The Kaiser S Last Kiss

"Originally published in Great Britain in 2003 by HarperCollins Publishers"--Copyright page.

It is early in the Second World War and Martin Krebbs, an eager young german officer, is given and unusual task: to guard and observe the exiled Kaiser on his estate in occupied Holland. Krebbs soon finds himself drawn to the charismatic and mercurial old man, and starts to question his nazi loyalties. Then he falls in love with Akki - a serving-maid with a dangerous double secret - and the SS man must decide if he is to follow the vicious creed of his country or his awakening humanity

Soon to be a movie starring Christopher Plummer, Lily James, and Jai Courtney, this wonderfully satisfying, sophisticated novel ("Daily Telegraph") follows the exiled Kaiser Wilhelm, the young Nazi officer assigned to guard him, and the Jewish maid who unwittingly comes between them. It is 1940 and the exiled monarch Kaiser Wilhelm is living in his Dutch chateau, Huis Doorn. The old German king spends his days chopping logs and musing on what might have been. When the Nazis invade Holland, the Kaiser s staff is replaced by SS guards, led by young and recently commissioned SS officer Martin Krebbs, and an unlikely relationship develops between the king and his keeper. While they agree on the rightfulness of German expansion and on holding the nation's Jewish population accountable for all ills, they disagree on the solutions. But when Krebbs becomes attracted to Akki, a Jewish maid in the house, he begins to question his belief in Nazism. As the threads of history conspire with the recklessness of the heart, The Kaiser, Untersturmfuhrer Krebbs, and the mysterious Akki find themselves increasingly conflicted and gravely at risk "

It is 1940 and the exiled Kaiser is living in Holland, at his palace Huis Doorn. The old German king spends his days chopping logs and musing on what might have been. When the Nazis invade Holland, the Kaiser's Dutch staff are replaced by SS guards, led by young, eager Martin Krebbs, and an unlikely relationship develops between the king and his keeper. While they agree on the rightfulness of German expansion and on holding the country's Jewish population accountable for all ills, they disagree on the solutions. Krebb's growing attraction and love affair with Akki, a Jewish maid in the house, further undermines his belief in Nazism. But as the tides of war roll around them, all three find themselves increasingly compromised and gravely at risk.

'Alan Judd's special magic is to mix contemporary events as they break over our heads with the codes and crafts of the secret world on whose special traits he is always uncannily up to date' Peter Hennessy 'Plotting in the best le Carré tradition' Mail on Sunday 'A well researched plot, intelligent prose and topicality' Spectator From the author of Legacy, now a major BBC Film, and The Kaiser's Last Kiss comes a brilliant new novel for fans of John le Carre, Mick Herron and Charles Cumming. Brexit looms and Charles Thoroughgood, Chief of MI6, is forbidden for political reasons from spying on the EU. But when an EU official volunteers the EU’s negotiating bottom lines to one of his officers, Charles has to report it. Whitehall is eager for more but as the case develops Charles realises that it may not be quite what it appears. At the same time, he finds he has a family connection with a possible terrorist whom MI5 want checked out. In both cases, Charles is forced to become his own agent, seeking what he really does not want to find. 'Charles Thoroughgood, Chief of MI6, keeps the flame of true espionage burning brightly in a contemporary Brexit operation as political correctness threatens to close in on his freewheeling profession - authentic, clever and wonderfully entertaining' Sir Richard Dearlove, ex-Chief of MI6 Authoritative and packed with in-depth knowledge, Accidental Agent is a gripping new spy thriller from a master of the genre. ‘Judd infuses his writing with insider knowledge’New Statesman 'Wonderful. One of the best spy novels ever' Peter Hennessey on Legacy 'Belongs to the classic tradition of spy writing' Guardian 'Judd has an infallible grasp of intelligence'Spectator

Alek and Deryn are back onboard the Leviathan. The ship is ordered to pick up Tesla, a Russian inventor who has created a machine he claims can destroy half of the world, which he is using as a threat to impose peace. Alek wants to the end the war, so decides to back Tesla politically, as do the Darwinists. Meanwhile Deryn is still pretending to be a boy, though Alek has figured out her true identity, and promises to keep her secret. With stops in New York, California and Mexico, Deryn and Alek encounter adventure and intrigue at every turn, but when a secret German plan to sabotage Tesla's machine leads to a heart-stopping stand-off, as Tesla threatens to fire his weapon, it's up to the two of them to stop him - or face the end of the world for real…

In April 1945 Hitler's bunker in Berlin was the last place Edith Mecklenburg wanted to be. But Edith had no choice: as secretary to Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress and -- for a few final, desperate hours -- his wife, Edith had to see it through to the bitter end. Edith was one of the lucky few. She not only got out alive but made a new life for herself in England. Sixty years on, now a widow and grandmother, the Bunker is almost forgotten. But the past has not forgotten her. Hans, a soldier she knew from those dark days, has written asking if he may visit. Obsessed with the war, he has spent the intervening decades tracking down all who were there, and who survived. In her reluctant raking-over of old coals, Edith finds embers that still burn, and in the act of remembrance a very current threat . . .

An intimate and well-documented biography of Karl Lagerfeld, ex-creative director of Chanel and international fashion iconReveals the man behind the mask: the great couturier, the adorer of women, the unrepentant provocateurA huge bestseller in FranceWorldwide publication in English to mark the first anniversary of his deathA luxurious hardback, finished with quarter-bound cloth and containing a picture section"admiring and ferocious" - France Inter"This first biography, fed by many first-rate witnesses... we laugh, we shudder, we admire." - ElleOn the last morning of his life, Karl Lagerfeld's only companion was Sébastien, his bodyguard and right-hand man. The king of fashion insisted on being cremated, along with his universally recognizable 'gear' - the dark glasses and high starched collar that served as a bastion for his secrets. It is only now that witnesses have begun to talk.Thus emerges the story of Karl Lagerfeld: his father's past in the heart of wartime Germany, his rivalry with Yves Saint Laurent (enflamed by his only love, Jacques de Bascher) and the networks he forged with the biggest luxury manufacturers in the world as he compiled his vast fortune. Truly an unparalleled icon in the history of fashion, Lagerfeld's legacy lives on today.