The Exile

The prequel to the break-out debut phenomenon, The Partisan, following a young Greta as she journeys into the dark underbelly of France to rescue her lieutenant's missing daughter, Morta.

'An espionage story of high literary calibre' – Strong Words Magazine
'A dramatic and thoroughly immersive account of loyalty, ideology and betrayal' – Guardian
'A terrific new voice in spy fiction... A complex, action-packed portrait of a continent in ferment' – Mail on Sunday
'In remarkably granular detail, Worrall conjures up a Fifties Paris where historical and fictional characters coexist' – Sunday Times

It's 1951 and the servants of Stalin are closing in on the occupied nations of eastern Europe. As the Red Army tightens the net, Greta—best and bravest of freedom fighters—is told to escape to the West and undertake a dangerous mission.

Greta's task is to find a missing girl—the precious daughter of a partisan general who was sent into exile in the final days of the war.

But the so-called Free World is no place for vulnerable young refugees. Europe is in ruins, the old Empires are dying, and a spectacular cast of spivs, gangsters, and rival intelligence agencies are fighting over the scraps.

Crossing the Iron Curtain will require nerves of steel as Greta faces down the French mob, ex-Nazis, Soviet spies, all the glamour and temptation of Paris and ultimately, her own demons.

The Exile is a white-knuckle ride into the black heart of postwar Europe—a terrifying world in which allies and enemies are impossible to tell apart.

Praise for The Partisan

'Fast-paced, intriguing and deeply atmospheric' – Tom Bradby
'Remarkedly assured debut ... the advent of a real talent... One to watch' – Sunday Times
'Impressive ... The scene-setting is finely detailed and evocative, the characters skilfully drawn' – Financial Times
'Immersive, intriguing, and intelligent - incredibly impressive, up there with the best in the genre' – Lee Child

Patrick Worrall, The Bookseller bestseller, July 2023