Code Black
On sale
14th January 2027
Price: £10.99
Agent Sarah Black’s personal and professional lives are on a lethal collision course in her latest mission . . .
The Pelicans are spies in a special liaison unit in London. They are at once notorious, elusive, calculating and fearless . . . and as such, in high demand.
Barely recovered from black ops in Sierra Leone, Sarah is given a new brief: Infiltrate a Chinese nuclear arms network by posing as a black-market uranium dealer.
This new mission seems clear-cut, but nothing is straightforward in the espionage game. As Sarah throws herself into her new alias and navigates a web of secrets stretching from London to China via North Korea and Djibouti, she finds herself not just evading some of the world’s most dangerous figures, but questioning the loyalty of everyone around her, even her father: his vehement opposition to a proposed citizen control app is making enemies on home turf.
With nothing but her sharp instincts for reading people, her chess-playing abilities and an unexpected talent for hijacking trains, Sarah plunges into a chase across continents in pursuit of the darkest of operators.
And as the lines between ally and enemy blur, Sarah must risk everything to uncover the truth . . .
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Code Black is the third instalment of L.D. Sharpe’s series of whip-smart modern spy thrillers. Perfect for fans of Mick Herron, I.S. Berry, Ava Glass and David Goodman.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Praise for L.D. Sharpe’s Pelican Black thrillers:
‘A terrific tale with plenty of action . . . a cracking read’ – NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A fabulously written gripping story . . . brilliant’ – NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘The female lead is very well written. I loved it’ – NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Thoroughly entertaining . . . I would pick up the next book by Sharpe without hesitation’ – NetGalley reviewer
‘Definitely keeps the pages turning!’ – NetGalley reviewer
‘A really enjoyable spy thriller with a fresh feel and a strong central character’ – NetGalley reviewer
‘A slick fast paced espionage thriller that leans heavily into atmosphere, deception and the psychological uncertainty of entering the intelligence world for the first time’ – NetGalley reviewer
‘Bond, Bourne . . . now Black. Sharpe has served up a spy novel for the 21st century and a magnificent protagonist to lead it. Sarah Black is bold, brainy, and badass! And believable too – this story is as authentic as it is exciting, from the magnificently crafted cast of characters to the incredibly well-drawn locations. Gripping, pacy, and intelligent, I couldn’t put it down’ – Daniel Aubrey, author of Dark Island
‘The Recruit introduces an impressive, complex, resourceful recruit to British espionage, and a world that is shabbier, darker, more ambiguous and far more compromised than the MI6 of James Bond. But it’s every bit as tense and exciting . . . this is a sharply written thriller that is also sharply contemporary’ – Michael Russell, author of the Stefan Gillespie thrillers
The Pelicans are spies in a special liaison unit in London. They are at once notorious, elusive, calculating and fearless . . . and as such, in high demand.
Barely recovered from black ops in Sierra Leone, Sarah is given a new brief: Infiltrate a Chinese nuclear arms network by posing as a black-market uranium dealer.
This new mission seems clear-cut, but nothing is straightforward in the espionage game. As Sarah throws herself into her new alias and navigates a web of secrets stretching from London to China via North Korea and Djibouti, she finds herself not just evading some of the world’s most dangerous figures, but questioning the loyalty of everyone around her, even her father: his vehement opposition to a proposed citizen control app is making enemies on home turf.
With nothing but her sharp instincts for reading people, her chess-playing abilities and an unexpected talent for hijacking trains, Sarah plunges into a chase across continents in pursuit of the darkest of operators.
And as the lines between ally and enemy blur, Sarah must risk everything to uncover the truth . . .
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Code Black is the third instalment of L.D. Sharpe’s series of whip-smart modern spy thrillers. Perfect for fans of Mick Herron, I.S. Berry, Ava Glass and David Goodman.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Praise for L.D. Sharpe’s Pelican Black thrillers:
‘A terrific tale with plenty of action . . . a cracking read’ – NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A fabulously written gripping story . . . brilliant’ – NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘The female lead is very well written. I loved it’ – NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Thoroughly entertaining . . . I would pick up the next book by Sharpe without hesitation’ – NetGalley reviewer
‘Definitely keeps the pages turning!’ – NetGalley reviewer
‘A really enjoyable spy thriller with a fresh feel and a strong central character’ – NetGalley reviewer
‘A slick fast paced espionage thriller that leans heavily into atmosphere, deception and the psychological uncertainty of entering the intelligence world for the first time’ – NetGalley reviewer
‘Bond, Bourne . . . now Black. Sharpe has served up a spy novel for the 21st century and a magnificent protagonist to lead it. Sarah Black is bold, brainy, and badass! And believable too – this story is as authentic as it is exciting, from the magnificently crafted cast of characters to the incredibly well-drawn locations. Gripping, pacy, and intelligent, I couldn’t put it down’ – Daniel Aubrey, author of Dark Island
‘The Recruit introduces an impressive, complex, resourceful recruit to British espionage, and a world that is shabbier, darker, more ambiguous and far more compromised than the MI6 of James Bond. But it’s every bit as tense and exciting . . . this is a sharply written thriller that is also sharply contemporary’ – Michael Russell, author of the Stefan Gillespie thrillers
