, original and outrageously entertaining . . . Matthew Richardson proves himself a writer of huge talent and skill

Sprawling, ambitious, inspired by real events

Superbly constructed and written with flair ... this might be the best spy novel of the year

Superbly constructed in an elaborate twisty spy yarn. It's highly unlikely that there will be a better espionage novel this year

The Cold War is given a new twist ... Impressive, superior spy stuff

Intricate and fast moving, it weaves a thrilling spell

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy meets James Bond

VIENNA, 1946: A brilliant German scientist spirited out of the ruins Nazi Europe in search of a new life. 
 
MOSCOW, 1964: A rising star of the British diplomatic service whose job is not what it seems. 
 
LONDON, THE PRESENT DAY: A once promising academic offered an opportunity to seal his place in history. 
 
Their stories, their lives, and the fate of the world, are bound by a single document: 
 
THE SCARLET PAPERS 
 
The devastating secrets contained within teased by a brief invitation: 
 
Tomorrow 11AM. Take a cab and pay in cash. Tell no one.

Matthew Richardson

Books by Matthew Richardson

Articles featuring Matthew Richardson

9 must-read books for Slow Horses fans

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