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Honour Among Spies
A TIMES THRILLER OF THE MONTH
'Absolutely gripping' Alex Gerlis, Every Spy a Traitor
'Nygate is not afraid to get her hands bloody' James Owen, The Times
'Perfect for fans of early le Carré and Len Deighton' Gavin Collinson – author of An Accident in Paris
At the heart of London's spy operations, Mossad head of station Eli carries the scars of a past disaster while grappling with the turbulent political landscape back home. His resolve to uphold his duty and keep his job is tested like never before.
Desperate to tip the scales in the espionage game, Eli concocts a risky plan involving tampered drones destined for Russian hands. But to execute this plan, he has to exploit those closest to him. Eli's moral compass clashes with the mission, leading him down a treacherous path of betrayal.
As the stakes escalate, Eli finds himself embroiled in a deadly web, racing to foil an apocalyptic agenda. Alliances are tested, sacrifices are made, and Eli must confront the consequence of his actions head-on, and navigate a shadowy underworld to prevent a terrorist plot from unleashing chaos on a global scale. Will they emerge victorious, or will the darkness consume them all?
A must-read for fans of Homeland and NCIS, it will also appeal to readers of Charles Cumming and John le Carré.
'Absolutely gripping' Alex Gerlis, Every Spy a Traitor
'Nygate is not afraid to get her hands bloody' James Owen, The Times
'Perfect for fans of early le Carré and Len Deighton' Gavin Collinson – author of An Accident in Paris
At the heart of London's spy operations, Mossad head of station Eli carries the scars of a past disaster while grappling with the turbulent political landscape back home. His resolve to uphold his duty and keep his job is tested like never before.
Desperate to tip the scales in the espionage game, Eli concocts a risky plan involving tampered drones destined for Russian hands. But to execute this plan, he has to exploit those closest to him. Eli's moral compass clashes with the mission, leading him down a treacherous path of betrayal.
As the stakes escalate, Eli finds himself embroiled in a deadly web, racing to foil an apocalyptic agenda. Alliances are tested, sacrifices are made, and Eli must confront the consequence of his actions head-on, and navigate a shadowy underworld to prevent a terrorist plot from unleashing chaos on a global scale. Will they emerge victorious, or will the darkness consume them all?
A must-read for fans of Homeland and NCIS, it will also appeal to readers of Charles Cumming and John le Carré.
397 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 11, 2024
143 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
About the author
Merle Nygate
10 books18 followersI’m the author of The Righteous Spy, winner of the 2017 Little Brown/UEA Crime Fiction Award. It's my first espionage novel. Previously I've worked as a screenwriter and script editor working on BAFTA winning TV, New York Festival audio drama, written original sitcoms and script edited across multiple genres..
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 26, 2024
Too Americanised/cringy style of writing that too often ruins a novel
May 2, 2024
There note at the start of the novel stating that it was written prior to the events of October 2023, when there was a significant shift to the geo-political landscape in the Middle East. Certainly, the timing feels almost prescient and as you read along there’s a sense that it could almost be in real time. Very eerie.
This is the real dirty business of espionage on the page, with little of the 60’s glamour. There are high-tech gadgets, but these are for surveillance rather than exploding pens and laser watches of James Bond’s Q division. Many feel we are living in a world where almost our every move is observed and nothing you read here will dispel that idea. Even the more outlandish proposals are so plausible they may well be grounded in reality. Perhaps George Orwell was essentially correct in 1984.
This is a novel about the deceit and betrayal within the ‘spy game’, which are invoked with convincing intensity. It’s a dirty profession, much depending upon the ability to convince others to betray their government, country and people. The reader gets an insight into the recruitment process, summarised by the acronym MICE, money, ideology, coercion and ego. An unpleasant job, but one that must be done, regardless of the human cost. Crime fiction readers are used to their heroes have troubled personal lives, here it is ratcheted up several notches, as they literally must live a lie. Relationships are based upon trust, how far can a partner be trusted when they cannot speak the truth, something Eli comes to discover.
