Now the Darkness Gathers

 

I served as an intelligence officer and my second novel focuses on the early days of naval intelligence and the Secret Service prior to the outbreak of WW1. It is perfectly true that the Admiralty persuaded the Treasury to invest in Persian oil fields to safeguard the navy’s oil supplies. There was, indeed, a German plot to foment a holy war against the British, but it actually took place after the war had started. John Buchan, himself a former MI6 agent, based his novel Greenmantle on these events.

 

Britain’s intelligence services must adapt to the growing threat of war with Germany

 

As tensions between Edwardian Britain and Germany rise, rumours abound of German spies in Britain disguised as waiters and Captain William Miller VC is instrumental in forming the new Secret Service. Unable to follow his heart and join the Royal Navy, his son, Peter Miller, a gifted linguist, is persuaded to penetrate Germany’s own intelligence service. But when Peter’s cover is blown, it has terrifying consequences.

 

Accused by his father of shameful cowardice, Peter must find the courage to win back the respect of the man he most admires. Volunteering for a clandestine mission to prevent the Germans laying their hands on Persian oil destined for the Royal Navy’s new Dreadnoughts, it falls to him to uncover and foil a far more devilish plot – one that threatens to explode the British Empire.

 

Roving from the green hills of Lancashire to the Lut desert of Persia, this second engaging thriller from Shaun Lewis weaves together the early history of Britain’s modern-day intelligence services, Britain’s acquisition of Persian oil fields and the true story of a German plot to prevent the British Empire’s vast army in India from joining the Great War. Above all, it is a page-turning account of one man’s journey to redemption. It will appeal to admirers of John Buchan’s Greenmantle and AEW Mason’s Four Feathers.