Oliver Harris writes a powerful and intense speculative thriller that focuses on the practice of intelligence agencies to collect the kind of information, videos, and photographs on individuals that raises issues of ethics and morality. Under the leadership of John Broughton of MI6, the agency initiated the beginnings of this with the aim of curtailing a foreign power carrying out assassinations on British soil, I am sure readers could probably guess who. However, this out of control practice continued unabated for decades. Elliot Kane, formerly MI6, now a private spy, is called to the brutal murder scene of 2 people, one of whom is Anthony Zachariah, a Russian recruited by him, who had tried to contact him recently, leaving him, his journalist partner, Juliet Bell and her son, Malcolm exposed and in danger.

Rebecca Sinclair is a woman with deeply buried personal secrets, she is currently a respectable woman, married to influential Tory MP Robert Sinclair, with a daughter, Iona. However, everything she has built and the future she thought was secure is now under threat. She gets an email from someone calling themselves Eclipse, who goes on to blackmail her, for an amount that is beyond her resources. He tells her he will put the videos and pictures in the public domain unless she pays up, but she is not the only victim, there is a string of deaths and suicides of prominent figures. Rebecca takes a trip into her past and her fractured unreliable memories to try and understand what is happening. Kane soon becomes aware of the catastrophic leaking on the dark web of the entire MI6 'shame archive' and the implications for him, and the vulnerable powerful and establishment figures MI6 had targeted at home and abroad.

This is a dark, exciting, tense and suspenseful nail biting thriller that held my attention as I raced through the pages until the identity of Eclipse is finally revealed in the surprising concluding finale. This is a salutory tale that recognises the real politik of nations and their intelligence agencies and the information and kind of material they may gather. Harris imagines the potential repercussions of the leaking of such incendiary material into the public arena in a manner that feels all too real. I can see this appealing to a wide range of readers. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Probably the best Elliot Kane thriller yet.

The third book in the Elliot Kane series opens with Rebecca Sinclair, wife of prominent MP Robert Sinclair, receiving an anonymous text message threatening "I know who you really are" and demanding money. To prove they're serious, the blackmailer sends her a series of compromising photographs, promising they will be released onto the internet if she doesn't comply. At the same time, we learn that Elliot Kane has now left the security services and has set up his own "consultancy" with former journalist, and lover Juliet Bell. He is called to a crime scene, to offer insight into the apparent suicide of a Russian oligarch, a former source of Kane's. What could have prompted him to kill himself?

And so the reader is swiftly drawn into a fast-moving and densely-plotted story, viewed from two separate perspectives. The two threads slowly dovetail, as Kane and Rebecca fight to prevent a potential disaster. We learn that a massive digital archive has been put up for sale on the dark web, and hundreds of public figures and intelligence sources are at risk of exposure. Embarrassing for some, but a death-warrant for others. As more and more information is leaked, the reaction of the public, the media and the security services leads to a massive meltdown. There are some excellent scenes throughout the book concerning the impact such revelations have on personal relationships.

This book is unlike the first two Kane novels, darker and more current than either. The author has clearly carried out a lot of research into both the technical details of cybercrime, as well as the ways in which the data is used and abused for criminal gain. He also provides insight into the ways in which governments and intelligence agencies gather, and store, massive amounts of private information, much of which is achieved illegally. The (fictional) archive contains more than seventy years worth of images and recordings, apparently procured to help MI5 identify potential security risks, and as we learn more about Kane's involvement, we see how the best of intentions can easily be twisted.

The effect of the leaks, in terms of public and private reactions, those of governments at home and abroad, and the global implications for finance and diplomacy, while probably over-dramatized for the story, remind us of the Wikileaks scenario, and just how much our modern digital footprints reveal.

This is probably the finest Kane book so far - and although reading the previous two helps, it could easily be read as a stand-alone. Merging fact and fiction, it's a thought-provoking, tense thriller, which I'd heartily recommend to readers.

