The Sugared Game

Two months have passed since Will Darling, a former soldier who now runs a London bookshop, last saw Lord Arthur Secretan, known as Kim. Will assumes that is the end of it. Then a familiar face turns up in a disreputable nightclub, and Kim arrives right behind it, as shifty, unreliable and hard to resist as before.

Will is pulled back into secrets, criminal conspiracies and double dealing. The danger this time is close to home, and Kim's methods are murkier than usual.

The book is a romantic thriller between two men, set in 1920s Britain after the war. The scenes move through nightclubs, cinemas, Bright Young Things and aristocratic circles, with tension rising in step with the changing fashions.

Espionage and mystery carry the plot, while the romance rests on trust that has to be earned. Will's best friend Maisie and his new friend Phoebe get as much room as the two men at the centre.

It is written in the spirit of Golden Age pulp adventure, with murder, theft and betrayal, and a dry, tender wit running underneath. This is the second of three Will Darling Adventures. It picks up from Slippery Creatures, and the larger arc only closes in Subtle Blood, so reading in order works best.