Shake Off

An internationally acclaimed thriller of love, espionage and subterfuge, in which Middle East meets West with dangerous consequences.

Years of training have transformed Michel Khoury into a skilled intelligence operative. A refugee whose family was murdered by extremists, he has one mission: the peaceful resolution of the Middle East conflict that upended his life.

An alluring enigma, he attracts the attention of Helen, a pretty English girl who lives in the adjacent apartment. As their relationship develops, Michel is unable to tell Helen about his past--or the collection of passports and unmarked bills he's concealed in the bathroom they share.

When Michel's secrets turn deadly, Helen and Michel find themselves pursued through the streets of London, Berlin and the Scottish countryside. As they run, each steps closer to a discovery that will change their lives forever.

"Hypnotic. A spy thriller of the highest class."--Charles Cumming, New York Times bestselling author of The Trinity Six

"A beautifully written novel that chronicles the education of a spy...sensitive and realistic."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Le Carré said we live in 'coded times,' and SHAKE OFF is a book that takes that idea to hypnotizing levels. A novel about identity and sadness and love, it is also a hellaciously entertaining chase thriller. But the achievement of the novel rests in its orphan main character; Michel is a great character, one of the finest heroes I've seen in the spy genre simply because he is like so many of us, desperately searching for who he is and where he came from. This is a novel that is as much about personhood as it is about tradecraft, and it succeeds on both counts. My highest recommendation." (Will Lavender, New York Times bestselling author of Obedience and Dominance )

"In the best Le Carre tradition. Infectious."--Haaretz (Israel)

"Shake Off is ingeniously plotted and skillfully paced, and interlaces compelling human stories with political espionage. The suspense builds until the very end."--Saudi Gazette (Saudi Arabia)

"Melancholy and dreamlike, Hiller's neat upending of conventions movingly captures the realpolitik of of a conflict perpetrated by the shared interests of enemies."--Telegraph (UK)

Mischa Hiller is a winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in the Best First Book Category for South Asia & Europe. Raised in London, Beirut, and Dar El Salaam, Hiller lives in Cambridge, England.