BEVAN G. ROBERTS
WARREN REED, former Australian Secret Intelligence Service officer:
'Few novels engage convincingly with the grit and grime of intelligence work in Asia. This one does, and it’s a real page turner. Why? Because it pulls you into a secret world to grapple with issues few comprehend, like what happens when a spy’s professional conviction exceeds their designated role – and all hell breaks loose.'
LIM LO SUY:
'This may be the author’s first novel but his prose is sharp and assured. It brings to life a little travelled setting, in all its misery and terror, leaving a deep impact on the reader once the final page is turned. This harrowing atmosphere is kept up to the blood splattered and bitter end, with each near miss and murder skillfully sprung.'
Read Lim Lo Suy's full review here.
KASHIF HUSSAIN, Best Thriller Books:
'One of the most darkly realistic espionage narratives I’ve read. Its unflinching portrayal of asset-handling and cloak-and-dagger operations chills you to your bones as you can’t help but vividly imagine the horrors of real-life spy work without the glamorization rampant in most fictional literature.'
STEPHEN ENGLAND, author of the bestselling Shadow Warriors series:
'Collars readers and pulls them into the neglected byways of Southeast Asia’s War on Terror, never letting go until the final page. Roberts’ unrivalled sense of place makes the streets of Indonesia’s cities and villages come to vibrant life, and his grasp of the geopolitics involved in the struggle to manage Australia’s near abroad suffuses his storytelling with intricate, easily understandable detail.'
MATT CRICCHIO, author of Security Day :
'A novel of labyrinthian morality … packed with intrigue, spectacular action, and the hard decisions intelligence agents face when the country they’re sworn to protect chooses saving face over saving lives.'
An ambush on Australian intelligence officer Jordan Carter signals a warning: Operation ANVIL, the Indonesian-Australian campaign of subversion against the Islamists of North Maluku, has failed.
As the intelligence services point the finger of blame, Carter ruthlessly hunts down a new enemy. His recklessness draws the attention of Ana Kovacevic, the journalist who has revealed the spiralling violence to the world. To confront a spy that will stop at nothing, she must venture into the heart of Indonesia’s extremist underworld, a labyrinth of deceit and violence where the most powerful weapon, and the greatest sacrifice, will be truth.
Bevan Geoffrey Roberts grew up in Canberra, Australia surrounded by technology, the military, and government. During a career in and around the departments of defence and foreign affairs, Bevan worked for a time at the Australian embassy in Indonesia, an experience that opened his eyes to Asia and inspired his first novel, Kingdom of Spies.
Bevan lives in Brisbane, Australia, with his wife and two amazing boys.
Kirkus Reviews:
'An impressively clear but also grippingly dramatic portrayal of the political tumult in Indonesia.'
STEVE NETTER, Best Thriller Books:
'They say write what you know, and Bevan G. Roberts has done just that, skillfully leveraging his prior defense and foreign affairs experience to craft an absorbing and informative thriller with memorable characters, complex state of affairs and vicious exploits. Kingdom Of Spies is one heck of a debut that has me excited to see what Mr. Roberts will come up with as an encore.'
JAMES STEJSKAL, former CIA Case Officer and Special Forces soldier, author of The Snake Eater Chronicles:
'Bevan weaves a "fictional" exposé of a joint Australian-Indonesian program to combat terrorism that is as callous as it is remorseless. In so doing, he exposes his protagonists to the dark realities of political expediency and individual morality. His descriptions of tradecraft and diplomatic interactions between two countries fighting a common enemy show the author’s experience and deliver an extra measure of authenticity to his writing and leave the reader wanting more.'
MATT FULTON, author of the Active Measures series: