by Len Deighton
First published 1982
June 11, 1940. Winston Churchill has disappeared. A mysterious aircraft lifts off from a small French town as German forces sweep across Europe. Near the Belgian border, Adolf Hitler prepares for a covert rendezvous that could reshape the war's outcome. The British government has buried this day's events for over four decades, creating their most protected state secret. Intelligence operatives discover that anyone who uncovers the truth faces immediate elimination under the classified XPD protocol. As investigators dig deeper into Churchill's whereabouts and Hitler's clandestine agenda, they must navigate a deadly web of wartime deception. The closer they come to the truth about that fateful day in 1940, the more dangerous their situation becomes. This is a story about secrets that governments will kill to protect and the people who risk everything to expose them.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, thriller, action, espionage
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, government-conspiracy, investigation
Setting: Belgium, France
Period: 1940
377 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Ballantine Books