A Burden of Secrets: love, life, death and political intrigue against a background of real events from 1957 to 2001

"A taught, well-paced, intelligent novel - a must for all thriller fans!"

Eleanor is persuaded to join a secret department of the British government on graduating from Cambridge University in 1982. She quickly finds out it's a world where bad things can happen, and her plans for a happy family life with her new husband soon lie in ruins.

She blames a colleague, 'Action Man', a ruthlessly ambitious bully, brutalised by the horrors of war. Yet most of her work-mates do their best to support each other and serve their country well. With the help of one of them, she survives in the organisation - just - until 2001 when she disappears. This is her story, told in her own words sixteen years later, explaining why she went.

Her adventure is set against a backdrop of real events and political intrigue from 1957 to 2001. Some readers might find this disturbing, because the history of that period is still being written, and what they thought had happened might not have happened in quite the way they were led to believe at the time.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

"A Burden of Secrets is the second novel in the Eleanor Braithwaite series. Following her introduction in A Balance of Evil, this gripping page turner goes back to tell the story of the British secret service agent from her own perspective. Covering the period from the early '80's until 2001, the author once again cleverly weaves fiction around key historical events and leaves you wondering how much of what you thought you knew you really know? Eleanor Braithwaite is a compelling and finely drawn lead character and her journey through the dark and dangerous world of espionage kept me avidly reading until the end."

"I found Mr Renwick's second book very difficult to put down. It expands on the intriguing story line of 'A Balance of Evil', this time from Eleanor's perspective. The result is another gripping narrative with twists and turns blending actual events with fiction ( I hope!) in a tremendously exiting and satisfying way."

"This is Douglas Renwick's second book and it is even more thrilling than his first, 'A Balance of Evil'. He is a great story teller and leaves us wondering if he really knows the truth about the Twin Towers and Diana's death. Eleanor Braithwaite is a fascinating character and I am looking forward to reading more about her adventures in the future."

"Another cracking book by the author, this time focus on the ins and outs of, amongst others, MI 6. As with the previous book the story line twists and turns between real life events which sometimes can be a little confusing but in general makes the fictional story both believable and more realistic in the real world."

"A gripping tale by an author who combines authenticity on intelligence services with an engaging story of personal relationships. The plot raises the question of whether the end justifies the means and weaves into the issue a multitude of well researched military and political developments in the recent past."

"I thoroughly enjoyed the unusual slant on political events entwined into the story line. I now look forward to the third book in the trilogy."

"I have never read a genre of book like this! I LOVED IT! It's very clever and really does have you thinking about the past. Really hoping there will be another book based on Eleanor! Thank you so much for this!"

"Another exciting and informative book by Douglas Renwick. Once you start, you want to read to the end in one go. A wonderful book to take on holiday."

"Another intriguing and ingenious plot from Douglas Renwick and a thoroughly compelling read."

"A real page-turner, quite 'unputdownable'. Great plot and memorable characters. I kept finding excuses to slink away to read the next chapter."