Category: HF Reading Challenge

Book Review – Cold Sunset by William Boyd @VikingBooksUk

whatcathyreadnext2 Comments

About the Book

Gabriel Dax is on route to Russia, tasked with delivering a mysterious Blanco drawing to celebrated defector, Kit Caldwell. But Caldwell is convinced that the KGB suspects him of treachery and he wants to get out – now.

When Gabriel is ordered by his enigmatic handler Faith Green to help, he is pulled into a web of shifting loyalties and dangerous escape plans. As tensions rise and trust fractures, he is forced to confront the fine line between devotion and deception. But which will he choose?

Format: Hardcover (272 pages) Publisher: Viking
Publication date: 3rd September 2026 Genre: Historical Fiction, Thriller

Find Cold Sunset on Goodreads

Purchase Cold Sunset from Bookshop.org [Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops]

My Review

Cold Sunset is the third book in the series featuring reluctant spy Gabriel Dax, the follow-up to Gabriel’s Moon and The Predicament.

He may still be a reluctant spy who would rather be pursuing his career as a travel writer but Gabriel Dax is certainly now a more experienced one. However it’s not in ways he’s very happy about. Previous missions have put him in a position where he’s been involved in fatal confrontations making him ponder just what he’s become capable of. ‘How had he managed to do what he’d just done? What instincts had taken over? What kind of person was he becoming?’

It’s all because he remains in thrall to the alluring and enigmatic Faith Green, head of the MI6 section known as ‘the termite hunters’ charged with rooting out traitors in the service.

It’s as part of one of these ‘termite hunting’ missions that Gabriel finds himself sent to California to make contact with a poet, Francis Falkner, who has information about a former Bletchley Park colleague he suspects of passing information to the Russians. Gabriel feels uncomfortable about the task given they often end up so badly. On the other hand it gives him an opportunity to gather material for his latest book. One of the joys of the series is the insight we get into the books Gabriel is working on, some of which sound really interesting, and getting glimpses of his rather florid writing style. I suspect Boyd has a lot of fun with this.

Gabriel’s fear that past events will catch up with him proves well-founded, resulting in another narrow escape once back in England. He barely has time for another long lunch with his publisher or a quickie with his ex-girlfriend before he’s sent to Russia to assist in the exfiltration of Kit Caldwell, a British triple agent for whom Gabriel has been acting as decoy by posing as a double agent. (Yes, it got my head spinning too.) Caldwell believes his position has been compromised and he needs to get out of Russia in double quick time before the KGB catch up with him. The carefully planned mission looks foolproof on paper but is anything ‘foolproof’ in a world where duplicity is a way of life.

Ah, duplicity thy name is Faith Green. (It’s not even her real name.) Gabriel finds her tantalising even though she seems able to move from passionately intimate to coldly indifferent in a split second. He believes he loves her but does she feel the same way about him? Sometimes he thinks the answer is yes, at other times he wonders if he’s just being manipulated. One of the great things about the series is the way the author keeps us guessing about her as well, no more so than in this book.

The fallout from the exfiltration mission and the possibility there is another traitor in MI6 means Gabriel must lie low for a while. But is there anywhere in the world where someone can’t track you down?

Gabriel is someone you can’t help rooting for even though he often makes foolish blunders, smokes and drinks too much and is a bit of a loner. (The only person he really opens up to is his therapist Dr Katrina Haas.) But while researching his books he’ll happily chat to anyone whether that’s a man employed to clear up cigarette butts and dog shit in Red Square or a barber on a remote Greek island.

Cold Sunset is another thoroughly enjoyable, stylish spy thriller. Is this the final outing for Gabriel Dax? I really hope not.

I received a review copy courtesy of Viking via NetGalley.

In three words: Intriguing, entertaining, well-crafted
Try something similar: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre

About the Author

Author William Boyd

WILLIAM BOYD was born in 1952 in Accra, Ghana, and grew up there and in Nigeria. He is the award-winning author of seventeen highly acclaimed novels and five collections of stories. He divides his time between London and France. (Photo: Goodreads author page/Bio: Publisher author page)

Connect with William
Website | Facebook | Instagram

Book Review – Seething Lane by Jack Jewers

whatcathyreadnext1 Comment

About the Book

January 1670. London is enduring its worst winter in decades. But for Samuel Pepys, the darkest days are yet to come.