Espionage is frequently likened to a game and reading this story the parallels are easy to spot. If it is a game, then it is one of strategy and subterfuge, like a complex three-dimensional game of chess, albeit one when pieces are lost from the board it may well be fatal. Here the author has done a fabulous job of building a complex plot around two apparently disparate threads which naturally come together. This kind of plotting cannot be rushed, so naturally much of the story is quite steady, which might disappoint the fans of out and out thrillers, but my advice would be to stick with it and you will be rewarded. The first threequarters is like winding up a clockwork toy, building up the anticipation gradually with just one more turn… Then the lever is flipped, it explodes into action and there is the delayed gratification. There is a release of anger, violence, scenes of real jeopardy and even a touch of gratuitous torture but delivered with an emotional intensity. These are heat of the moment actions not those of a cold-blooded psychopath.
It is a story of conflicted characters and how they deal with their issues alongside their work. Eli and Gal’s marriage has become tainted by guilt and lies, with early clues to the angst to come. Asset Petra has her own relationship issues with Matt but it is her recruitment of 22 year old Tom that begins to trouble her. Tom wants to become a famous investigative journalist and is excited at the opportunity presented, on that will put him in grave danger. Petra’s deception begins to bother her, Tom’s enthusiasm and naivety may prevent her from ‘deactivating’ him as he believes he is a journalist and not a spy. Then there is a double agent, or at least one who tries to play more than one side. The motivation here appears to be purely financial, but the repercussions are far reaching.
This is the real dirty business of espionage on the page, with little of the 60’s glamour. There are high-tech gadgets, but these are for surveillance rather than exploding pens and laser watches of James Bond’s Q division. Many feel we are living in a world where almost our every move is observed and nothing you read here will dispel that idea. Even the more outlandish proposals are so plausible they may well be grounded in reality. Perhaps George Orwell was essentially correct in 1984.
This is a novel about the deceit and betrayal within the ‘spy game’, which are invoked with convincing intensity. It’s a dirty profession, much depending upon the ability to convince others to betray their government, country and people. The reader gets an insight into the recruitment process, summarised by the acronym MICE, money, ideology, coercion and ego. An unpleasant job, but one that must be done, regardless of the human cost. Crime fiction readers are used to their heroes have troubled personal lives, here it is ratcheted up several notches, as they literally must live a lie. Relationships are based upon trust, how far can a partner be trusted when they cannot speak the truth, something Eli comes to discover.
Espionage is frequently likened to a game and reading this story the parallels are easy to spot. If it is a game, then it is one of strategy and subterfuge, like a complex three-dimensional game of chess, albeit one when pieces are lost from the board it may well be fatal. Here the author has done a fabulous job of building a complex plot around two apparently disparate threads which naturally come together. This kind of plotting cannot be rushed, so naturally much of the story is quite steady, which might disappoint the fans of out and out thrillers, but my advice would be to stick with it and you will be rewarded. The first threequarters is like winding up a clockwork toy, building up the anticipation gradually with just one more turn… Then the lever is flipped, it explodes into action and there is the delayed gratification. There is a release of anger, violence, scenes of real jeopardy and even a touch of gratuitous torture but delivered with an emotional intensity. These are heat of the moment actions not those of a cold-blooded psychopath.
It is a story of conflicted characters and how they deal with their issues alongside their work. Eli and Gal’s marriage has become tainted by guilt and lies, with early clues to the angst to come. Asset Petra has her own relationship issues with Matt but it is her recruitment of 22 year old Tom that begins to trouble her. Tom wants to become a famous investigative journalist and is excited at the opportunity presented, on that will put him in grave danger. Petra’s deception begins to bother her, Tom’s enthusiasm and naivety may prevent her from ‘deactivating’ him as he believes he is a journalist and not a spy. Then there is a double agent, or at least one who tries to play more than one side. The motivation here appears to be purely financial, but the repercussions are far reaching.
April 16, 2024
I enjoyed the way the two plots or threads came together, and also that one of them has a very distinct question of loyalty and truth attached to it. Ironically not necessarily the one you might expect. The story, which is a non-stop fast-paced story about the murky world of spydom. Not the raincoat meet on a foggy bridge and exchange prisoners kind of cold war world of spies, but the new cold war – an underbelly of politics and profit that really does not have much time for honour.
