Author: Boyd, William

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Published on 4 September 2025 by Penguin Books Ltd (Viking) in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 272 pages
241 x 163 x 28 | 470g

BRITAIN’S MOST BELOVED STORYTELLER RETURNS WITH A TWISTING ADVENTURE OF OBSESSIVE LOVE AND ELEGANT ESPIONAGE . . .

—Extravagantly enjoyable’ THE TIMESWilliam Boyd once again brings to the spy novel his particular storytelling genius’ MICK HERRONBoyd is one of my favourite authors he never disappoints’ KATE ATKINSONThe Predicament is ingenious, thrilling and wonderfully entertaining’ JOHN BANVILLE —Gabriel Dax, travel writer and accidental spy, is back in the shadows. Unable to resist the allure of his MI6 handler, Faith Green, he has returned to a life of secrets and subterfuge. Dax is sent to Guatemala under the guise of covering a tinderbox presidential election, where the ruthless decisions of the Mafia provoke pitch-black warfare in collusion with the CIA.

As political turmoil erupts, Gabriel’s reluctant involvement deepens. His escape plan leads him to West Berlin, where he uncovers a chilling realisation: there is a plot to assassinate magnetic young President John F. Kennedy. In a race against time, Gabriel must navigate deceit and danger, knowing that the stakes have never been higher . . . In The Predicament, the second novel starring accidental spy Gabriel Dax, William Boyd weaves yet another masterful tale of suspense, loyalty, love and the dark temptations of spy craft.