The Valley of the Fox (1980) was the final entry in Joseph Hone’s quartet of ‘Peter Marlow’ spy novels, all now reissued as Faber Finds.

Marlow believes he is done with the insane world of espionage, having found a haven in the Cotswolds with his wife and step-daughter. Then gunfire shatters the night and he is forced to run for cover into the nearby woodland. Marlow finds himself in a landscape that has become suddenly, venomously hostile. And when sinister vengeance from Africa reaches deep into rural England, he must turn savage to rescue his terrified step-daughter and make good his escape.

‘A beguiling yarn… that harks back to an older romantic tradition with Buchanesque notions of honour and decency.’Sunday Independent

‘A carefully thought-out psychological novel… the writing is of such strength’Daily Telegraph