Invasion – Gardner Frank (2025)

The world is on high alert as China’s armed forces appear to be preparing for war across the Strait from Taiwan. Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service has a mole deep within the Chinese Communist Party leadership, carrying intelligence that could defuse the rapidly escalating crisis. A collector sent to meet the spy receives the information in an anonymous Hong Kong café, but before she can deliver it to MI6, she is overpowered, drugged and abducted. The suspects include China’s feared state security agency, the MSS, but another, less predictable player may also be involved. As geopolitical tensions rise, MI6 field operatives Luke Carlton and Jenny Li set out to find the missing agent and the vital intelligence she carries. Their search leads through shady Macau casinos, tawdry nightclubs and a series of dead ends, convincing Luke that they are being deliberately misled. A crucial lead finally points to Taiwan, where the country is frantically preparing for an imminent invasion. There, Luke and Jenny uncover what is really happening. Drawing on his experience reporting on global security and his detailed knowledge of the intelligence services, Frank Gardner delivers a tense and unnervingly realistic thriller.