Although I am sure perpetrators would shout their grievance at that perception, they are of course in their own eyes driven by a code of honour, regardless of whether the core is religion, misogyny, racism or political affiliation. Can there be a honour or code as such between the people tasked with fighting this underbelly of threats, can it exist in this new version of cold war? The keeping countries, who are on the possible brink of starting the unforgiveable from breaking fragile peace – or what is called peace nowadays.
I have to admit I was fascinated by the title, perhaps more so because my brain automatically allocated a No to the title, which then made me wonder why I had that inner instinct. In this often brutally honest story, which is carried by the tactical ruthless characters, there is a glimpse of the humane and compassionate side of them they have to pack into a wee locked box, because the truth has to stay hidden at all times.
This brings me to the ethical compass Eli, and others, have to balance when it comes to their personal relationships. Can you ever live in a relationship of any kind when everything is based on lies and more lies? If you lie about who you are and what you do 24/7, then how can anything you say or do ever be trusted?
Of course that doesn’t make Eli any less of a great asset in the world of espionage, but perhaps that world will always take centre stage, whilst everything and everyone else falls to the wayside.
It’s a story that never stops moving, gaining impetus as grey areas become more frequent in this riveting spy thriller – in a story where good, bad, right or wrong are merely words and no longer have any meaning.
Although I am sure perpetrators would shout their grievance at that perception, they are of course in their own eyes driven by a code of honour, regardless of whether the core is religion, misogyny, racism or political affiliation. Can there be a honour or code as such between the people tasked with fighting this underbelly of threats, can it exist in this new version of cold war? The keeping countries, who are on the possible brink of starting the unforgiveable from breaking fragile peace – or what is called peace nowadays.
I have to admit I was fascinated by the title, perhaps more so because my brain automatically allocated a No to the title, which then made me wonder why I had that inner instinct. In this often brutally honest story, which is carried by the tactical ruthless characters, there is a glimpse of the humane and compassionate side of them they have to pack into a wee locked box, because the truth has to stay hidden at all times.
This brings me to the ethical compass Eli, and others, have to balance when it comes to their personal relationships. Can you ever live in a relationship of any kind when everything is based on lies and more lies? If you lie about who you are and what you do 24/7, then how can anything you say or do ever be trusted?
Of course that doesn’t make Eli any less of a great asset in the world of espionage, but perhaps that world will always take centre stage, whilst everything and everyone else falls to the wayside.
It’s a story that never stops moving, gaining impetus as grey areas become more frequent in this riveting spy thriller – in a story where good, bad, right or wrong are merely words and no longer have any meaning.
January 29, 2026
Honour Among Spies is a masterclass in controlled, intelligent espionage storytelling. The writing is confident and precise — nothing is overplayed, nothing wasted. The prose creates tension through implication and consequence rather than noise, and every scene feels purposeful.
The story moves with a natural, unforced momentum. The pacing is outstanding — a steady tightening of pressure rather than artificial spikes. Information is revealed with discipline, keeping the narrative clear while still allowing complexity to build.
The character work elevates everything. Eli, the Mossad station chief in London, anchors the story with quiet authority and constant moral calculation. Rafi’s presence adds layered tension, their history shaping decisions in ways that feel human and believable. Petra brings another dimension entirely — her freelance status and the personal cost of her work give the novel emotional weight without melodrama. Their motivations unfold through actions and choices, not exposition, which makes the stakes feel real.
Structurally, the novel is impressively tight. Story threads interlock smoothly, transitions are seamless, and the tension never loosens its grip. There’s a level of narrative control here — knowing when to hold back and when to strike — that gives the book a polished, high-level feel from start to finish.
Most of all, the quality never dips. No filler, no shortcuts — just sustained, intelligent storytelling built on craft and precision.
A truly top-tier espionage novel driven by writing, flow, and narrative control.
The story moves with a natural, unforced momentum. The pacing is outstanding — a steady tightening of pressure rather than artificial spikes. Information is revealed with discipline, keeping the narrative clear while still allowing complexity to build.
