December 1977 and the world is ready for the Mena House Peace Conference in Cairo, the first step towards the 1978 Camp David Agreement and President Sadat’s share of that year's Nobel Peace Prize.

On a Cairo back road, within walking distance of that ornate, historic hotel and the gathering international press, lies the lifeless body of a well-known Sunday Times journalist.

This is the story of that unsolved true crime.

In his debut novel, Heaton provides all the real-life clues that an armchair sleuth could wish for in a plot that includes international politics and espionage – involving MI6, Kim Philby and other familiar Cold War names; a past and all-but-forgotten colonial conflict; Israel-Palestine; subterfuge; encryption; lies; and—to the excitement of the ambitious Cairo detective working alongside his London counterpart—Scotland Yard.

Was the murder political assassination, mistaken identity, or ‘collateral damage’? Or something else?

This is a thriller based on years of research into a cold case, packed with fast-flying questions and solutions… as sex, money and politics feature in a three-pronged investigation. Set in a time where the identity politics of gender and sexual equality were gaining momentum, Heaton masterfully provides a conclusion that is as satisfying, convincing and evidenced as it is tantalisingly open-ended. 

Has this chilling 1970s true crime finally been solved?