Available to pre-order, release date 22nd October 2026.
This the second book in Vaseem Khan's Q Mysteries series, following the life of Q post MI6. The first book, Quantum of Menace described as a cosy-crime adventure was The Sunday Times Thriller of the Month.
The new mystery features the former head of MI6's Q Branch, Major Boothroyd in his hometown of Wickstone-on-Water. Fresh from successfully reinvestigating his childhood friend's mysterious death, Q is hired as a civilian contractor by the police in his sleepy hometown to look into the unsolved murder of tech millionaire turned online antique dealer, Laurence Noble. Six months ago, Noble was tortured and killed, a circular object made of gold and inscribed with mysterious runes found in his pocket. As Q investigates, he finds himself dragged into a chilling conspiracy where past and present meet in a way he could not possibly have imagined.
