Today I’m pleased to share an extract from The Spy Who Chipped the China Tea Cup by Angie Smith, published by Bloodhound Books on 18 May 2017.

Chapter 1 Tuesday 27th September

He looked confident strolling around the waterhole towards her, now less than two hundred metres from where she stood, his positive gait and self-assured

mannerisms giving a clear indication of intent. Or could she be mistaken, maybe the paranoia was overwhelming her, but why else would he be here, in the middle of nowhere? As the fear increased she felt her heart rate quicken. Decision time: fight or flight? She glanced at the Range Rover, a couple of metres away, its door already open, and her Glock pistol in the glove compartment. She could put up a spirited defence, and perhaps she could make a fight of it.

But what on earth was she thinking? She couldn’t kill anyone, even if she could remember how to flick the safety catch off. Run then?! Yes, she could make it to the car and drive off, but presumably the guy would have a vehicle nearby, otherwise how had he got here? It would probably be a fast four-by-four like hers, and proficient driving wasn’t her forte, particularly on the dirt tracks around here. It had taken her hours to find the waterhole, and she knew she wouldn’t get far. And then what? Slaughtered and discarded to sweltering heat; nutrition for the lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas, and then her remains the behest of the buzzards and flies. She looked back at the man, now about one hundred metres away. Was he an assassin? She wasn’t sure. Perturbed, she focused on his safari jacket and the upper part of his left chest, particularly the way the jacket moved. She compared it with the opposite side. Now she knew. She had been right all along. He was here to kill her. As he walked towards her she noticed his right hand move effortlessly, unfastening the buttons on the jacket, allowing accessibility to his chosen weapon. His preparations for the attack were beginning. She tried desperately to ready herself for the inevitable, but his expression unnerved her. It wasn’t what she’d been expecting. He smiled, appearing almost warm and friendly. Now he slowly removed his sunglasses, pinching and casually swinging them between the index finger and thumb on his left hand. She stared at him and a shiver crept down her spine. She took a deep breath and tried to swallow, but the lack of moisture prevented this. Mortified she seized the moment and looked away, sure that terror would be emblazoned across her face.

She couldn’t help smiling. “And what makes you different from the rest, the ones already sleeping in the mortuary? I suppose you know what happened to the housekeeper?” She noticed that, although he tried to hide it, the question caused his features to tighten.

“I read the reports,” he replied, “and I am fully aware of his capabilities.”

This time she scoffed. “He doesn’t get involved in the dirty work; people like you do that for him.”

“But he orchestrates their actions. And allow me to make one thing clear: I am not like that.” As he spoke he remained unruffled and calm. She began to warm to him.

About the book:

Arms dealing. Murder. Corruption. 

In Africa, Taylor Hudson reaches the stark realisation that she is in imminent danger.

Time is nearly up when, out of nowhere, she is thrown a lifeline.  Left with little option, she places her trust in a complete stranger. But who is this stranger and why the interest in saving her?

The answers lie 6,000 miles away, deep inside the British Secret Intelligence Service, where a former, disgraced, senior officer is attempting to work his way back into the heart of the organisation. But what are his real intentions?

What ensues is a deadly game of bluff, double-bluff and triple-bluff.

Can The China Teacup survive this time?

About the author:

Angie Smith, having recently survived locally advanced breast cancer,
discovered that her lifelong desire to write had been rekindled.
Consequently, her love for international crime thrillers became the
springboard to the creation of the highly acclaimed CXVI Trilogy.

Her passion for travelling to exotic places greatly inspires her work. A
recent trip to Southern Africa inspired her fourth novel, The Spy Who
Chipped The China Teacup.

Angie, born in 1961, was educated at Huddersfield University where she
graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Education and Training.
She was nominated for an award on her knowledge transfer partnerships
work, during which she co-produced and presented a journal article at
the International Social Work Conference in Durban.