The Stand-in

WANTING TO BE A SPY IS ONE THING: ACTING LIKE ONE IS QUITE ANOTHER. When stand-in teacher, Calum Ross, first locks eyes with Natalia, he can't quite believe his luck. Nor can the UK security agencies. They've been looking for a way to recruit Natalia's husband, Oleg Usmanov, a Russian spymaster and friend of the Russian President, for years. Ross might just be their man. Except nothing about Usmanov is quite what it seems. When Natalia is attacked, Ross finds the finger of blame being pointed squarely at him. With Russians out for his blood and his SIS 'minders' squabbling amongst themselves, Ross runs for his life, unsure who to trust, frantically needing to outwit the person secretly directing each of his moves around this deadly chessboard.With Natalia's life on the line and Ross increasingly desperate to uncover the truth about Usmanov, this fast-paced thriller moves between Istanbul, London and the perilous canals of Venice. Only when you think the story has reached its climax do the twists and turns behind this fast-paced thriller finally reveal themselves.