First published 1907
Adolph Verloc operates a shabby shop in London's Soho district, but his real work happens in the shadows. He serves as a covert operative for an anarchist organization, balancing his mundane commercial life with his clandestine political activities. His world shifts when his superiors demand he execute a bombing mission targeting the Greenwich Observatory. Verloc must navigate this perilous assignment while protecting his domestic life and family relationships. The operation spirals beyond his control, setting in motion events that will destroy the careful equilibrium he has maintained between his public persona and secret allegiances. As his scheme collapses, Verloc faces devastating consequences that will shatter both his mission and the lives of those closest to him.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, crime, espionage, 19th-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: London, Soho
Period: World War I
272 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics
Content warnings: violence