“As I sat waiting to take off for more exotic parts.. Readymoney Cove stretched out ahead of me like the start of a long weekend accompanied by a very old Friend - Readymoney beach - tick, King of Prussia - tick, good old fashioned intrigue and espionage .. TICK! We darted back and forth between the sparkling clubs of London to the wholesome beach shop at the Cove, being chased up and down the A303 by all the seedy politics of the time. Note to Agatha Christie:- St Mary Mead has nothing on Fowey.. you picked the wrong county! But who doesn’t love a rascal like Henry, a few good love affairs and of course our hero Hannah .. It was a thrilling read and had me thirsty for more ( and I’m not just talking about the Easy Jet holiday pina colada’s) I left the plane leading a compelling round of ‘What do we want ? Sequel 2! When do we want it ? Now!!!’ Shortly after I was carted off by Egyptian customs for breach of the peace but what a ride!!! 20 out of 10 , gold star, encore!!”

A real ‘page turner’. Great story, learnt some history too. ‘Every day’s a school day’. 

It's another fabulous read Mark Butterworth. Loved the story line, a real page turner. Loved the setting of Antigua and took me right back there in each location featured. You are a wonderful writer and story creator. So excited for your next book.

I am really enjoying The Ffryes Affair, an excellent book. I feel really invested in the characters, Antonia and Peter.  Loving the description of Antigua!

My dad was given this book and The Berlin Assignment from his father in law, and he absolutley loved them. I'm his daughter, and his carer and they aren't books he would of necessarily chosen himself, but he has thoroughly enjoyed them both, beautifully written, and included parts of the world both of us had forgotten he had been to, and that his family had served in... the only complaint is that he couldn't put them down, so read them too quickly! I'm now on the search for more - well done Mark, keep writing please !!

Just wanted to say that I've just finished your brilliant book, The Pearl River. It had me gripped, I was thinking about it when we were out east in the Disney park and was excited to get back and keep reading. The storyline kept me guessing and the characters are brilliant . . . "

Absolutely fabulous - I couldn't put it down and read it in a couple of days.

I've really enjoyed reading this book: it has all the elements I enjoy in fiction, being historically informative/respectful of its attempt at accurate portrayal of what life must have been like for all of the characters in this book, as well as plenty of twists/turns along the way. The characters are so plausible/believable and would translate wonderfully to the screen in my opinion. It's lovely to read a book that whisks you away to another time/place but still catches you (regularly) by surprise. There has to be more to come from these characters in further assignments. Keep up the good work Mark and hope there'll be another instalment this time next year!

Mark Butterworth's latest novel, The Berlin Assignment, evokes and brings into sharp focus the treachery, espionage and bravery that became synonymous with countering Soviet socialist hegemony during the Cold War. The book is stylishly written combining as it does a fast paced, exciting storyline with the deepening romantic relationship between the main protagonists Adam and Hannah. Easy to read in one session, but even better if rationed over several days.

Having worked in Hong Kong and the City of London, I readily recognised both the locations and the characters. Well written, good pace and I learnt a few things I didn't know. A great debut and I hope for another instalment.

An excellent debut novel with a pacy narrative that engages the reader from start to finish. It has a fine sense of time and place, especially late 1940s Hong Kong. The characters are all well-rounded, provoking a response in the reader as the story ebbs and flows.
There are plenty of twists and turns but they are never confusing or unnecessarily complex: the story always takes primacy.

An excellent debut novel, well written and constructed, looking forward to the next instalment