The Irregular: A Different Class of Spy: (The Irregular Book 1) - Hardcover

H.B. Lyle

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 147365534X ISBN 13: 9781473655348

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton, 2017

Synopsis

London 1909: The British Empire spans the globe, seen as an invulnerable imperial power—but in Russia, there is revolution in the wind; in Germany, an arms race; and in London, the streets are alive with foreign agents provocateur.

Vernon Kell, head of counterintelligence at the War Office, wants to set up a Secret Service, an agency with a mandate to act domestically and abroad to protect the interests of the Empire. But to convince his political masters of its necessity, he needs proof of a threat. To find that proof, he needs an agent he can trust who is smart, ruthless—and able to blend in with the hoi polloi. Eton may produce good army and naval officers, but not men who can work undercover in a munitions factory, from which secrets have been leaked to the Germans . . .

Kell's old friend Sherlock Holmes tells him Wiggins is the man he needs. Wiggins was one of Holmes’s “Baker Street Irregulars”, a gang of urchin investigators he trained and organized. Wiggins, on his own since age 7, became a cunning street fighter. As a soldier in the Boer War (1899-1902), he also learned how to fight dirty from the Boer guerilla fighters of South Africa. Holmes calls Wiggins "the best” because he also has a talent for deduction second only to the Great Detective himself.

But Wiggins turns down Kell’s job—he "don't do official." Then his best friend, Bill, a constable with the London police, is killed by Russian anarchists, and Wiggins realizes that accepting the role of secret agent could give him the cover he needs to pursue revenge against Bill's killers.

Tracking down the Russian gang responsible for the murder and assembling a motley network of allies and informants in the process, Wiggins begins to unravel a deadly international conspiracy that reaches far beyond the munitions factory.

About this title

About the Author

H.B. Lyle lives in South London with his partner and their twin daughters. After a career in feature film development, he took an MA in creative writing, followed by a PhD, at the University of East Anglia, an experience which led to the creation of The Irregular. He also writes screenplays and teaches undergraduates.

Review

I thoroughly enjoyed H.B. Lyle's The Irregular, which imagines Wiggins, the street urchin who helps Holmes in Conan Doyle's tales, grown up and working for the real-life spymaster Vernon Kell...Smart, sophisticated...will still appeal to those unrefined readers - like me - who devoured the Holmes stories when we were young, and secretly believe that nothing in life has been as exciting since * Daily Telegraph * A fast-moving, hugely enjoyable story with interesting characters and authentic background...It is the first of a series, and I look forward to the sequels * The Historical Novel Society * The pacing in The Irregular is near perfect... a rip-roaring page-turner of a book and a rollicking good read * The Tattooed Book Geek * It is hard to generate something new in such an avalanche of well-worn tropes, but H.B. Lyle has managed to do that quite cleverly in The Irregular * Crime Time * An exciting, action packed adventure ... Lyle has chosen an interesting and highly engaging way to take the Sherlock Holmes legacy in a new and thrilling direction * Shots * H.B. Lyle has found the golden thread between Bond and Holmes in a thriller which engages on every page -- Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland Impressive period detail and sharp dialogue add charm to the strong plot * Daily Mail * A good deal of excitement and some enjoyable riffing on both the history of espionage and the Conan Doyle canon, with cameos of everybody from Winston Churchill to Mr Holmes himself... the book is a treat * Sunday Express * A fine first entry in what promises to be a great new series. Wiggins is a captivating hero, and Lyle draws his Edwardian backstreets in convincing colour. The game is most definitely afoot. -- Mick Herron, author of Slow Horses A flavoursome smorgasbord that features not only Holmes but also Winston Churchill, this is irresistible stuff * Barry Forshaw, Guardian * A thrilling story of espionage, murder and the creation of the Secret Service -- Charles Cumming, author of A Colder War [A] twist-filled adventure that proves far from elementary * Wall Street Journal *

Edition details

• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 147365534X
• ISBN 13: 9781473655348
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 277