When a strange young man turns up at his office on Seething Lane asking for help, Samuel Pepys is too distracted to take him seriously. Nell Gwyn is about to make her scandalous return to the stage and he wouldn’t miss it for all the world.

But in the cold of a winter’s dawn, tragedy strikes. Called upon to investigate the brutal murder of a libertine aristocrat, Pepys discovers that the dead man is connected to his mysterious visitor in the most shocking way possible.

A trail of secrets leads Pepys from the backstreets of London to the glamorous world of the theatre, where nothing is quite as it seems. But whatever the dangers, he may find that the deadliest threat lies closer to home..

Format: Hardback (473 pages) Publisher: Moonflower Publishing
Publication date: 3rd September 2026 Genre: Historical Fiction, Crime

Find Seething Lane on Goodreads

Purchase Seething Lane from Bookshop.org [Disclosure: If you buy a book via the above link, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops]

My Review

Seething Lane is the second book in the author’s historical mystery series featuring famous diarist Samuel Pepys. In reality Samuel Pepys kept a diary for almost ten years but then suddenly stopped for reasons that are unknown but have been the subject of much speculation. As in the first book, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, the author imagines the events Pepys might have recorded in his diaries had he continued.

This is an unsettled period in English history. King Charles II is without a legitimate heir, despite fathering numerous children with his equally numerous mistresses, thus creating uncertainty about the succession. Without an heir, Charles’s brother James will inherit the throne but he is a Catholic which threatens a return to civil unrest. London is a city being rebuilt in the wake of the Great Fire of London but theatres have re-opened and, scandalously for some, women can now appear on the stage. The author cleverly incorporates elements of these into a plot that involves murder, conspiracy, treachery and political intrigue whilst at the same time being a rip-roaring adventure.

The focus for much of the action is the Drury Lane Theatre. Pepys is a dedicated theatre-goer but unexpectedly finds himself playing a role in a production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, sponsored by the King as a vehicle for his current mistress, Nell Gwyn. Nell is an accomplished actress with the ability to bring the house down with a cheeky wink or unscripted double entrendre. I loved Nell’s bawdy wit and her realism, understanding that her position as the King’s mistress will only be temporary so she better make the most of it while it lasts.

As imagined by the author, Samuel Pepys is not only a diligent diarist but an intrepid investigator, a faithful friend and someone with an unexpected taste for adventure. He also proves to be doggedly determined but dangerously impulsive at times. However, his focus on the investigation he has been tasked with means he’s distracted from events at home.

The book immerses the reader in the London of the period in all its grimy and fetid detail. The streets and alleyways are places of danger and desperate poverty. For many it’s a miserable existence. In contrast, the theatre is a magical place, transformed from empty auditorium to a scene of spectacle once the players take to the stage.

The book includes some great characters, many based on real individuals, including Pepys’ longtime assistant Will Hewer. Some things we learn about characters made me think ‘Surely that’s an invention?’ but it turned out it was rooted in fact. The book contains beautifully drawn maps and floor plans of key locations.

By the end of the book, it’s clear there are some things that, for reasons of state, must be kept under wraps. As for Pepys, well, certain events have changed his life forever.

With its combination of intriguing plot, colourful characters and great period atmosphere, Seething Lane will definitely appeal to fans of historical crime mysteries.

My thanks to Amanda at Moonflower Books for my proof copy.

In three words: Entertaining, inventive, intriguing
Try something similar: Rags of Time by Michael Ward

About the Author

Jack Jewers is a filmmaker and writer. His 2022 debut, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, was named one of the Sunday Times‘ historical fiction books of the year, and a book of the month by The Independent and Financial Times. His career has been spent telling stories across multiple media formats and his work includes film, TV, and digital media.

His films have been shown at international film festivals, including Cannes, New York, Marseille, Dublin, and London’s Fright-Fest, garnering multiple accolades, including an award from the Royal Television Society and a nomination from BAFTA Wales for Best Short Film.Jack’s passion for history has led him to many unexpected places, from hidden love stories in 3000-year-old poetry, to sending a portrait of Shakespeare into space.

Seething Lane is Jack’s second novel.

Connect with Jack
Website | Instagram | Bluesky