Playing with Cobras

In a pit of snakes, Patrick Hyde must wrestle for the truth

Dark secrets come to light among Delhi's rich and powerful when Sereena Sharmar, the film-star wife of high-ranking Indian politician V. K. Sharmar, is killed. It appears to be a crime of passion in which her lover, senior British intelligence officer Philip Cass, is the main suspect.

British field agent Patrick Hyde is coaxed out of retirement and sent to India with the task of confirming whether or not Cass is guilty. The case made against him is airtight: he was found at the scene of the murder, next to the body, covered with blood.

But Casss protestations of innocence complicate matters, and Hyde suspects there is more to this crime than meets the eye. He is soon embroiled in a poisonous scheme of drug-smuggling and corruption, which has spread deep into the very heart of Indias political elite

Fast-paced and lethal, the latest instalment of the Aubrey and Hyde thrillers is perfect for fans of Frederick Forsyth and Robert Ludlum.