Diplomat turned Oxford University college principal Tom Fletcher has written a new thriller.
Mr Fletcher became Principal of Hertford College in September 2020.
He was previously the foreign policy adviser to three UK Prime Ministers (2007-11) and the UK’s Ambassador to Lebanon (2011-15). More recently, he has been a Visiting Professor at New York University.
READ MORE: JRR Tolkien letter from Oxford address expected to fetch thousands
The college principal, who was foreign policy advisor in No.10 Downing Street to Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron, has written his second thriller, The Assassin.
His first, The Ambassador, won praise from renowned thriller writer Frederick Forsyth, the author of Day of the Jackal.
Mr Forsyth wrote: "As one long convinced the truth is very often stranger than fiction I enjoyed Tom Fletcher’s debut novel.
"The author can draw authenticity from a career spent at the coal face of diplomacy and intelligence, which is why it is a page turner."
Then his attempts at normality fall apart once again and Ed finds himself at the heart of a complex negotiation with a dangerous Somali terrorist group, in an effort to avert a regional security crisis and free his daughter.
Meanwhile, across the globe a series of political assassinations have been shaking the world of business and government.
Tensions boil over when a Chinese envoy is murdered in Jordan, only days before a crucial climate change conference, sparking a diplomatic crisis and the threat of US/China confrontation
READ MORE: Man dies in crash following police chase
Mr Fletcher led a review of British diplomacy for the UK Foreign Office in 2016, and on the future of the United Nations for the UN Secretary General in 2017.
In 2018 he wrote a report on the skills the next generation need to thrive in the 21st century.
Mr Fletcher has also advised the Global Business Coalition for Education, and chaired the International Advisory Council of the Creative Industries Federation.
In 2018 launched The Foundation for Opportunity which supports good deeds in public life.
He has published two other books: The Naked Diplomat: Power and Politics in the Digital Age (Harper Collins, 2016), Ten Survival Skills for a World In Flux (Harper Collins, 2022).
READ MORE: New medical centre plans for south Oxfordshire town
The author lives in Oxford with his wife and two sons.
He will be in conversation with Oxford University Chancellor Chris Patten at the Oxford Literary Festival on Monday, at the Sheldonian Theatre, at 6pm.
The Chancellor's lecture is entitled: From China to the Middle East and Ukraine: A World in Turmoil.
The Assassin is published by Canelo on March 28, price £18.99.
Help support trusted local news
Sign up for a digital subscription now: oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe
As a digital subscriber you will get:
- Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website
- Advert-light access
- Reader rewards
- Full access to our app
About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning.
You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here