In February 1939 it is clear that Britain will soon be at war and will depend on Winston Churchill's leadership. But MI5 learns that an enemy agent has been dispatched to assassinate Churchill. Lord Edward Corinth must identify the killer and his first port of call is Cliveden, the Astors' country house, the focus for those who are prepared to go to any lengths to avert war.

Verity Browne is also with the Astors, though she despises the so-called Cliveden Set. Communist Party bosses have told her to get close to another guest, Joseph Kennedy, the American Ambassador, who believes Britain could never win against Germany.

Then the Ambassador's sons, Joe and Jack Kennedy, discover a man's body in Cliveden's grounds and Verity recognizes him to be a fellow journalist. As war looms, Edward and Verity enter a tense race against time to identify the assassin.

Praise for David Roberts' Previous Novels

'A gripping, richly satisfying whodunit with finely observed characters, sparkling with insouciance and stinging menace.' Peter James

'Roberts pays meticulous attention to period detail and the result is a really well-crafted and charming mystery story.' Daily Mail

'A classic murder mystery with as complex a plot as one could hope for and a most engaging pair of amateur sleuths.' Charles Osborne, author of The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie

'This is a witty and meticulous recreation of the class- ridden middle England of the 1930s... a perfect example of golden-age mystery traditions with the cobwebs swept away.' Guardian

'The plot is both intricate and enthralling, like Poirot on the high seas, and lovingly recorded by an author with a meticulous eye and a huge sense of fun.' Michael Dobbs