The character work elevates everything. Eli, the Mossad station chief in London, anchors the story with quiet authority and constant moral calculation. Rafi’s presence adds layered tension, their history shaping decisions in ways that feel human and believable. Petra brings another dimension entirely — her freelance status and the personal cost of her work give the novel emotional weight without melodrama. Their motivations unfold through actions and choices, not exposition, which makes the stakes feel real.
Structurally, the novel is impressively tight. Story threads interlock smoothly, transitions are seamless, and the tension never loosens its grip. There’s a level of narrative control here — knowing when to hold back and when to strike — that gives the book a polished, high-level feel from start to finish.
Most of all, the quality never dips. No filler, no shortcuts — just sustained, intelligent storytelling built on craft and precision.
A truly top-tier espionage novel driven by writing, flow, and narrative control.
April 12, 2024
The second book in the Eli Emiram series and i hadn’t read the first and this read well as a stand-alone. A modern day spy story set in England which kept me gripped from beginning to end. Eli is head of Mossad’s London operation but is struggling with the death of his runner Red Cap in a recent operation. As a result of that operation Eli’s job is at risk.
Briefly , Eli comes up with a daring plan to sabotage a supply of drones been built in the UK and destined for Russia. However when matters go seriously wrong he and his team find themselves in a vicious race against time to prevent death and destruction raining down on an unsuspecting public. At the same time his domestic life is ripped apart as his wife discovers what he is and how he uses people. With the clock running down and lives lost can Eli rescue an increasingly appalling scenario?
A fast paced thriller with two concurrent threads that merge seamlessly and a really good spy thriller that stands up well against the likes of John Le Carre any day of the week. Eli is a brilliant character whose personal values don’t always tally with the requirements of his job. A well plotted and exciting high octane spy thriller. Very entertaining.
Briefly , Eli comes up with a daring plan to sabotage a supply of drones been built in the UK and destined for Russia. However when matters go seriously wrong he and his team find themselves in a vicious race against time to prevent death and destruction raining down on an unsuspecting public. At the same time his domestic life is ripped apart as his wife discovers what he is and how he uses people. With the clock running down and lives lost can Eli rescue an increasingly appalling scenario?
A fast paced thriller with two concurrent threads that merge seamlessly and a really good spy thriller that stands up well against the likes of John Le Carre any day of the week. Eli is a brilliant character whose personal values don’t always tally with the requirements of his job. A well plotted and exciting high octane spy thriller. Very entertaining.
December 5, 2024
A very good read! If you love espionage and tradecraft and even some office intrigue, this book will scream past you. The gadgets are good too.
London-based Mossad agents Eli, Raffi and Petra are young and ambitious, mid-career mostly except for Petra who hangs back from full-on commitment because of a previous op that went sideways and broke her heart. “That’s the job,” Eli says more than once and he should know, having made it to the top of London station. Of course if you want to go further than that, you have to make your foreign posting a success and that is very much in doubt as the plot unfolds.
These three are nothing like Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon, also of Mossad. They are not world class expert painters or musicians, they are not the best at everything they try, far from it. But they are competent and creative and work together well when the heat is on. They don’t jet off to foreign locales and solve international problems. Everything happens on English soil. Several plots interweave and they keep us nervous.
What is unexpected in the book is the introspection of the characters and how they grapple with the deep questions. Why am I doing this? Does it make me a bad person?
They are spies and damn good ones. Can’t wait for the next one.
London-based Mossad agents Eli, Raffi and Petra are young and ambitious, mid-career mostly except for Petra who hangs back from full-on commitment because of a previous op that went sideways and broke her heart. “That’s the job,” Eli says more than once and he should know, having made it to the top of London station. Of course if you want to go further than that, you have to make your foreign posting a success and that is very much in doubt as the plot unfolds.
These three are nothing like Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon, also of Mossad. They are not world class expert painters or musicians, they are not the best at everything they try, far from it. But they are competent and creative and work together well when the heat is on. They don’t jet off to foreign locales and solve international problems. Everything happens on English soil. Several plots interweave and they keep us nervous.
What is unexpected in the book is the introspection of the characters and how they grapple with the deep questions. Why am I doing this? Does it make me a bad person?
They are spies and damn good ones. Can’t wait for the next one.
