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The Irregular
The Metropolitan Police have an unsolvable 'Lachy' Wilson is a ruthless and obscenely rich British drugs lord who has bought off dozens of their officers. Thanks to these informants, no one can lay a glove on Wilson and he is considered 'untouchable'.
Wilson is dreaming of one last, game-changing shipment of heroin into the UK. The Met turn to the outside for help. Jonas Merrick is an MI5 officer, unspectacular in his own right but spectacular in the success he's had in dangerous counter terrorist operations. Can he thwart the drugs plot?
Jonas has an ace in the Kenny 'Chopper' Harris is an ex-paratrooper and soon to be ex-member of the Flying Squad, looking for a new home, new loyalties. Jonas recruits him to get close to Wilson's Achilles's Julie Wilson is the heir apparent to the family drugs empire and Lachy's go-between. Julie, like Chopper, is a lost soul - she dreams of life outside her father's brutal orbit. Her fate is about to change at their first meeting. A bond is formed, a resolution is Chopper will get her free of her family, if she'll betray her mission.
Soon their desperate game of deception begins - a game which will inevitably end in a bloody denouement.
Wilson is dreaming of one last, game-changing shipment of heroin into the UK. The Met turn to the outside for help. Jonas Merrick is an MI5 officer, unspectacular in his own right but spectacular in the success he's had in dangerous counter terrorist operations. Can he thwart the drugs plot?
Jonas has an ace in the Kenny 'Chopper' Harris is an ex-paratrooper and soon to be ex-member of the Flying Squad, looking for a new home, new loyalties. Jonas recruits him to get close to Wilson's Achilles's Julie Wilson is the heir apparent to the family drugs empire and Lachy's go-between. Julie, like Chopper, is a lost soul - she dreams of life outside her father's brutal orbit. Her fate is about to change at their first meeting. A bond is formed, a resolution is Chopper will get her free of her family, if she'll betray her mission.
Soon their desperate game of deception begins - a game which will inevitably end in a bloody denouement.
413 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 15, 2026
About the author
Gerald Seymour
102 books293 followersGerald Seymour (born 25 November 1941 in Guildford, Surrey) is a British writer.
The son of two literary figures, he was educated at Kelly College at Tavistock in Devon and took a BA Hons degree in Modern History at University College London. Initially a journalist, he joined ITN in 1963, covering such topics as the Great Train Robbery, Vietnam, Ireland, the Munich Olympics massacre, Germany's Red Army, Italy's Red Brigades and Palestinian militant groups. His first book, Harry's Game, was published in 1975, and Seymour then became a full-time novelist, living in the West Country. In 1999, he featured in the Oscar-winning television film, One Day in September, which portrayed the Munich Olympics massacre.
Television adaptations have been made of his books Harry's Game, The Glory Boys, The Contract, Red Fox, Field Of Blood, A Line In The Sand and The Waiting Time.
The son of two literary figures, he was educated at Kelly College at Tavistock in Devon and took a BA Hons degree in Modern History at University College London. Initially a journalist, he joined ITN in 1963, covering such topics as the Great Train Robbery, Vietnam, Ireland, the Munich Olympics massacre, Germany's Red Army, Italy's Red Brigades and Palestinian militant groups. His first book, Harry's Game, was published in 1975, and Seymour then became a full-time novelist, living in the West Country. In 1999, he featured in the Oscar-winning television film, One Day in September, which portrayed the Munich Olympics massacre.
Television adaptations have been made of his books Harry's Game, The Glory Boys, The Contract, Red Fox, Field Of Blood, A Line In The Sand and The Waiting Time.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 29, 2026
Steeped in quiet competence rather than Slough House chaos, Jonas Merrick is very much an MI5 asset, a professional operating far from the realm of institutional failure. Yet even for someone this capable, things are rarely straightforward, as counterterrorism and drug smuggling collide in this latest outing from Gerald Seymour.
This is spy fiction at its most assured. The intrigue is layered, the suspense patient but persistent, and the detail never feels indulgent. Seymour’s dialogue crackles with authenticity, orbiting characters who feel sharply observed and human rather than genre archetypes. There is no need for flashy set pieces here; tension is generated through intelligence, moral ambiguity, and the slow tightening of pressure.
Once again, Seymour demonstrates a mastery of the British spy novel that places him firmly alongside Mick Herron. This is intelligent, grown up espionage writing, confident in its restraint and all the more compelling because of it.
This is spy fiction at its most assured. The intrigue is layered, the suspense patient but persistent, and the detail never feels indulgent. Seymour’s dialogue crackles with authenticity, orbiting characters who feel sharply observed and human rather than genre archetypes. There is no need for flashy set pieces here; tension is generated through intelligence, moral ambiguity, and the slow tightening of pressure.
Once again, Seymour demonstrates a mastery of the British spy novel that places him firmly alongside Mick Herron. This is intelligent, grown up espionage writing, confident in its restraint and all the more compelling because of it.
January 28, 2026
I have been a fan of Gerald Seymour since his first book Harry's Game ,then he created Jonas Merrick, who is definitely on a par with George Smiley.All this series are incredibly well written with plots that are utterly realistic and believable.This latest one sees the 'grumpy old fucker'take on a 'too big to fall' villain , the intricacies of creating the scenario to succeed introduce various characters, from the villain his henchmen who are surprisingly sympathetic and human, to a naive dutch policeman, the jigsaw slots beautifully in place as each chapter progresses, there are some of the usual characters, the PTSD council Gardner,Merricks boss, Effie who was introduced in the last book, these books are truly literate on a par with Graham Green and Le Carre's best.
Highly recommended
Highly recommended
February 4, 2026
Vintage Seymour. Textured. Layered. Eloquent. Superbly executed. A criminally under-rated novelist at the height of his powers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews