The Long Room is where Government “listener” Stephen Donaldson spends his working day taking notes from bugged phone calls. He was recruited for the secret service hoping to be a spy but is stuck – an eavesdropper desperate for fieldwork.
He’s a naive loner who often drifts off into a fantasy world and imagines seducing the woman of his dreams, Helen Greenwood. One snag is she is the wife of his co-worker Jamie, whose calls Stephen is monitoring as he is a suspected double agent.
As Stephen’s lustful daydreams of Helen spiral, he takes risks to bring about Jamie’s downfall. Can he cover his tracks and snare the woman he loves?
Francesca Kay’s third novel is an exciting thriller that twists and turns to the last page. Her obsessive anti-hero is likeable but infuriating in equal measure, as he’s intelligent but has no common sense. Prepare to throw the book in frustration.
