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Frame 37

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

In a world of lies, proof is power


John Dyer is living a quiet life when he receives a call that changes everything: an old university friend, Lia, has been killed. Decades have passed since his last heartbreaking conversation with her, but Dyer finds himself driven to investigate.

What Dyer uncovers puts him in the path of a political conspiracy with one man at its heart. A man who forty years ago committed a crime witnessed by just four people. When another of the witnesses dies in suspicious circumstances, Dyer finds himself in danger of his life. To combat the forces arrayed against him, he needs incontrovertible proof – but will he find it in time?

As Dyer chases his leads from Tasmania to Argentina and finally to Michigan, where it all began, he unwittingly pits himself against an adversary more powerful than he could have imagined, in a race as heartstopping as tomorrow’s headlines.


PRAISE FOR NICHOLAS SHAKESPEARE:

'A remarkable contemporary thriller... A triumph' William Boyd

'An absorbing thriller with shades of John le Carré' Evening Standard

'One of our best and truest novelists' The Times

'Exciting... A page-turner' Daily Telegraph

‘Wonderfully well written... with an insidious escalation of menace, and paranoia that fairly shimmers off the pages’ Guardian

© Nicholas Shakespeare 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Critics Review

A tremendous, richly rewarding novel, written with great intelligence and narrative brio. Completely enthralling
William Boyd
If you’re not averse to a slow-burn literary thriller, this globe-trotting saga is a first-rate example: nothing is stereotypical
Sunday Times
A fast-paced political thriller, completely contemporary and very believable...an addictive page-turner with a relatable protagonist in a race against time to evade a shadowy force of murderous intent... a beautifully-written novel about memory and youth, and loss of innocence... highly recommended
Charles Beaumont
Frame 37 is terrifyingly resonant at a time when allegations of high level corruption and sexual violence are shrugged off in Washington. With our hero in mounting danger, I was unable to put down this intelligently written thriller as I sped towards the denouement
Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor Channel 4 News, and author I BROUGHT THE WAR WITH ME; STORIES AND POEMS FROM THE FRONT LINE
This master of the meaningful thriller has again astounded me...reminiscent of the best of Graham Greene. If you want your thriller writer to be an accomplished novelist: Shakespeare's your man. If you want your thriller writer to let things rip: Shakespeare’s your man. He is an encompassing talent.
Thomas Keneally
Frame 37 finds John Dyer coming into conflict with an old university classmate now running for high office. The title agreeably suggests dark tricks. He is a novelist who blends public and private lives persuasively in a way that is reminiscent of a master of this sort of novel, Graham Greene
Scotsman
Rich in atmosphere and foreboding and menace; from Buenos Aires to Washington DC, a group of friends are being hunted down by the unburied past. A thriller with chilling contemporary resonance, exploring shifting identity and the darkness at the heart of power. Can the innocent outrun the shadow of history?
Sinclair McKay
The prize-winning novelist and Ian Fleming biographer blends suspenseful political fiction with elegant prose stylings in a new thriller featuring ex-foreign correspondent-turned-investigator John Dyer
Zoomer
Author Nicholas Shakespeare
Narrator David Bark-Jones
Duration 12 hours and 57 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781529973211
Format Audiobook
Publisher Random House
Genre Crime and mystery fiction, Espionage and spy thriller, Narrative theme: Politics, Political / legal thriller
Availability AU, GB, IE

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