Shock Therapy by Angus Blair

The Times THRILLER of the MONTH, December 2023

'Angus Blair's winning debut novel.... while its inspiration might be the 39 Steps, his accidental hero channels Reggie Perrin as much as Richard Hannay.' James Owen, The Times thriller review

Henry Bradbury's life is in free fall. His marriage has failed, he's about to lose his City job, and he now finds himself dangerously out of his depth as an unlikely agent of the British secret intelligence services. His therapist, Dr Nea Solomon, is the only person he can trust.

Henry's confession of spying on Russians in London doesn't get the reaction he expects. Nea has her own dark secrets to guard and refuses to see her patient again. Now frightened and on his own, a chain of events leads to murder. Having stumbled upon a poison at the heart of the British establishment, Henry fears for his life and decides to lie low at his holiday home in Lisbon. A professional killer catches up with him and a terrifying chase across Europe ensues. He must fade to grey, go off-grid and tramp home to England. Staying just one step ahead, he joins forces with Nea and Felicity Smith, formerly MI6's most senior female officer, previously "buried" by Nea in witness protection in Cornwall. Together, they uncover a plot hatched at Eton College forty years earlier. But who can they trust?