Flowers of the Forest

The Flowers of the Forest (1980) was the second of Joseph Hone's quartet of 'Peter Marlow' spy novels, all now reissued as Faber Finds. It is an idyllic setting: the sunlit forest sweeping down to the valley, the heather loud with bees. But one hive stands dismantled and a man has vanished - Lindsay Phillips, section head in the Secret Service. Marlow thinks he has left the world of espionage behind, but unexpected pressures lead him to take up the search for Phillips - whereupon he is caught up in a web of violence and intrigue. 'This is the best thriller I've found in years, perhaps the best I remember... The weaving of the story is so close, so tight, that no image, no hint is ever wasted.' Isabel Quigly, Financial Times 'A pleasure to read.' Times Literary Supplement