The Travel Agent

The Travel Agent is a slick, fast-moving thriller that blends espionage, covert operations, maritime intrigue, and modern geopolitical danger into one highly readable ride. At its centre is Rosie Winterbourne, a sharp, resourceful former Royal Navy rating whose unusual talents and instinct for trouble pull her into a world of surveillance, deception, and morally murky missions.

What makes the novel stand out is its sense of authenticity. The nautical detail feels lived-in rather than decorative, the intelligence work has a grounded, procedural edge, and the international backdrop-stretching from British rail stations and marinas to the Mediterranean and beyond-gives the story a broad, restless energy. This isn't a thriller built purely on explosions and chase scenes; it's driven by observation, tension, tradecraft, and the slow, gripping realisation that not everyone is who they seem.

Rosie is an excellent lead: capable without being invincible, witty without becoming glib, and emotionally believable throughout. She brings a welcome sharpness to the page, especially when navigating conversations where every word may mean two things. There's a satisfying tension in watching someone intelligent try to work out which instincts to trust-and what the cost of being wrong might be. She's the kind of protagonist who can hold a scene whether she's in danger, in disguise, or simply reading the room better than everyone else in it.

The novel also has a strong feel for tone. It moves easily between high-stakes suspense, dry humour, emotional undercurrents, and moments of real unease. There's a contemporary edge to the threats at its heart, with themes of trafficking, terrorism, borders, state secrecy, and the moral compromises of intelligence work all circling beneath the action. Yet it never reads like a lecture; the bigger issues are folded into the story naturally, through character and consequence.

Another strength is the structure. The story unfolds in a way that feels cinematic and episodic, with each section adding momentum and opening the world further. There's enough mystery to keep you turning pages, but also enough clarity and confidence in the storytelling that you never feel lost. It rewards attention without demanding homework.

If you enjoy thrillers that combine spycraft with character, and action with intelligence, this should hit the mark. It will likely appeal to readers who like modern espionage fiction with a British flavour, especially when it includes strong women leads, operational detail, and a plot that ranges from personal stakes to global consequences. There's also a strong undercurrent of reinvention running through the novel-about second chances, identity, and being drawn into a life bigger and more dangerous than expected.

'"Write about what you know and write truly" was the rule Ernest Hemingway (my 15th cousin, according to ancestry.com) lived by. He believed in utilizing personal experiences and true emotions to make a story believable. And that's what informs my own writing. You don't need to know the sea to be swept away by it. My thrillers are not written for sailors alone. They are written for anyone who loves suspense, danger, strong characters, and stories that pull you irresistibly onward. Because it's what I know, the maritime world provides the setting, but it is never a barrier: the language is clear, the stakes are human, and the drama is universal. You won't need a chart, a glossary, or any nautical experience to follow the story-only a taste for tension, intrigue, and adventure. '

Michael Rothery

Michael Rothery is a lifelong writer whose fiction is shaped by decades at sea. He began writing poems and letters long before turning to full-length fiction in 2012. He served twenty-five years in the Royal Navy, gaining extensive operational and maritime experience that now underpins the realism of his novels.

Alongside his writing career, he qualified as a yachtmaster and worked for a time on yacht deliveries. In 2015, he bought a sailing yacht in Greece and sailed solo to the Caribbean via the Atlantic Islands. He went on to cruise the Lesser Antilles for several years before crossing to the Azores. In 2024, he sold his boat and came ashore, bringing with him a lifetime of naval service, blue-water sailing, and firsthand maritime knowledge that informs every aspect of his writing.