Invasion

<p>2024, and China is massing troops on its coast across the Strait from Taiwan. This time it looks like they''re serious about invading an act that would result in a full scale war between the People''s Republic and the US and its allies, including the UK.<br> But Britain''s Secret Intelligence Service has an agent in play - a source close to the top of the Chinese Communist Party who''s ready to pass on vital secrets that could defuse the looming conflict. But just as the handover is taking place in a backstreet cafe in Hong Kong, the agent''s MI6 handler is snatched before she can transmit the data back to London. There are few clues as to who might be responsible. Is it the MSS, China''s infamous state security agency? Or could it be another, less predictable player in the game? <br> Luke Carlton, now one of MI6''s most experienced field operatives, is sent to track down the missing agent. It''s a highly sensitive mission for a multitude of reasons and accompanying him is his Manda

What they''re saying about Frank Gardner''s thrillers . . . ‘Fast, taut, tense, accurate.’ FREDERICK FORSYTH ''Utterly authentic.'' DAILY MAIL‘High-voltage storytelling.’ TONY PARSONS ‘An enthralling, intelligent read.’ FINANCIAL TIMES‘Combines insider knowledge with heart-in-mouth excitement.’ i-NEWSPAPER__________________________________________The world is on high alert. 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 meet the spy and, in an anonymous Hong Kong café, the information is handed over. 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 vital 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. . .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.''Grips from the very first page . . . this is thriller writing of a high order . . . Gardner steadily ratchets up the tension, peppering the narrative with nuggets of expertise to make an enthralling, intelligent read.'' Adam LeBor, FINANCIAL TIMES (about Outbreak)