It’s been quite the decade for new spy fiction authors. David McCloskey has emerged as a real tour de force with four highly acclaimed novels, starting with Damascus Station while IS Berry, Charles Beaumont and Merle Nygate have also emerged as names to look out for. One of the latest to join this crop of exciting new talents is Sam Guthrie, a former diplomat whose debut novel, The Peak, shows plenty of promise with a unique spin on the current sociopolitical landscape across Australia, Hong Kong and China.
The story, which intercuts between several time periods, begins with a meeting between Sebastian, an Australian MP, and one of his members of staff and long-time friend Charlie. Tensions escalate at the meeting and Sebastian suddenly commits suicide in front of Charlie. This sends repercussions through the Australian political establishment and the situation quickly threatens to spiral out of control with a mass blackout and hysteria among the general public. What secrets was Sebastian hiding, and how do they link to mainland China?
From here, we begin to decipher the nature of Sebastian and Charlie’s relationship. It’s not as sunshine and roses as it first seems; the two go back to their school days but drift in and out of each other’s lives for the next few decades. Sebastian’s charm is irresistible to Charlie, our narrator, how reliable is he? To add to matters is Chloe, a woman both found themselves enamoured with in the 1990s as Britain was about to hand Hong Kong back to China. A turbulent time politically and certainly for the young men in their formative years. Their relationship is at the heart of the story and crucial to unpacking the crisis facing Australia in the present.
Guthrie himself worked as a diplomat and spent plenty of time in both China and Hong Kong. This certainly lends the novel a sense of authenticity and makes some of the events even more ominous than they are on the page.
The pacing is electric as we recount Sebastian and Charlie’s friendship while events continue to worsen. By keeping the focus largely on the central trio and figures close to them, Guthrie brings an intimacy that would be lost in a plot with a grander scale. Yet it never detracts from the scale of the crisis and makes the stakes more personal.
It is worth noting that all the characters are deeply flawed. Charlie himself certainly isn’t a knight in shining armour, with plenty of skeletons in his own closet. As we dissect Sebastian’s demons and choices, again, no saint. Charlie’s musical taste is a key theme, obsessed with the grunge of the early 90s and there are frequent nods to the likes of Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Dinosaur Jr so 90s alt rock fans will lap up these references.
What really sets The Peak apart from other contemporary espionage fiction is the setting and focus on relations between China and Australia. So often we follow the US and UK, with the Cold War’s shadow looming large over the genre to this day. Guthrie’s decision to root this in a world he is familiar with lends this a totally unique edge, and we can only hope he keeps in this lane for follow-up works.
The Peak is at its heart an espionage story, but one rooted in the characters’ backgrounds and relationships. It is a frantic, fast-paced story, but one packed full of rich detail, especially concerning the Australian and Hong Kong political and security landscapes. Guthrie paints a vivid picture of both and in under 400 pages, provides insight into the turbulent relationship between Australia and China and keeps us hooked. The author’s own experiences leap off the page and lend it plenty of realism.
Even with the characters being difficult to root for, there is much to admire in the prose, pacing and story structure to thoroughly recommend The Peak, particularly for fans of the espionage genre. Guthrie’s second novel is slated to arrive in 2027 and will be much anticipated.
HarperCollins
Print/Kindle/iBook
£5.99
CFL Rating: 4 Stars
