A superb alt-timeline thriller that recalls Robert Harris’s Fatherland

Simon Urban has created an imaginative alternate landscape that is so absurdly believable I had to remind myself, occasionally, that it wasn't the real world. And all was the backdrop to a conspiracy, wrapped in secrets, covered in deception. Compulsive reading, I devoured it

A gripping journey into an alternate past - Plan D is the epitome of what a great thriller should be

A genuine page turner. But it’s also a book about the nature of dictatorships. It shows why dictatorship is possible, how dictatorship is done and what it does to people

Vividly imagined and described...a very good read

This is my surprise hit of the year so far, and I can’t recommend it highly enough

Urban has conjured up an engaging tale of what might have been

Plan D is a highly accomplished debut, ambitious, complex and written with great flair

It has everything you could wish for in a good thriller

A gripping debut ... D.I. Helen Grace is a flawed but winning heroine ... and, boy, the pages fly by

A fast-paced, twisting police procedural and thriller that's sure to become another bestseller

Pearl's scholarly background is evident in the erudite detail he weaves into his fictional narrative, adding texture and complexity

A brilliant literary novel which manages to be academic without being dull, combining as it does scholarly density with page-turning suspense

Matthew Pearl is the new shining star of literary fiction - a heady, inventive, and immensely gifted author. With intricate plots, classical themes, and erudite characters...what's not to love?

Startlingly inventive

Striking early scenes show why Henderson has his illustrious admirers.

A worthy contender for the title of a great American novel. With its magisterial scope and emotionally rich storytelling, this literary tour-de-force captivated and, at few points, grounded me to dust with its sheer brilliance. It is one of the books that will always keep bouncing around my head and one around which many readers will redefine their life. I can't recommend it enough.

A triumphant thriller worthy of Bond’s creator Ian Fleming.

I found myself wondering if Boyd had outdone Fleming.

[Boyd is] an ideal writer of James Bond novels, and this one, his first, is very good

Perfectly judged homage

A brand new James Bond adventure combining all the glamour and excitement of Fleming’s original novels with the masterful storytelling of William Boyd

A very good piece of literary ventriloquism, with a great baddie

Fleming’s James Bond lives again in this perfectly judged homage