June 24, 2025
Gripping thriller that takes you into the most effective espionage agency in the world
Whatever your views on Israel’s excessive behaviour in Gaza, the secretive Mossad remains a fascinating organisation. Merle Nygate takes us inside it and we see the morally conflicted world of espionage. Great exponents of the genre like Ted Allbeury and le Carrè established a kind of veracity. I knew Ted and he talked a great deal about spies with consciences. Merle Nygate does it with Mossad. Highly recommended.
Whatever your views on Israel’s excessive behaviour in Gaza, the secretive Mossad remains a fascinating organisation. Merle Nygate takes us inside it and we see the morally conflicted world of espionage. Great exponents of the genre like Ted Allbeury and le Carrè established a kind of veracity. I knew Ted and he talked a great deal about spies with consciences. Merle Nygate does it with Mossad. Highly recommended.
April 11, 2024
I give Honor Among Spies a good score of 4 ⭐, good character building allows the story to build at a natural pace and brings the reader into the full body of the story. I would definitely recommend this book for those that love a good story of tension within the pages.
See the full review here: https://davechatsgames.wordpress.com/...
See the full review here: https://davechatsgames.wordpress.com/...
April 15, 2024
A Real Page-Turner!
First read of this author, very impressed!
To note: this is the second book in the series, something that was not apparent at the time of purchase; so if you need to read that first - head over to that.
I’ll simply head direct to book 3, now as it seems daft not to.
First read of this author, very impressed!
To note: this is the second book in the series, something that was not apparent at the time of purchase; so if you need to read that first - head over to that.
I’ll simply head direct to book 3, now as it seems daft not to.
June 30, 2024
Interesting story, well-drawn characters, realistic and nuanced. Just a little too complex for me in places (I never did understand what a 'poison pill' is, other than it's not the Agatha Christie kind). And there are some loose ends that are not tied up at the finish. Perhaps this is to entice the reader to buy the next book in the series. I don't like that.
June 21, 2025
For a modern spy story this was an interesting take on the genre - Mossad working in the UK. The operational detail was convincing and the threads of the plot were effectively woven together. Certainly enough to make we want to now read the first in the series.
February 10, 2025
Ok listen. What a difficult job.
February 17, 2025
Loved it
April 26, 2025
Competent thriller with an unusual Israeli focus. Surprising number of typos.
May 31, 2025
A good yarn
But
Too many holes in the plot to mark it any higher
But
Too many holes in the plot to mark it any higher
August 6, 2025
A good read, engaging from the first chapter & demonstrates well the amount of downtime spies have doing surveillance work. It must be very boring in real life but full attention is still required.
October 12, 2025
Fast paced spy novel
Well written action and characters
Well written action and characters
December 26, 2025
3rd person. An entertaining read, good pacing. The structure of the main 'transaction' is really, really good.
May 30, 2024
Honour Among Spies is the second to feature spyrunner Eli Amiram. I’ve not read the first, but didn’t feel I missed out on much, so I didn't have to worry about missing Eli’s backstory. Given that in this novel, Eli is Israeli intelligence agency Mossad’s London Head of Station, I was glad to see an author’s note at the front of the book acknowledging the current political situation - the novel was, of course, written and set before the events of October 2023.
In order to keep his job as Head of London operations, Eli needs to put the past behind him, an operation that went wrong, an agent that was killed. He needs to work with his team, that means he must accept the smart alec Rafi, appointed as his deputy over the over-zealous Nathan – who will need to be diverted onto something else. He has his regular meetings with contacts in MI5 and the CIA, but when the Russian, Nikolai comes calling talking about drones, there’s an opportunity too good to be missed, but they’ll need to be extremely careful operating on British soil.
It just so happens that Eli’s wife Gal, a child psychologist, has a patient whose father is a Ukrainian electronics expert and they could use him to seed drones for the Russians with poison if they could get him a job at the company where they happen to have an agent. But to hack Gal’s files to get a contact would be unethical. What a dilemma for Eli, who puts the job first usually…
At the same time, there have been some stabbings of people in the UK, they happen to be been Israelis, tourists probably. The Israeli ambassador asks Eli to find out more, and he gets Petra on his staff, currently working in a security company on the case.
