1917, post-Russian Revolution, an unlikely and eccentric band of British spies are smuggled into newly Soviet Russia to thwart Lenin's plan to destroy British rule in India, as a precursor to toppling the democracies of the West. The spies, under Mansfield Cumming, were the unsung founders of the present-day MI6.

'It reads like fiction, but it is, astonishingly, history' THE TIMES

IN 1917, AN ECCENTRIC BAND OF BRITISH SPIES IS SMUGGLED INTO NEWLY SOVIET RUSSIA.

Their goal is to defeat Lenin's plan to destroy British India and bring down the democracies of the West.

These extraordinary spies, led by Mansfield Cumming, proved brilliantly successful. They found a wholly new way to deal with enemies, one that relied on espionage and dirty tricks rather than warfare. They were the unsung founders of today's modern, highly professional secret services. They were also the inspiration for fictional heroes to follow, from James Bond to James Bond.

'Readers will find themselves as gripped as they would be by the very best of Fleming or le Carré' SUNDAY TIMES

'Marvellous, meticulously researched and truly groundbreaking' SIMON WINCHESTER