Spy Hunter

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What to expect

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SPYMASTERS BEST ESPIONAGE NOVEL OF 2025, ALONGSIDE THE PEACOCK AND THE SPARROW BY I.S. BERRY AND GABRIEL'S MOON BY WILLIAM BOYD

'With action sequences worthy of Lee Child, this is historical crime-writing at its best' Mail on Sunday

'A great series' Mick Herron

***

1914.

Sherlock Holmes has been murdered.

Nobody knows who did it, but Wiggins, former Baker Street irregular and Holmes' protégée, suspects a German spy.

However, Europe is descending into the chaos of the First World War, and Captain Kell of Military Intelligence has limited resources, and more pressing matters on his mind.

Wiggins is on his own as he pursues Holmes' killer across the continent. But as grief and rage close in, it's not just the killer that eludes his grasp . . .

'Lyle's great strength is in his depiction of time and place; from its stinking tenements, where babies cry from hunger, to its sinister docks and upmarket brothels, the Edwardian city - then still part of Britain - is brought to life in all its squalid, magnificent glory' FINANCIAL TIMES

'Impressive period detail and sharp dialogue add charm to the strong plot' DAILY MAIL

'Full throttle . . . delivering entertainment in spades' IRISH INDEPENDENT

Critics Review

A rip-roaring and action-packed derring-do adventure that pokes tongue-in-cheek fun at modern thriller tropes. Highly recommended.
Irish Independent
Engaging series of historical thrillers . . The story rattles along at pace, the characters are engaging and the fight scenes burst with action. But Lyle's great strength is in his depiction of time and place; from its stinking tenements, where babies cry from hunger, to its sinister docks and upmarket brothels, the Edwardian city - then still part of Britain - is brought to life in all its squalid, magnificent glory
Financial Times
Impressive period detail and sharp dialogue add charm to the strong plot
Daily Mail (on The Irregular)
Full throttle . . . delivering entertainment in spades
Myles McWeeney
A fast-moving thriller
Historical Novel Society
. . . what HB Lyle has done . . . is nothing short of inspirational. There are echoes of John Buchan in these books, and enough hard-core spy stuff to keep aficionados happy. The story ends with a promise there could be more adventures with Wiggins should the author choose to record them. We can but hope.
Spybrary
Thoroughly entertaining
Mail on Sunday
A rip-roaring and action-packed derring-do adventure that pokes tonque.in-cheek fun at modern thriller tropes. Highly recommended
Irish Independent Review
Cracking pace, tension, twists and humour. It mixes a hot plot and historical events with real and fictional characters
Sun
Lyle truly captures the spirit of Conan Doyle in these playful, gripping yarns
Jake Kerridge for the Daily Mirror
ripping fun for fans
Peterborough Telegraph

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