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BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE SCARLET PAPERS: THE TIMES THRILLER OF THE YEAR 2023

The Insider

My Name Is Nobody

The Scarlet Papers

Penguin Shop: 3 Clothbound Classics for £33

Chosen by many readers as the best spy novel of this year

Superbly constructed and written with flair, it manages to debunk John le Carré's world and to reaffirm its mystique. It's highly unlikely that there will be a better espionage novel this year

A shot in the arm for thriller fans

A breathtaking thriller. A classic in the making

This is the most impressive espionage debut since Mick Herron's Slow Horses. Filled with fast-moving action and a fine line in threat, it weaves a thrilling spell

Look out for The Scarlet Papers . . . Engrossing

Smart, slick and totally gripping . . . The Scarlet Papers is always credible, always startling and almost painfully human. A total triumph

Grand in scope and packed with fascinating insights

Addictive, original and outrageously entertaining . . . Matthew Richardson proves himself a writer of huge talent and skill

Sprawling, ambitious, inspired by real events

Superbly constructed and written with flair ... this might be the best spy novel of the year

Superbly constructed in an elaborate twisty spy yarn. It's highly unlikely that there will be a better espionage novel this year

The Cold War is given a new twist ... Impressive, superior spy stuff

Intricate and fast moving, it weaves a thrilling spell

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy meets James Bond

The Times Thriller of the Year 2023

VIENNA, 1946: A brilliant German scientist spirited out of the ruins Nazi Europe in search of a new life. 
 
MOSCOW, 1964: A rising star of the British diplomatic service whose job is not what it seems. 
 
LONDON, THE PRESENT DAY: A once promising academic offered an opportunity to seal his place in history. 
 
Their stories, their lives, and the fate of the world, are bound by a single document: 
 
THE SCARLET PAPERS 
 
The devastating secrets contained within teased by a brief invitation: 
 
Tomorrow 11AM. Take a cab and pay in cash. Tell no one.

THE BOOK THOSE IN THE KNOW ARE CALLING THE BEST SPY NOVEL OF THE YEAR 
 
*** One of the 50 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2023 in the Daily Telegraph ****** A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 ****** A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 *** 
‘Superbly constructed in an elaborate twisty spy yarn. It's highly unlikely that there will be a better espionage novel this year’ THE SUNDAY TIMES 
'A breathtaking thriller. A classic in the making' PETER JAMES 
'Hugely impressive and compelling' WILLIAM BOYD 
‘A natural-born storyteller’ JEFFERY DEAVER 
___________ 
 London, present day 
 Historian Max Archer is invited to a clandestine meeting with legendary Cold War spymaster, Scarlet King. Her offer to share the explosive secrets born of over half a century at the heart of global espionage would be life-changing. 
 But Max has little reason to trust a woman whose name is a byword for deceit and ruthlessness. Soon he is on the wrong side of the law and on the run. As the net closes tighter around him he must somehow discover the truth. 
 Because it’s not just his life on the line – but also the fate of the Western world . . .___________ 
 ‘Intricate and fast moving, it weaves a thrilling spell’ DAILY MAIL 
 'Smart, slick and totally gripping . . . The Scarlet Papers is always credible, always startling and almost painfully human. A total triumph' TONY PARSONS 
 'A masterpiece' TIM GLISTER 
*** DISCOVER MY NAME IS NOBODY AND THE INSIDER, FURTHER SPY NOVELS BY MATTHEW RICHARDSON ***

Matthew Richardson studied English at Durham University and Merton College, Oxford. After a brief spell as a freelance journalist, he began working as a researcher and speechwriter in Westminster, and has also written speeches for senior figures in the private sector. He is the author of My Name is Nobody and The Insider.

The Scarlet Papers

The Times Thriller of the Year 2023

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