The Whitehall Mandarin

A captivating spy thriller taking the reader from 60s sex scandals to the Vietnam War, by a former special forces officer who is 'poised to inherit the mantle of John le Carre'

'Edward Wilson seems poised to inherit the mantle of John le Carre' Irish Independent

'More George Smiley than James Bond, Catesby will delight those readers looking for less blood and more intelligence in their spy thrillers' Publishers Weekly

London, 1957. Lady Somers is beautiful, rich and the first woman to head up the Ministry of Defence. She also has something to hide.

Catesby's job is to uncover her story and bury it forever. His quest leads him through the sex scandals of Swinging-Sixties London and then on to Moscow, where a shocking message changes everything.

His next mission is a desperate hunt through the war-torn jungles of Southeast Asia, where he finally makes a heart-breaking discovery that is as personal as it is political. It's a secret that Catesby may not live to share.

'Espionage and geopolitical history rewritten by Evelyn Waugh' Sunday Times

'We attempt to second-guess both Catesby and his crafty creator, and are soundly outfoxed at every turn' Barry Forshaw, Independent

'This cynically complex plot is laid over perfectly described settings, from London to Moscow to Vietnam. Wilson's characters and their consciences come alive to lend the book its power' Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Edward Wilson:

'Stylistically sophisticated . . . Wilson knows how to hold the reader's attention' W.G. Sebald

'A reader is really privileged to come across something like this' Alan Sillitoe

'All too often, amid the glitzy gadgetry of the spy thriller, all the fast cars and sexual adventures, we lose sight of the essential seriousness of what is at stake. John le Carre reminds us, often, and so does Edward Wilson' Independent

Edward Wilson is a native of Baltimore. He studied International Relations on a US Army scholarship and later served as a Special Forces officer in Vietnam. He received the Army Commendation Medal with 'V' for his part in rescuing wounded Vietnamese soldiers from a minefield. His other decorations include the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantryman's Badge. After leaving the Army, Wilson became an expatriate and gave up US nationality to become a British citizen. He has also lived and worked in Germany and France, and was a post-graduate student at Edinburgh University. He now lives in Suffolk where he taught English and Modern Languages for thirty years.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.