Night Heron

“Night Heron is a fascinating portrait of the dangerous complexities of spying in a restricted country, the competing agendas driving international intelligence, and China’s startlingly varied social realities. A must-read for fans of espionage and smart global fiction in general.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Against all odds, Prisoner 5995—a former professor wrongly convicted of murder—escapes a high security Chinese facility after twenty torturous years. Having concocted a plan to flee China and establish a new identity, he finds an unlikely ally in Mangan, a veteran British journalist based in Beijing…Brookes, a one-time China correspondent for the BBC, knows this turf exceedingly well and translates that knowledge into a novel that is as strikingly different as it is thrilling…One of the best and most compulsively readable spy-fiction debuts in years.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Outstanding fiction debut…Brookes [is] a thriller writer to watch.” —Publishers Weekly

“Fans of the international espionage genre will inhale this fast tale in a few suspenseful breaths.” —Library Journal

“Night Heron is a wonderfully cinematic novel—I felt myself visually transported into every scene, watching the action unfold—that also immersed me in the sounds and smells and feel of China, all the while telling a rich, complex espionage story. A remarkable accomplishment.” —Chris Pavone, author of international bestseller The Expats