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The Aristocracy
Not yet published
Expected 4 Jun 26
“What you've got to understand is that men like him are the aristocracy in here. The armed robbers and contract killers. They're a breed apart.”
Darren Sinfield, the most notorious inmate at Lower Marston maximum-security prison, has gone over the wall and is thought to be holed up in nearby Avonford, a decaying town with a squalid underbelly.
The intelligence officer tasked with hunting him down, Declan Rennard, was an Avonford man himself back in the day. But times have changed. He used to know where the bodies are buried. Now he’s in danger of becoming one of them.
To catch a criminal, Dec is going to have to start thinking like one and that means entering his own dark history to engage in a twisted game of cat and mouse with a man who plays it better than anyone.
But unearthing the past will lead him into some dangerous places - the brutal world of organised crime, the dirty secrets of the security establishment and an inverted skyscraper under central London that is home to all the stories Britain would rather forget...
Darren Sinfield, the most notorious inmate at Lower Marston maximum-security prison, has gone over the wall and is thought to be holed up in nearby Avonford, a decaying town with a squalid underbelly.
The intelligence officer tasked with hunting him down, Declan Rennard, was an Avonford man himself back in the day. But times have changed. He used to know where the bodies are buried. Now he’s in danger of becoming one of them.
To catch a criminal, Dec is going to have to start thinking like one and that means entering his own dark history to engage in a twisted game of cat and mouse with a man who plays it better than anyone.
But unearthing the past will lead him into some dangerous places - the brutal world of organised crime, the dirty secrets of the security establishment and an inverted skyscraper under central London that is home to all the stories Britain would rather forget...
Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A dark and disturbing story of revenge and retribution.
"The Aristocracy" opens in London, in 2007. British Intelligence officer Declan Rennard is beginning another day at the office, already moaning about having to cover for less capable colleagues, and winding up his boss. Said boss soon informs him that he's being sent back into the field- not just the field, but his old home turf. It seems Darren Sinfield, notorious inmate at Lower Marston maximum-security prison, has escaped and is thought to be holed up in nearby Avonford, a decaying town with a squalid underbelly, and Rennard's hometown.
And so a dark, disturbing, and not-too-pretty story unfolds as Rennard returns to the place he thought he had left behind forever. His job of locating Sinfield requires him to make contact with people he would prefer stayed in his past, and as his investigations deepen, the reader slowly learns of Rennard's past, from childhood to life as an undercover operative. We learn of the things he has done to get on - many of which will come back to haunt him.
Rennard is clearly damaged goods. He is a haunted, brooding individual, but highly intelligent. He carries guilt from long ago, stemming from his ability to rise out of the mire that was Avonford, to things he was required to do to survive. Much of the story takes place in Avonford, a dismal place in southwest England, which is painted in all its depressing glory, and the reader quickly realises why a young Rennard would want to leave it all behind. It is populated with old chip shops, pubs and would-be gangsters. The writing is noir-ish, the tone dark, but it moves along well, and there's even a Quiller-like feeling that old-time fans will like.
Fans of the author's previous books will find this a major change in direction - no more historical, wartime adventure, this is a more-or-less contemporary tale of one man's path to salvation. It's a hard read in places, but worth your time.
"The Aristocracy" opens in London, in 2007. British Intelligence officer Declan Rennard is beginning another day at the office, already moaning about having to cover for less capable colleagues, and winding up his boss. Said boss soon informs him that he's being sent back into the field- not just the field, but his old home turf. It seems Darren Sinfield, notorious inmate at Lower Marston maximum-security prison, has escaped and is thought to be holed up in nearby Avonford, a decaying town with a squalid underbelly, and Rennard's hometown.
And so a dark, disturbing, and not-too-pretty story unfolds as Rennard returns to the place he thought he had left behind forever. His job of locating Sinfield requires him to make contact with people he would prefer stayed in his past, and as his investigations deepen, the reader slowly learns of Rennard's past, from childhood to life as an undercover operative. We learn of the things he has done to get on - many of which will come back to haunt him.
Rennard is clearly damaged goods. He is a haunted, brooding individual, but highly intelligent. He carries guilt from long ago, stemming from his ability to rise out of the mire that was Avonford, to things he was required to do to survive. Much of the story takes place in Avonford, a dismal place in southwest England, which is painted in all its depressing glory, and the reader quickly realises why a young Rennard would want to leave it all behind. It is populated with old chip shops, pubs and would-be gangsters. The writing is noir-ish, the tone dark, but it moves along well, and there's even a Quiller-like feeling that old-time fans will like.
Fans of the author's previous books will find this a major change in direction - no more historical, wartime adventure, this is a more-or-less contemporary tale of one man's path to salvation. It's a hard read in places, but worth your time.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was a captivating and highly original thriller featuring a tarnished hero in intelligence officer Declan Rennard who has seen action throughout the world and has a murky background and is haunted by nightmares about some of the scrapes he previously got into.
He is sent to find a high profile and violent escaped prisoner who goes back a long way with Declan and comes from the same Midlands sink town.
He re engages with characters from his past and is given the opportunity to exorcise his demons.
The writing and plotting is taut and tense and in Declan, Worrall has created a memorable character who hopefully will reappear in what could become an established series
He is sent to find a high profile and violent escaped prisoner who goes back a long way with Declan and comes from the same Midlands sink town.
He re engages with characters from his past and is given the opportunity to exorcise his demons.
The writing and plotting is taut and tense and in Declan, Worrall has created a memorable character who hopefully will reappear in what could become an established series
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews