My Name Is Nobody: BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE SCARLET PAPERS: THE TIMES THRILLER OF THE YEAR 2023
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By Matthew Richardson
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‘PROOF THAT THE SPY GENRE IS FLOURISHING IN THE 21ST CENTURY’ Guardian
‘I know for certain that there is a mole somewhere within the intelligence services . . . His codename is Nobody . . .’
Solomon Vine is a spy on a fast track to the top. But when a prisoner is shot in unexplained circumstances on his watch, only suspension and exile beckon. Three months later, MI6’s Head of Station in Istanbul is violently abducted from his home. With the Service in lockdown, uncertain of who can be trusted, thoughts turn to the missing man’s oldest friend: Solomon Vine. On the run and determined to clear his name, Vine tries to uncover the truth. But his investigation soon reveals that there’s much more at stake than the life of a single spy…‘Compelling, intense and sharply authentic’ James Swallow, bestselling author of Nomad
‘A supremely confident debut’ Daily Mail
‘Authentic, mysterious, fraught with deception, betrayal, and uncertain allegiances’ Jason Matthews, author of Red Sparrow ‘Such a smart, pacey, twisty thriller. Tremendous!’ C.J. Tudor, author of The Chalk Man#Test
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Recommendations from authors Gregg Hurwitz and James Swallow on the cover of this encouraged me to borrow it. And I didn’t regret my decision. It’s terrific!
I find espionage thrillers a bit hit-and-miss, and unless the characters or plot grab me quickly, I’ll often put them down. This debut novel by British author, Matthew Richardson, pulls you in from the start. The prologue sets the scene, when the suspected terrorist, Ahmed Yousef, is shot while in custody of MI6 in Istanbul. Solomon Vine, one of his interrogators, is blamed.
The story continues three months later. Vine is back in London, suspended from duty and under investigation, when MI6’s Head of Station in Istanbul disappears – believed to have been abducted. Vine is one of the man’s oldest friends but because he’s suspended when he’s asked to investigate by the Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee it has to be off the books. It’s soon revealed that the disappearance is part of a much darker, more widespread conspiracy at the heart of the secret service.
Working unofficially is difficult and perilous. There are false leads aplenty and lots of plot twists that lead you – the reader – to suspect everyone by turn as Vine follows the trail. Along the way, as all the characters are fleshed out, it gets harder and harder to put the book down.
If you like spy novels, read this. The quote by Gregg Hurwitz on the cover, saying that it ‘Calls to mind early Le Carré’ isn’t wrong, and lots of bestselling authors agree, because the book has earned plaudits from writers like Mick Herron and Michael Ridpath as well.
I enjoyed this book very much. It’s carefully paced and well-told. You know the stakes are high, but it’s not particularly clear what the endgame is until the final reveal, which comes as a surprise rather than a total shock. I’m going to look out for Matthew Richardson’s second novel – The Insider – because I think this will be a spy series worth following.
Review by: Cornish Eskimo
