The Great Melnikov by Hugh MacLachlan

The Great Melnikov is a well crafted, gripping novel, written in a style reminiscent of that of John Buchan. Set in London and the Scottish Highlands during the First World War, The Great Melnikov is a dark tale of double-cross and deception.

We first meet Melnikov, one-time star of the German circus, languising as a down-and-out in Trafalgar Square. He soon finds himself drawn into a toruous web of intrigue. He is a complec man whose personal struggle with the bottle is an innder drama which paralllels the tense twists and turns of the spy mystery which unfolds.