Lendle

Autumn 1940: Against a backdrop of the Blitz and an imminent German invasion, a cell of fifth columnists are collecting intelligence for their Nazi spymasters. Believing the cover of their most important agent – codenamed ‘Cobalt’ – to have been blown, they concoct an elaborate plan to throw MI5 off their scent. Convinced their ruse has been a success, the gang go on to penetrate one of the most secret facilities in Britain – the Government Code and Cipher School at Bletchley Park. But they haven’t reckoned with Pilot Officer Frank Barton: determined to avenge an RAF colleague murdered by the cell, he teams up with an MI5 officer, Colonel Minton, and together they run an ‘unofficial’ operation to track down and neutralise the gang. Minton introduces him to the murky world of counterespionage, with its double agents, double crossing and double standards. However, Cobalt’s successful penetration of Bletchley Park raises the stakes, for now the gang have information that could change the course of the war – they must be stopped before they can get to the U-boat that has been sent to pick up Cobalt.The clock is now ticking, and to make matters worse, the girl that Barton is soft on has become ensnared in the gang’s web, and he must hunt them down to save her from being killed. The murder of two intelligence officers provides him with a clue that leads to a chase extending from the Midlands to the Scottish Highlands. As the deadline for the U-boat pickup approaches, Barton finds himself pinned down in the middle of a ferocious firefight on the banks of a loch. Can he rescue his girl and stop ‘Cobalt’ from being the one that got away …