It’s 1971, the Cold War is still chilly, and ex-Detective Sergeant Cameron Kyle returns from an aborted trip abroad to discover that his solo rescue of a coach load of tourists from a terrifying terrorist attack has been closely monitored by MI6.

Not only are the spooks fully aware of his Giza heroics, his dire medical condition, his Welsh misadventures and his involvement in disposing of a high-profile Italian extortionist, but they also break the unexpected news that his partner-in-crime, the rather attractive ex-copper Jude Bates, has been released from prison following her successful appeal and retrial.

His visitor from the Intelligence Service reveals that Bates has recently been employed by a French magazine's news team, but then drops the bombshell that she has mysteriously disappeared while investigating a suspected Russian plot to salvage a deadly warhead lost on the Spanish seabed following the mid-air collision of two US aircraft five years previously.

Will Kyle agree to a short-term contract? (All expenses paid, naturally…)

Sure, he could still die anytime, but the spooks don’t care.

In fact, they think he’s an ideal fit for the job. After all, what does he have to lose?

For fans of J M Dalgliesh, Lee Child, Mark Dawson, and David Baldacci, The Fragile Coast is a high-octane suspenseful crime thriller packed with relentless action, black humor and edge-of-your-seat excitement.