The Story
1915. German guns are on their way to Ireland. The British government faces its worst nightmare: insurrection at home while it struggles with bloody stalemate on the Western Front. A British spy, Sebastian Wolff of the new Secret Service Bureau, is given the task of hunting down its enemies: one a traitor reviled by the society that honoured him as a national hero; the other a German American doctor who, instead of healing the sick, is developing a terrifying new weapon that he will use in the country of his birth.
Wolff’s mission will take him undercover into the corridors of power in Berlin – where he must win the confidence of the German spymaster who controls both men – then across the Atlantic in a race against time to prevent the destruction of the ships and supplies Britain so desperately needs to stave off defeat.
Moving from London to the Baltic coast, from Berlin to New York, The Poison Tide is set against a war like none before, in which men die in their thousands every day. And there are those on both sides who will use any weapon, who accept no limits, no morality except victory.
Review
‘Two novels have established Andrew Williams as an outstanding writer of the historical thriller or spy story. The Poison Tide will only enhance his reputation. It is very good indeed . . . Compelling and smoothly engineered . . . You will be lucky if you come upon a more engrossing and enjoyable historical thriller this year. Or perhaps next year.’
Allan Massie, Scotsman
‘A first-class thriller . . . possesses a richness of characterisation and intelligence that few can match.’ The Sunday Times
‘A cracking read, a thriller that has heft . . . powerful and forthright.’ History Today