The Man with the Golden Compass

The exciting new mystery featuring the former head of MI6's Q Branch, Major Boothroyd, from the James Bond universe. Fresh from successfully reinvestigating his childhood friend's mysterious death, Q is hired as a civilian contractor by the police in his sleepy hometown to look into the unsolved murder of tech millionaire turned online antique dealer, Laurence Noble. Six months ago, Noble was tortured and killed, a circular object made of gold and inscribed with mysterious runes found in his pocket. As Q investigates, he finds himself dragged into a chilling conspiracy where past and present meet in a way he could not possibly have imagined. Praise for the Q Mysteries series 'Excellent. An entertaining mash-up of Fleming, Le Carré and the best of British detective fiction' CHARLIE HIGSON 'A thrilling addition to the 007 universe .... worthy of Fleming himself' THE EXPRESS 'Fast, wise, funny, suspenseful and highly recommended' LEE CHILD 'A cunning and propulsive thriller brimming with wit. A sparkling addition to Bond's literary universe' MARK BILLINGHAM 'Clever, cunning and quirky ... Quintessential Khan' MICK HERRON 'A wonderful novel, escapist and playful, but with moments of deep tenderness and serious comment' ANN CLEEVES 'Punchy, witty, smart and thrilling' JANICE HALLETT 'An irresistible cocktail of thrills, wit, and style ... Fans of Slow Horses will LOVE this' WILL DEAN 'An original idea, brilliantly executed; shaken not stirred' RAGNAR JÓNASSON 'Only one man could bring a fan favourite 007 character to life with such wit and skill: the name's Khan, Vaseem Khan' BENJAMIN STEVENSON

Vaseem Khan is the author of two award-winning crime series set in India, the Baby Ganesh Agency series set in modern Mumbai, and the Malabar House historical crime novels set in 1950s Bombay. He is also the author of The Girl in Cell A, a psychological thriller set in small town America. His first book, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 40 best crime novels published 2015-2020, and is translated into 17 languages. In 2021, Midnight at Malabar House won the Crime Writers Association Historical Dagger. Vaseem was born in England, but spent a decade working in India. In 2006, he returned to the UK and joined University College London's Department of Security and Crime Science, where he has helped manage the Dawes Centre for Future Crime. In 2023, Vaseem was elected Chair of the UK Crime Writers' Association.