A confident China plans to alter the world order Border expansion for her burgeoning population is an essential element. Bioweapons will be used as a first tester in the US An underground laboratory. A claustrophobic liner. A trail of dead mistresses. Karen Andersen, private investigator, stumbles across intelligence in a Liverpool University that an ultra-right faction of the CCP plan to release the hyper contagious virus on an unsuspecting New York City. Heading out of Southampton on a luxury cruise, she has just seven days to disrupt the strategy. In the turmoil on board, Karen struggles to unravel the complexities. ‘With a chilling premises and twists and turns at every page, The Secret War is definitely the perfect read for lovers of Dan Brown and Blake Crouch thrillers.’ BooksTechnica What reviewers are saying: ‘Great spy fiction’–Liverpool Echo ‘Exceptional. Riveting’–Reader’s Favorite ‘Utterly up to the minute social media undercover work, this is absolutely fascinating.’ Charlie Flowers, best-selling author and counter-terrorism advisor ‘Better than Homeland..a masterpiece.’ Sanjit Book Blog What NetGalley and Goodreads are saying about The Secret War ‘Wild, somewhat whacky and deeply chilling journey into modern day socio-politics’ ‘As thrillers go you really can’t get much more up to the minute than this!’ ‘Tense and completely brilliant from beginning to end’ ★★★★★ ‘This tense drama concludes with a satisfying yet unexpected final twist’ ★★★★★ ‘Sharp dialogue, heart beating moments and a brilliant twist.’ ★★★★★ ‘ The elements weaved into the novel were so brilliantly done that you had to remind yourself that it was a work of fiction.
Meet Louise Burfitt-Dons
I’ve wanted to write thrillers ever since I met Ian Fleming as a child when he visited Kuwait, where I spent my childhood. So the adventures of James Bond were one of my early influences, along with those of the great spy writer John Le Carre and mystery novelist Agatha Christie. My first book THE MISSING ACTIVIST, featuring private investigator Karen Andersen made the Amazon bestseller lists. So I decided to continue her adventures in a series. While she is often compared to Stieg Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander, my inspiration comes from authors who write dynamic action as diverse as Lee Childs, Mick Herron, Charles Cumming, Adam Hamdy and Mark Dawson. It’s been said my books are “ripped from the headlines” thrillers, which is pretty apt as a way of describing them. I hope you are as gripped by conspiracies, political machinations, and social media manipulation as I am when I’m compiling them. Real life currently keeps me on the edge of my seat and the psychological games people play in their day to day lives. I was a political candidate in the 2015 UK General Election of 2015 so THE MISSING ACTIVIST is also a masterclass in candidate manipulation, as is the major theme in THE KILLING OF THE CHERRYWOOD MP. If you found the House of Cards entertaining, you’ll probably enjoy my observations on life. My books also pop up in terrorism thrillers, a genre led by the likes of Terry Hayes, Frank Gardner and Simon McCleave. Having been born and brought up in the Middle East, I cover Muslim integration from both sides and spent a year brushing up on my very basic Arabic to get my facts right. Brought up in the Middle East as well as the UK and then married to a New Zealand airline pilot, I’ve travelled the world a lot. I’ve lived full time in France and Australia, so I often visit these and other places I’ve travelled to in my writing. But my books are mostly set in and around London, a city I love and city in which we have settled. I started out writing stage plays (under Louise Byres, which is probably why I favour multiple points of view. Now, when I’m not writing books, I’m hammering out a screenplay. Recent TV thrillers of mine, including Mother of All Secrets, Your Husband is Mine, The Ex Next Door, at Fame at a Deadly Cost have been on the US Lifetime network and other channels around the world, sometimes with different titles. To prove I still have a sense of humour and the soul of a romantic, I wrote a Christmas film. Called Christmas in the Highlands in Europe, it was released by Lifetime in December 2020 as Christmas at the Castle and its premier clocked up over a million views. One of my life passions has been helping victims of bullying. I set up an anti-bullying charity twenty years ago called Act Against Bullying and when I’m not writing fiction I’m still at the helm, championing the cause. It’s been a humbling experience to connect with as many people as I have, promoting the life-saving values of kindness and respect for others. It’s allowed me special insight into what motivates a bully as well as the crippling emotional and pain caused by bullying. It’s a theme which crops up quite a lot in my fiction. What else? I have two grown daughters I adore and a new grandchild called Dempsie Lee. The above is a bit about my world. Please keep in touch with me to share yours. I’m on Facebook and Twitter @LouiseBurfDons. Oh, and if you’re interested in my future books, if you click the Follow button Amazon will wing you a note when I’ve got a new book coming out. Or you can join my newsletter via my website www.louiseburfittdons.com
