Yesterday's Spy

Written by Tom Bradby

Narrated by George Weightman

From British journalist and bestselling author Tom Bradby, Yesterday’s Spy is a brilliantly plotted historical espionage novel about a father searching for his disappeared son against the backdrop of the 1953 coup in Tehran

London, 1953. Harry Tower is a recently widowed and world-weary British spy, out of favor and down on his luck. After a night spent drinking away his sorrows, he is awakened by a phone call with chilling news. His estranged son Sean has
gone missing in Tehran after writing a damning article about the involvement of government officials in the opium trade. Harry springs to action, eager to reunite with his son and atone for past wrongs.

When he arrives in Tehran, a city roiling with political dissatisfaction and on the brink of a historic coup, Harry joins forces with Sean’s Iranian girlfriend, Shahnaz—seemingly the only other person interested in finding the disappeared journalist.

Harry’s career as a spy soon proves perfect training for this much more personal mission as American, British, Iranian, and French players flit in and out of the scene. But as the first attempt at a coup in the city fails and foreign powers jockey
for oil, money, and influence, Sean’s disappearance takes on a more sinister tone. Was he really taken in retribution for his reporting, or is this an attempt to silence a globally significant revelation he was preparing to make?

Or, most terrifyingly, does Sean’s disappearance have nothing to do with him at all? Has Harry’s past caught up to them?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781980055662

Reviews for Yesterday's Spy

[pgchuis · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.I knew nothing at all about Iran in 1953 before reading this book, which I assume referred to actual historical events, given that it featured a cameo appearance from Winston Churchill. I found this ignorance an insurmountable obstacle to getting to grips with the plot, which was detailed and complex and referred back to other historical events from 1933 onwards. There were entertaining bits where Harry managed to evade whoever was currently following him by employing spy craft, but mainly I failed to engage with him or with Shahnaz, his son's fiancee, who seemed to act with remarkable autonomy for an Iranian woman in 1953, but as I said, what do I know about Iran in 1953...?