Reminiscent of masters of the spy genre, Steven Poore tells a tale of daring do in a world of intrigue, with his usual flare and immaculate writing. 1958. An alternate Marrakesh. The Cold War wages on and with the launch of Sputnik, Russia is conquering space at last. Young Saif's mission; escort an undercover British agent to the Deputy Security directorate. Evading high tech Russian surveillance devices, Saif borrows a grand taxi and heads to the pick-up point. But the agent - aka "The Lighting Rod" - is the one man guaranteed to make a dangerous situation more perilous. The race is on to escape the Russian secret service and deliver the spy safely into British hands.