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The Envoy
The Envoy
Nov 22, 2025 10:01 PM

Author:George Brown

The Envoy

He was the last hostage, but no one in the outside world even knew he'd been taken, or by whom. He was last seen in Rome, but his broken body ended up in Beirut. He had been on a mission so explosive that only the President of the United States and his personal security co-ordinator knew of it.

The secret he'd discovered had a price: 150 million dollars, and the lives of everyone who had tried to claim it.

The Envoy is a book in the tradition of George Brown's other bestsellers, Ringmain and The Double Tenth: all the violence of the Middle East is laid bare in a novel that twists and turns to its shocking end.

Reviews

The Great magician

—— Spectator

One of the most widely read and influential writers of our generation

—— The Times

Page-turning romance

—— Publishers Weekly

Chopin cuts closer to the core of her heroine's feelings... The great power of The Awakening resides not in the answers it provides, but in the questions it exposes

—— Washington Post

It doesn't seem so daring now, but it's an inspiring model of personal crusading. Written in lyrical, restrained prose, this is not only a historical document of writer ahead of her time, but an enduringly good read.

—— Scotsman

Moving seamlessly between characters, she shines light on barely-conscious thoughts and feelings to great, often ironic effect . . . a sympathetic, psychologically acute and thoroughly involving tale

—— Daily Mail

Hugely enjoyable, classic storytelling

—— Red

Ferguson should be better known . . . she draws on years of experience working as a nurse and midwife to produce acute, skilful descriptions

—— FT

'Gleeson's first novel is a supremely juicy - a nd gory - murder mystery centring on the 18th-century workshops of Thomas Chippendale.'

—— The Times

Dodger is a hero who Dickens would love . . . You can't help loving Dodger as he ducks, dives, falls in love and rises in the Victorian world. This is a hero I can't wait to meet again.

—— Amanda Craig , The Times

Much as I love the Discworld series I also enjoy it when Terry Pratchett takes a break and gives his readers something else . . . Pratchett has the ambience of 1840s London spot on

—— Rachel Hyde , www.myshelf.com

Fine plot, excellent characters, and fun to read.

—— Irish Inn Book Club blog

Dodger is an amazing book . . . It creates a great display of historical London, contrasting the above ground cleanliness against the below ground filthy and often-times rotten sewers. Add in a lively set of support characters, funny dialogue, great action, and finish it all off with Dodger, one of the most lovable characters that I have read about.

—— Fantasybookreview.co.uk

Compulsively readable

—— Washington Post

Escape into Pratchett’s humorous and mysterious world and follow Dodger’s infamous trail through a tale where history and fantasy are entwined.

—— Independent School Parent Magazine

Terry Pratchett fans should not miss Dodger, his sassy take on Oliver Twist

—— The Sunday Times

A rollicking good yarn

—— Magpies Magazine

Dodger’s descriptions of the capital, from its slums and sewers to the homes of the middle classes and the bolt holes of the elite, paint a vivid, immersive picture. The attention to detail in both the break-neck storytelling and historical veracity are mightily impressive . . . characters remain as compelling and three dimensional as ever . . . Dodger feels fresh, vibrant and full of energy, a triumph that should be celebrated as yet another glorious gift from Narrativia.

—— SFX
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