If you love intelligent espionage thrillers with slow-burn tension and moral stakes, this new Cambridge-set novel is one to watch.
Simon Arkwright, a code-obsessed fresher, breaks into a Ministry archive and discovers more than he bargained for: a Whitehall ledger where stories are engineered and bodies keep the accounts. His friend Julian Thorne, who maps people for power, is drawn into the mystery when a file marked
CLASSIFIED – EYES ONLY hints at a “routine mishap” near Linton—and a white panel van idling in the fog.
From Cambridge libraries to night trains across Europe, Simon and Julian uncover a chilling pattern: money as a command signal, truth as a weapon. What starts as curiosity becomes survival, forcing them to choose—leak the ledger and burn, or play along long enough to expose the machine.
Blending the atmosphere of dark academia with the intrigue of le Carré-style spy fiction, this 1990s thriller offers period-accurate tech, authentic detail, and characters caught between secrecy and survival.
Perfect for fans of John le Carré, Mick Herron, and morally charged spy novels, this story asks the ultimate question: who gets to write reality—and who disappears when they do? 👉 Click Here To Buy Now
What if a forgotten arms deal… triggered the collapse of everything?
It began with a terrorist siege in London in 1980.
It ends with a symbol buried in blood & a rising global threat.
1991. SAS operatives Adam Hayes and Tony Shaw are sent into the shadows of a fragile Northern Ireland. When a secret arms deal goes wrong, it sets off a chain reaction reaching far beyond the Troubles—into Vatican vaults, ancient ruins, and coded manuscripts.
In Cyprus, Claire Armitage uncovers a spiral symbol that links suppressed history to modern conspiracies. The closer she gets, the more dangerous it becomes.
From Cold War black sites to forgotten catacombs, Before the Shadows Rise blends military realism with ancient prophecy and psychological suspense.
“Jack Carr meets Dan Brown — but darker.”
🌀 The collapse began here.
Chapter One Audio Experience
Enter 1980s London, where silence is a weapon and legends wear gas masks. In this explosive first chapter, William Armitage leads an elite SAS breach — but the symbol he finds amid the smoke points to something far older than terrorism.
This is where the myth begin.
“Joe Nathan Paul writes cerebral thrillers and spy books blending geopolitics, mythology, and shadow wars. His stories explore what lies beneath the surface of history—and the people willing to risk everything to expose it.” - An inspiring new thriller Author in the Genre - like Dan Brown and John Le Carre.
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Contact Email - joe@joenathanpaul.com