Surprisingly enjoyed this quite a lot. My normal genre would be modern day with female leads. This was based in the 1960s with a reluctant male English spy lead. Well written and engaging on human relationships and story level. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

A minor criticism: this book is not particularly well-served by its title. 'The Predicament' tells us almost nothing about this novel's contents and risks making it sound like a comedic farce, which it most certainly isn't.
However, don't be put off. This is a perfectly enjoyable sequel to 2023's Gabriel's Moon. That book, set in 1961, saw travel writer, Gabriel Dax getting unwittingly drawn into a world of international espionage. This second book, picks up Dax's adventures in 1963 as we see Dax facing more danger and excitement as he becomes aware of a new dastardly plot: a conspiracy to assassinate the popular US president, John F. Kennedy. Boyd is a never less than compelling writer and this follow-up book featuring Dax proves very nearly as engaging as the first.
But the title is a mistake.