About the Book
Nancy Brown is an ordinary girl living in the industrial town of Orethorpe at the outbreak of the Second World War. Her life suddenly changes when she is told to report to the mysterious Megg House, and soon she finds herself caught up in a top-secret operation to find German spies operating in the town. Seventy years later Arthur Lane is living in Orethorpe. By chance, he strikes up a friendship with an elderly man, Mr Smith. When a newspaper reporter turns up asking to interview Mr Smith about his role in the war, Arthur learns that Mr Smith has a deep secret. Can he discover what it is? “The Most Dangerous Spy” switches between 1940, when a careless word can leave lives in peril, and 2010, when once-deadly knowledge - including the identity of ‘the most dangerous spy of all’ - can remain secret no longer.
Excerpt from the Book
Nancy was staring at one man and then the other. What did they want with her and how did he know about her German lessons? It was then that the tall, thin man spoke for the first time. “The country is at War, Miss Brown; you know that, of course,” he said, his tone gentle. “What you may not know is that England could be invaded by Hitler’s forces.” He suddenly walked over towards her, reached out to a spare chair in the corner of the room and slammed it down on the floor close to hers. He sat down and leant forward. “Hitler is coming, that’s a fact, but we want to stop him,” he said. “It’s our duty to stop him. It’s my duty and it’s your duty to do whatever we can to aid our own side in keeping the Germans at bay, and you can help us. Do you understand?” “We want you to listen,” the older man explained, taking over from his colleague. “You know how to listen and goodness knows there aren’t enough of you. Nothing to do with running into a line of bullets or trying to get yourself blown up. It’s absurdly simple. We just want you to listen.” Nancy looked at the faces bearing down on her. After a few moments she blurted out: “Listen to what?” The older man leant in even closer, their faces almost touching. “Why, the Germans, of course, German spies.”