A Messerschmitt 109 aircraft crashes on a remote Scottish mountainside and a lone parachutist descends. On landing, he demands to see the Duke of Hamilton, whose castle is nearby. It is 1941, and a bizarre mission, one so sensitive that its full purpose has not been revealed to this day, is under way. Forty-five years on, a team of English journalists, assembled by editor-in-chief Cedric Fleming, begins tentatively to probe the mystery. One by one, possible avenues of investigation are closed off, until only one remains. It leads to the gates of Spandau Prison, and to its only inmate, Rudolf Hess. Hess is the most closely guarded prisoner in the world, but if anyone can reach him it is Berlin correspondent Red Goodbody, known for his foolhardiness, but also for his daring and panache. But the interests at stake are far greater than anyone could have believed possible when the investigation began. The stability of Western Europe will be undermined by what Hess may reveal... and, for very different reasons, both MI5 and the KGB move into action to protect the extraordinary secret of Spandau. The startling plot of this deeply researched and compelling thriller is based entirely on the real events of 1941. It is given added credibility by the fact that only fear as to what Hess may reveal can begin to explain his continued detention in Spandau Prison, long after fellow Nazis have been released