About this item
From humble beginnings in Ireland, William Melville has risen through hard work, intelligence, and occasional brute force to become head of Britain's Special Branch, personal bodyguard to Queen Victoria and her family, and the scourge of anarchists at home and abroad. But when in January 1901 the aged Queen dies and the crowned heads of Europe converge on London for her funeral, Melville learns of a conspiracy, led by a mysterious nihilist known only as Akushku, to assassinate Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany at the ceremony. Racing to prevent the atrocity, Melville and his German counterpart Gustav Steinhauer find themselves tangled in a web of adultery, betrayal, and violence. As the funeral looms ever closer, Melville realizes that Akushku is the most resourceful and vicious foe he has yet encountered - but is the real threat from Melville's enemies, or his allies?.
About the Author
Niall Leonard was born in 1959 in grew up in Newry, Northern Ireland. He graduated from the UK National Film and TV School in 1986 as a director and screenwriter, and went on to write comedies, thrillers and historical dramas for UK network TV, including Ballykissangel, Hornblower, Monarch of the Glen, Silent Witness and Wire In The Blood. His first novel, Crusher, was published in 2012 by Random House, and nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America and for Best First Novel by the 2013 Edinburgh Book Festival. Two sequels, Incinerator and Shredder, will be published in 2014.
