The Spy

The Spy

Summary

ONE MISSING BOY. ONE MAN UNDERCOVER. A WHOLE NATION AT RISK.

Detective Kamil Rahman is working for the Metropolitan Police when he gets the call from MI5. They've received intelligence of a terrorist plot, and it's Kamil they need.


Posing as a disaffected cop, and working back in his friend Anjoli's beloved restaurant on Brick Lane, Kamil attempts to infiltrate the cell.


But when a young boy goes missing, Kamil finds the disappearance is linked to his case. What he uncovers leads him halfway across the world to Kashmir, and face to face with an old nemesis…


From Ajay Chowdhury, the award-winning author of THE WAITER, comes the thrilling new Detective Kamil Rahman mystery that's his toughest assignment yet... For fans of Robert Galbraith, Anthony Horowitz and Elly Griffiths.


READERS LOVE THE SPY:


‘An interesting book that dives into the world of extremists… an enjoyable mystery with elements of a thriller.’


‘WOW! The Spy is the perfect mix of contemporary politics, humour, action and romance. It transported me from Brick Lane to Kashmir with love, empathy and a compelling narrative’

‘If this is your first Kamil Rahman novel, you will enjoy it...It has such an interesting and unique plot…incredibly emotional, raw and beautiful. I absolutely love this genre and this was no exception’

‘Another rip roaring read… the reinvention of Kamil’s role in each book keeps the plotting entirely fresh.’


*This is the fourth in the Detective Kamil Rahman series, though each novel can be enjoyed as a stand-alone*


Praise for the Detective Kamil Rahman series:


'Outstanding' SUNDAY TIMES

'Hugely entertaining' ANN CLEEVES

'The Detective has all the ingredients for a great crime series' SUN

'[Kamil is a] likeable inspector . . . We shall hear much more of him' DAILY MAIL

'An elegantly constructed thriller' THE TIMES

'A rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish' ABIR MUKHERJEE


'Chowdhury brings his own expertise in modern tech to the plot, combining it with hot button history, and a biting wit. The series goes from strength to strength' VASEEM KHAN


About the detectives:

Kamil has always wanted to be top cop. With a father who reached the position of Police Commissioner of the Calcutta police, what else could he do, other than hanker after an honourable career chasing the bad guys, just like his dad. However, the odds are stacked against him. He's a Muslim in the Met, facing overt and covert racism and he needs to be twice as good as his colleagues to make it. All of this he could cope with, if only his personal life was humming along smoothly.



Anjoli is searching, but she doesn't know what for. A high-minded psychologist who is super smart, always restless and naturally empathetic, she is meticulous and often finds connections Kamil has missed. She would love to get deeper into crime solving - possibly even have a go at it full-time but she can't shake the feeling that she is an imposter in a game of let's pretend. Kamil makes her laugh, but she doesn't know why she can't make the leap. Why is she so scared of surrendering her heart to him? Does she not feel deserving of love and adoration? Or does she fear a life where she's always waiting for the other shoe to drop?

Reviews

  • Ever since I discovered Ajay Chowdhury's wonderful Kamil Rahman detective novels, they have offered a feast of great stories, vivid characters, mouth-watering food and fascinating insight into the world of Bengali Muslims in London's Brick Lane. I love his mix of humane feeling, romantic comedy and very modern plotting. THE SPY is his fourth and most ambitious, tackling trans-continental crime,.and pitting his engagingly modest, emotionally confused and very brave hero against the worst villain yet. He is a pleasure to read.
    Amanda Craig

About the author

Ajay Chowdhury

Ajay Chowdhury was the inaugural winner of the Harvill Secker–Bloody Scotland crime fiction award. He is a tech entrepreneur and theatre director who was born in India and now lives in London where he builds digital businesses, cooks experimental dishes for his wife and daughters and writes through the night. His children’s book, Ayesha and the Firefish, was published in 2016 and adapted into a musical.

The Waiter, published in 2021, is the first in his critically-acclaimed crime series about Detective Kamil Rahman, an ex-policeman from Kolkata who has moved to Brick Lane in London. It is being adapted for television by Moonage Pictures. Follow-up The Cook was published in May 2022 to excellent reviews and deals with the issue of homelessness. The third book in the series – The Detective – is about government surveillance and AI. The Spy is the fourth book in the Detective Kamil Rahman series.
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