Frank Gardner

The explosive new thriller featuring MI6 operative Luke Carlton on his most terrifying mission yet.

Deep within the Arctic Circle, three scientists from the UK's Arctic Research Station trudge through a blizzard in search of shelter. They see a cabin ahead. It appears abandoned, but as they push open the door, the smell hits them. A man lies slumped, his face disfigured by livid pustules.  Samples are rushed to the laboratories at Porton Down and a full-scale operation to contain this contagion is underway.  Supported by phone and data intercepts, British Intelligence reaches a terrifying conclusion: that a new generation of bio-weapons has been developed.

Dispatched to investigate, MI6's Luke Carlton finds himself on a serpentine trail of lies and deception. From a mysterious factory in Lithuania, via arrest and imprisonment, and ultimately back to Britain, he discovers that they've been looking in the wrong place all along.

Chaired by Alison Freeman, BBC.

'Grips from the very first page, this is thriller writing of a high order.' Adam LeBor Financial Times

Frank Gardner is the BBC's Security Correspondent, reporting for television and radio on issues of domestic and international security.  

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Booking Information

• Priority Booking for Festival Friends opens at 08.00 on Tuesday 19th April. Tickets go on general sale from Thursday 21st April. 
• Please note that a handling charge of 50p per ticket applies to bookings made in person or over the phone. No handling charges apply to online bookings.
• Hearing loops are available.  Carers qualify for free ‘essential companion’ tickets. Wheelchair spaces are limited. In all cases, please call the Box Office on 01434 652477 to book (booking fees will not apply).