First published 1987
Charles Dennim thought the war had ended his deadly game with a rival intelligence officer. Both men had pursued the same woman during World War II, and their professional rivalry had turned deeply personal. Now she is dead, but the other officer refuses to let their conflict die with her. Dennim finds himself hunted through the English countryside by an enemy who knows his methods as well as he knows his own. The pursuer uses the same skills that once served king and country, turning wartime tradecraft into instruments of private vengeance. Dennim must rely on everything he learned in the intelligence service to survive. The chase moves through forests and villages as two trained killers circle each other. Each man understands how the other thinks, making every move a calculation within a larger deadly puzzle. The woman they both loved is gone, but her memory drives them toward a final confrontation that will settle their score forever. This is a story about how some wars never truly end, and how love and hatred can become impossible to separate.
Genres: 20th-century, adventure, action, espionage
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: England, English Countryside
Period: World War II
264 pages · Hardcover · Isis Large Print Books
Content warnings: violence