These two storylines will both intensify hugely as the novel progresses, creating suspense and coming together in a terrific climax as the terrorist plot thickens. There’s a religious aspect that deepens the plot significantly beyond the usual politics you would expect, as Nygate explores the conspiracy theories that can drive beliefs. Yes, it’s good versus evil, but not as we usually know it – (although aspects of the story resonated with me through some superficial similarities with Mick Herron’s first Slough House novel and Season 1 of Slow Horses).
There is also some high-tech gadgetry on show from the personal spy tools to the ultra sophisticated in the rather well-equipped Mossad surveillance truck, and the drones of course. As to whether they exist yet, I have no idea, but they worked to give that added impetus to the action.
Nygate’s main characters in Eli, Rafi and Petra are all well-drawn. Obviously Eli is the star of the show, and he is initially racked with his ethical battles, (you just know Gal will find out and it’ll cost him). I really liked that we get to see how his home-life and job meld, or not, and on a lighter side, how his love of pastries doesn’t help him when his physical is due with the company doc. It’s not just Eli that will suffer collateral damage either – any duplicity is not good for personal relations, but such is a spy’s life. Nygate is good on that. I also hate to say it, but Rafi does begin to grow on you as the action ramps up, having started out as quite obnoxious.
I particularly liked that Honour Among Spies didn’t need exotic locations for its thrills – the British countryside more than sufficed to showcase the actions of the characters in this thriller. I shall definitely look out for The Righteous Spy which came before, and I look forward to reading more of Eli’s adventures in this pretty realistic and complex series.
In order to keep his job as Head of London operations, Eli needs to put the past behind him, an operation that went wrong, an agent that was killed. He needs to work with his team, that means he must accept the smart alec Rafi, appointed as his deputy over the over-zealous Nathan – who will need to be diverted onto something else. He has his regular meetings with contacts in MI5 and the CIA, but when the Russian, Nikolai comes calling talking about drones, there’s an opportunity too good to be missed, but they’ll need to be extremely careful operating on British soil.
It just so happens that Eli’s wife Gal, a child psychologist, has a patient whose father is a Ukrainian electronics expert and they could use him to seed drones for the Russians with poison if they could get him a job at the company where they happen to have an agent. But to hack Gal’s files to get a contact would be unethical. What a dilemma for Eli, who puts the job first usually…
At the same time, there have been some stabbings of people in the UK, they happen to be been Israelis, tourists probably. The Israeli ambassador asks Eli to find out more, and he gets Petra on his staff, currently working in a security company on the case.
These two storylines will both intensify hugely as the novel progresses, creating suspense and coming together in a terrific climax as the terrorist plot thickens. There’s a religious aspect that deepens the plot significantly beyond the usual politics you would expect, as Nygate explores the conspiracy theories that can drive beliefs. Yes, it’s good versus evil, but not as we usually know it – (although aspects of the story resonated with me through some superficial similarities with Mick Herron’s first Slough House novel and Season 1 of Slow Horses).
There is also some high-tech gadgetry on show from the personal spy tools to the ultra sophisticated in the rather well-equipped Mossad surveillance truck, and the drones of course. As to whether they exist yet, I have no idea, but they worked to give that added impetus to the action.
Nygate’s main characters in Eli, Rafi and Petra are all well-drawn. Obviously Eli is the star of the show, and he is initially racked with his ethical battles, (you just know Gal will find out and it’ll cost him). I really liked that we get to see how his home-life and job meld, or not, and on a lighter side, how his love of pastries doesn’t help him when his physical is due with the company doc. It’s not just Eli that will suffer collateral damage either – any duplicity is not good for personal relations, but such is a spy’s life. Nygate is good on that. I also hate to say it, but Rafi does begin to grow on you as the action ramps up, having started out as quite obnoxious.
I particularly liked that Honour Among Spies didn’t need exotic locations for its thrills – the British countryside more than sufficed to showcase the actions of the characters in this thriller. I shall definitely look out for The Righteous Spy which came before, and I look forward to reading more of Eli’s adventures in this pretty realistic and complex series.
September 19, 2024
Merle Nygate has written one of the best and most topical espionage novels of the year. I highly recommend this and its predecessor The Righteous Spy. They’re spy fiction and their very best.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews