The Eastern Ukraine Question

The first of the John Mordred novels!

“Readers will find John Mordred to be one of the most appealing characters in fiction today.” – Publisher’s Daily.

“John Mordred comes alive on the page and is a character readers will not soon forget.” – The Booklife Review.

When a cabal of Russian oligarchs instigates unrest in the far east of Russia as the first stage of an attempt to unseat Vladimir Putin, Britain offers covert support in the form of five highly trained intelligence operatives. The disturbances mirror those in Eastern Ukraine and, if pushed far enough, they might persuade the Kremlin to retract its territorial interests in Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhia.

However, once the five Brits are shipped east, events take an unexpected turn. One by one, they begin to disappear.

Enter Grey Department’s John Mordred. Latter-day beatnik, loner, mystic, linguistic genius; by grudging consensus, MI7’s best agent. ‘Best’, that is, apart from one little flaw: a stubborn habit of deferring to his conscience when the chips are down. He may be very, very good in a crisis, but fatally, he won’t necessarily defend the realm.

“James Ward brings protagonist John Mordred alive on the page … The author displays exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling.” – Emerald Book Review.

The Eastern Ukraine Question was written in 2014, at the same time as the events which form its backdrop.