The Death of a Smoker

by Tony Auffret

HIGH EXPLOSIVES YOU CAN STOCKPILE, NUCLEAR WEAPONS YOU CAN STOCKPILE, CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS YOU CAN STOCKPILE, BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS YOU CAN NOT.

The year is 1991, and the Soviet Union is in a state of collapse. But with chaos reigning in Europe and secrets being leaked all too easily from the Ministry of Defence, why should the British Security Services be interested when the premises of a small biotech start-up are burgled, resulting in an accidental death?

Complete with suspected Russian spies and biological warfare, this peculiar case proves more complex to solve than anticipated, and truth and trust are tormented by doubt and deception as the path of the small unit of MI5 agents investigating the case is criss-crossed by innocence and subterfuge, bluff and bullying.

325 pages, Paperback

Published June 28, 2022

About the author

Originally from the north east of England, I have enjoyed a science based career in both academia and industry. During this time I have published articles in the scientific and popular presses, as well as co-authoring a text book. It has been intelligent rather than creative writing. More recently I have decided to try my hand at creative writing in the mystery/thriller genre.

Reviews

[Chris Coppel · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful spy novel.

Auffret has managed to recreate the style and atmosphere of a classic British spy novel. The refreshing lack of explosions and gun fire harkened back to a time when the likes of Eric Ambler were the leaders in the genre. I look forward to more of this author’s works.

[Rod Fielding · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cracking spy adventure, set in a pre-internet era where you still had to look things up in libraries! Tony Auffret has perfectly conjured a story that lurks behind a seemingly innocuous front door, yet drags you into a skillfully woven plot where the implications of failure could be catastrophic. It smacks of prime le Carre or Deighton, where a hat is left on a park bench to signify that a message has been left and the wrongdoers always seem frustratingly out of reach.

The level of detail here is remarkable and it's a great read if you enjoy trying to separate where everyone stands in terms of the political divide. I've already moved onto the next book in the series. Can't wait to re-enter a fictional world that I suspect always had one foot firmly planted in reality. Top debut effort!

[Belinda Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great first novel from a new author. I started out reading a couple of chapters a day but by time I was about half way through, I sat up well into the night because I couldn’t put it down. The story is really well written and researched, the characters are interesting and believable and it takes the reader back to the early 1990’s when the current level of technology we now take for granted was still in it’s infancy. I felt I was engaged with the characters and their interactions in this tale of political intrigue and espionage and I really hope there will be a second book to follow up on this one.

[William Curatolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading The Death of a Smoker, and as we American baseball fans say, the author hit it out of the park. Fantastic story that drew me in quickly and completely. An intriguing intellectual cat-and-mouse game, layered upon the proclivities of interesting British scientists, spies, and spy masters. Cleverly crafted and beautifully written. Excellent read.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story, decent plot (just the right level of complexity) but mostly I loved getting to know the characters of Tufton Street. Looking forward to seeing how they develop over the trilogy.