The Agent Runner

British by birth, foreign by descent, and agnostic by conviction, Edward Henry Malik is an MI6 handler—an agent runner. For four years he has been running an agent codenamed Nightingale inside Pakistan’s notorious ISI, keeping watch on its links to Al Qaeda and the Taliban and its machinations in neighboring Afghanistan, but mostly monitoring for threats to the British homeland. Then, in the aftermath of Osama bin Laden’s killing, Nightingale is exposed and Ed’s world falls apart.Dismissed from MI6 and with his reputation in tatters, Ed returns to his roots in the immigrant enclave of Whitechapel in London’s East End. He takes a job at a freight forwarding office and unexpectedly falls in love with the proprietor’s daughter. It seems as if he has finally found respite from his demons. But you can’t escape your past. Ed knows too much, and he has come to the attention of Major General Javid Aslam Khan—Pakistan’s legendary spymaster, known as the Hidden Hand.This lean, propulsive thriller tells a classic story of love, trust, and betrayal set against today’s Great Game, while in the background swirl rumors of a one-legged mullah and a shadowy militia with the means to detonate a dirty bomb. Ed Found It Difficult To Explain Why He Felt Such A Strong Allegiance To Britain, Perhaps Because He Found It Difficult To Define What It Meant To Be British. British By Birth, Foreign By Descent And Agnostic By Conviction, Edward Henry Malik Is An Mi6 Agent-runner. For Four Years He Has Been Running An Agent Codenamed Nightingale Inside The Isi, Pakistan's Hydra-headed Spying Agency. Then, In The Aftermath Of The Death Of Osama Bin Laden, Nightingale Is Unmasked And Ed's World Dramatically Falls Apart. Dismissed From Mi6 And With His Reputation In Tatters, Ed Returns To His Roots In The Immigrant Enclave Of Whitechapel In London's East End. He Finds A Job At A Freight Forwarding Office And Unexpectedly Falls In Love With The Proprietor's Daughter. It Seems As If He Has Finally Found Respite From His Demons. But You Can't Escape Your Past. Ed Knows Too Much And He Has Come To The Attention Of The Hidden Hand - Pakistan's Legendary Spy Of Spies - Major-general Javid Aslam Khan. From The Teeming City Of Lahore To The Anarchic Tribal Areas Bordering Afghanistan, With A Plot To Detonate The Dirtiest Bomb Imaginable, The Agent Runner Carves A Dramatic Arc Across Modern Pakistan And Reaches A Thunderous Climax In The Mountains Of The Hindu Kush. Praise For A Loyal Spy: It's Sprawling, Violent And Contemporary, With Whiffs Of Authenticity That Lift It Above The Crowd The Spectator Conway Has Concocted A Credible, And Wholly Cynical, Tale Of Dirt, Death And Double-dealing The Times A Loyal Spy Is So Vivid, So Real, That Reading It You Sense Simon Conway Must Almost Have Lived It Himself Jon Snow British by birth, foreign by descent, and agnostic by conviction, Edward Henry Malik is an MI6 handler�an agent runner. For four years he has been running an agent codenamed Nightingale inside Pakistan�s notorious ISI, keeping watch on its links to Al Qaeda and the Taliban and its machinations in neighboring Afghanistan, but mostly monitoring for threats to the British homeland. Then, in the aftermath of Osama bin Laden�s killing, Nightingale is exposed and Ed�s world falls apart. Dismissed from MI6 and with his reputation in tatters, Ed returns to his roots in the immigrant enclave of Whitechapel in London�s East End. He takes a job at a freight forwarding office and unexpectedly falls in love with the proprietor�s daughter. It seems as if he has finally found respite from his demons. But you can�t escape your past. Ed knows too much, and he has come to the attention of Major General Javid Aslam Khan�Pakistan�s legendary spymaster, known as the Hidden Hand.