Rebecca Sinclair seems to have it all, her husband Rob is a cabinet member, they have a lovely eight-year-old daughter, a wonderful and charming home in the exclusive Chilterns. However, she wakes early one morning to a disconcerting text message, which says “I know who you really are” and later as second message, “I have pictures” which duly arrive. Rebecca’s story is the tip of the scandal iceberg as buried deep within MI6 are The Shame Archives known as Kompromat, which appear to have been hacked. All kinds of luminaries are caught in any number of compromising situations, for use if ever needed by the shadowy services. Now, there’s an urgency attached to finding out how the information has leaked, and who has hold of it. Time to call in Elliott Kane, ex MI6, and now a part owner of a private intelligence service, KX Global Insight. This gripping thriller is told by both Elliot and Rebecca. Who is behind this? Who are the mysterious hackers? The situation is dire and the floodgates are open.

First of all, I really like the dual perspectives. Initially we see Rebecca with the threats hanging over her, but she’s gutsy and not going to sit idly by and allow her life to implode. She uses her initiative, faces things head on in her own investigation. At the start of the novel, Kane’s personal life seems to be on the up with a new partner, the likeable ex-journalist, Juliet Bell, and he’s developing a good relationship with her son Mason. However, ex-MI6 agents can never rest on their laurels.

Oliver Harris is an outstanding writer in my opinion, creating high-quality, well thought out thrillers that are extremely hard to put down. They always feel authentic, credible and believable, and this is certainly true here, as it references true events, frequently very scary ones, which are woven effortlessly into Kane’s MI6 backstory. The clever plot is ever changing and fast moving, it’s exciting, full of danger, it’s claustrophobic at times, there’s a haunting sensation and has a chillingly, indifferent, ruthless, unseen protagonist whose intentions are initially unclear. It contains everything I love to read in a political thriller, shady organisations, agents wreaking, havoc for the political “gain “, corruption, and multiple secrets and lies. The plot elements are chock full of intrigue and this makes for enticing and enthralling reading. Tension and suspense are given in a story like this and it’s frequently the scarcely able to breathe kind. Some revelations pull you up sharply as the plot thickens and the mystery deepens, heading into even murkier territory as lives start to unravel. Who to trust is the million dollar conundrum. When the penny finally drops, thanks to a big hint from Elliot, so does my jaw, with a resounding thud. The ending is terrific, it’s really exciting and I hope there’s a next instalment and more Elliott Kane as he’s just the kind of central character that avid thriller fans like.

Overall, this is a cracking novel with rollercoaster plot and one that I can recommend to fans of the genre.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Little Brown Book Group for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Post to Goodreads and X on 21/5/24,

Post to Amazon and Waterstones on 4/6/24

Excellent - the best Kane novel yet - bang up to date, lots of action, mystery and conspiracy. Love the way that Eclipse's leaks start a cascade that causes the world to seem as if it's falling apart...and yet Kane has to get under the skin of what's happening and figure it all out before everything rebounds on him and he becomes the fall guy...terminally!

You can read this as a standalone, or, as part of the series - I thought Ascencion was great - this is even better.

Final veredict - if you like mystery/espionage/thriller books - put this at the top of your list - a "do not miss this book" recommendation from me

This was the first Elliot Kane spy thriller that I have read and it certainly won't be the last. Pacy, exciting, well written with a clever plot that drew me in from the very start. The story is told from two different perspectives, that of the investigator and the other from a blackmail party and the plot gets murkier and more deadly as the book progresses.

A thriller that really lives up to it's name, and a real pleasure to read.

Highly recommended.

This was everything that I love in a thriller. Espionage, murder, conspiracy, politics but also with a deeply human element thrown in.

I didn't actually know before requesting this book that it was the third in a series. I am not a fan of reading books out of sequence so I would have went back and read the first two however I needn't have worried, this can be read as a standalone however you would definitely enjoy it more with the backstory I'm sure.

Here, there has been an apparent hack on MI6 and the so-called 'Shame Archive' - a list of videos, pictures etc. which show prominent politicians, police officers and various others in compromising positions. When the videos start to leak out and blackmail ensues it falls to Elliot Kane, former MI6 employee (who appears to have an inside knowledge of this archive) to try and work out who is responsible for these leaks.

The novel is told from a dual perspective, Elliot, as he attempts to make sense of the leak, as well as Rebecca, now married to a prominent politician but previously a sex worker who appears in some of these pictures.

The dual perspective works really well here, it draws that line between the 'professional' with Elliot as well as the heartbreaking 'personal' story of Rebecca.

Really enjoyable read and a brilliant conclusion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Abacus for an ARC in exchange for an honest review