Kit Hardwicke Series

Take four men, a green dog, an impossible espionage task, mix together and drop into an alternative World War I snowstorm. The narrator has to juggle three different identities and has to keep track of which of his alter egos speak which languages. They all ought to be killed at any moment, and any other moment, but they still occasionally find time to feast. There are bats everywhere in midwinter. They are following  wild goose chase, but there are no geese. Is the narrator succumbing to PTSD? Is his best friend, his very very best friend, being drugged by the strange woman in Constantinople? What is the blood thirsty German General injecting himself with? Is anyone who they seem? A bit steampunk, with extra bats.

The story unfolds in an alternate history setting during World War 1, enriched with steampunk elements and a blend of espionage and supernatural intrigue. Kit Hardwicke, initially introduced as reflecting on wartime experiences, is drawn into a complex web of spy missions against the backdrop of historical events interwoven with fictional deviations. He assumes various identities to infilatrate enemy lines and uncover plots with the aid of a group of friends and colleagues. Central to the plot is Peter Garnett, who is revealed to be a formidable antogonist orchestrating espionage activities for Germany.    Themes of loyalty, sacrifice and duty are explored through Kit's interactions with characters who both aid and obstruct his mission. Ultimately the premise revolves around thwarting Garnett's machinations while grappling with internal conflicts amidst external chaos - a quest for truth beneath layers of lies in a world where history diverges into fantastical realms without losing sight of humanity's core struggles during wartime. 

It is 1923 and the War is over. A superficial normality has returned to the world. Kit Hardwicke and Robbie Ferguson have settled down together in the Scottish Highlands, and they and their friends are trying to make their own way through the post-war world. But a deep psychological rift lies underneath this new society, and it is being exploited by an international gang of criminals, intent on making vast fortunes by manipulating markets. As insurance, they have kidnapped three young people, the children of infuential men. It is inevitable that Scotland Yard will turn to Kit and Robbie to ask for hep. At first it is given reluctantly, but soon the old gang is back together in a breakneck attempt to find the hostages before the balloon goes up. Garm the green dog is in there, paws and all. There is witchcraft and skulduggery, dark magic and bad poetry, and the usual narrow escapes. The story ends on the Isle of Skye as Kit and Robbie take a hunting lodge for the late summer, and Kit has to survive the hunt of his life.