As part of TW Lit Fest 2025!

Please note the venue for this performance is in the Trinity Theatre.

Drawing on his years of experience reporting on global security stories and in-depth knowledge of the security services, Frank Gardner has written his most frighteningly real, unnerving and explosive thriller yet.

Across the Strait from Taiwan, China's armed forces appear to be readying for war. Could the People's Republic be preparing to invade its island neighbour?

Britain's Secret Intelligence Service has a mole deep within the Chinese Communist Party leadership – an individual in possession of intel that could defuse this fast-escalating situation. A 'collector' is sent to Hong Kong to meet the spy and collect the information. But before the collector can get the data to MI6, she is overpowered, drugged and abducted by persons unknown. Is it the MSS, China's infamous state security agency? Or has another, less predictable player entered the game?

As geo-political tensions rise, MI6 field operatives Luke Carlton and Jenny Li are dispatched to find the missing agent and the precious intel she carries. With the clock ticking and tip-offs taking them to shady Macau casinos, tawdry night clubs and multiple dead ends, Luke is convinced they are being deliberately strung along.

Then they get the lead they need. It points to Taiwan – a country frantically preparing for imminent invasion. And it's there that Luke and Jenny uncover what is really going on...

Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival 2025 is proudly sponsored by:

Part of Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival 2025. TW Literary Festival 2025 will be running from May 5th to 11th. More authors to be announced very soon!