Michael Pearce

1913 Athens, and the Greeks are growing tired of their Ottoman overlords. When the cat of an exiled sultan is poisoned rumours abound that the Sultan was the actual target. Given the volatile nature of the Balkans this is a dangerous situation.The British Foreign Office decides to take low-key action, but for this they need Seymour of C.I.D.

When a diplomat dies in Istanbul, the suspicious circumstances attract the attention of Special Branch. Seymour, a Special Branch Officer, discovers that the victim may have been involved in a political operation.

Naples, 1913. Newly arrived British junior consul Scampion enjoys the latest craze: bicycle racing. But after a race he is fatally stabbed - unremarkable in Naples, except his wallet is not taken. And that’s when Seymour, from the Foreign Office, is sent to investigate.

Gareth Cadwallader Owen is the Mamur Zapt - the head of the Khedive's Secret Police, and is married to Zeinab, a pasha's daughter. It's not a comfortable perch, as agitation for political and social restructuring grows and a state of emergency in Egypt is declared.