The Trap out now in the UK

Yep, it’s finally here… publication day for The Trap, the third in the Emma Makepeace series! At least in the UK – US readers will have to wait a little longer (3rd September) and I’m still waiting to hear if it’s going to be translated, but I promise I’ll let you know when I do!

I say this (almost) every time but I really do think this is my favourite book so far. It’s certainly the one I had the most fun writing, and I don’t just mean the “research” trip I took to Edinburgh… I love Emma, and I also love her new, somewhat reluctant, sidekick who appears in this novel — Kate Mackenzie is no-nonsense, quick-witted and headstrong, and I love everything about her.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Here’s a little bit about The Trap so you can decide if it takes your fancy…

Emma Makepeace is headed to Edinburgh for the global G7 Summit when her team is tipped off about a high-profile assassination the Russians are planning—but they have no idea who the target is. All they know is that Nick Orlov, a newly minted British citizen with strong ties to Russia in his past, is somehow involved.

With the eyes of the world on the summit, the agency assigns Emma a partner on the ground: Kate Mackenzie, a jaded Edinburgh cop who resents the implication that she needs help with her job just as much as Emma does. Despite their initial clash, Emma and Mackenzie forge a begrudging mutual respect in their hunt for a killer.

To stop the assassination in time, they have to get close—very close—to Orlov. Surrounded by the world’s most powerful political leaders in a gridlocked city, Emma must set a trap and use herself as bait.

With time running short, Emma faces the most perilous mission of her career. How far will she go to catch the killer?

Something I LOVED about writing this one was getting to explore Emma’s feelings about being a honey trap. It’s not something she’s done before, and it isn’t something you see explored in spy novels very often — at least not from a female perspective. It’s normally the (male) spy getting ensnared by a seemingly entirely remorseless enemy. That’s not how it is for Emma, and getting to explore that inner struggle between Emma’s moral compass and her determination to do her extremely important job in the most effective way was fascinating. I don’t know if I would be able to handle it… but then again, as I always say, I would make a terrible spy. (Although that’s what Emma would say too, to throw people off the scent…)

Anyway, I hope it’s as fun to read as it is to write. The reviews so far have been great which is just so gratifying. It even got a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly which is a big deal — those guys really know their stuff! Also I want to take a moment here to say a HUGE thank you to all the bloggers and book reviewers who have taken the time to post reviews of The Trap — yes, I’m talking about YOU. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to have real people reading the book and saying such wonderful things about it — and I also can’t overstate how important it is to the success of the book. I read a stat somewhere once that said every five star review a book gets on Amazon or GoodReads results in a 1% increase in sales — which is honestly HUGE. So if you post reviews, please know how important what you do is, and how grateful we authors are for your hard work. THANK YOU.

(On which note… if you read The Trap and like it, please do consider posting a review!)

P.S. Want to win a signed copy? Join my book club where I’ll be giving away five copies after midday (GMT) today!