The Wrong Side of the Sky

'Terrific – when better novels of suspense are written, lead me to them' P. G. Wodehouse

Making a threadbare living flying charter cargos of dubious legitimacy around the Mediterranean, Jack Clay's ambition of starting his own chartering company remains a distant dream.

All this changes in Athens when Clay bumps into an old wartime buddy helping the former Nawab of Tungabhadra recover his stolen fortune. Clay joins the hunt, but he is not the only one looking; there are many men – and women – who are prepared to lie and cheat, murder and maim, in order to get to the diamonds first.

First published in 1961, The Wrong Side of the Sky was Gavin Lyall's debut novel and became an international bestseller.

'A model thriller ... Like its hard-flying hero, it's a natural' New York Herald Tribune

Gavin Lyall (1932-2003) was a Royal Airforce pilot, journalist, and prolific author of spy and aviation thrillers.

His years as a Royal Air Force pilot lent his fast paced, tautly written aviation thrillers authenticity. His first novel, The Wrong Side of the Sky, was inspired by his personal experiences in the Libyan and Greece and became an international bestseller. He also worked as a journalist, first with the Picture Post and the BBC, then as the Sunday Times' aviation correspondent.