The Red Ribbon

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What to expect

SPY HUNTER 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

The thrilling follow up to The Irregular: A Different Class of Spy, featuring Wiggins - an ex-soldier who was trained as a child by Sherlock Holmes.

'H.B. Lyle has found the golden thread between Bond and Holmes' Giles Foden

'Impressive period detail and sharp dialogue' Daily Mail

'A thrilling story of espionage, murder and the creation of the Secret Service' Charles Cumming

Now an agent of the newly-formed Secret Service, Wiggins is still determined to track down Peter the Painter, the murderer of his friend Bill.

Meanwhile, Captain Kell is under pressure to identify who is leaking vital information from the government, and his wife Constance is getting dangerously close to the more militant faction of suffragettes.

When Wiggins traces one of the old Baker Street Irregulars gang to a mysterious club in Belgravia, the action follows thick and fast in another brilliantly compelling novel of betrayal and suspense.

Critics Review

Clever and witty. Readers will hope to see plenty more of Wiggins
Publishers Weekly
Praise for The Irregular: A Different Class of Spy
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A thrilling story of espionage, murder and the creation of the Secret Service
Charles Cumming, author of A Colder War
A flavoursome smorgasbord that features not only Holmes but also Winston Churchill, this is irresistible stuff
Barry Forshaw, Guardian
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 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
Impressive period detail and sharp dialogue add charm to the strong plot
Daily Mail
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

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