The Shadow Files Series The Ashford Cipher

THE ASHFORD CIPHER
London, 1981. A photograph smuggled out of a locked Cabinet Office room. A ledger page bearing a code no one will admit exists. And a name whispered in corridors where the lights are always dim.
When investigative officer Evelyn Holloway stumbles onto traces of Praetorian, a covert unit operating outside ministerial oversight for decades, she finds herself in a dangerous game with Minister James Lang, a man who believes secrecy is survival. Every lead is shadowed, every ally watched, and every truth comes with a cost.
From the back rooms of Whitehall to the Commons chamber itself, Holloway must decide how far she’s willing to go, and what she’s willing to lose, to force Praetorian into daylight.
Because in the world of the Ashford Cipher, the game doesn’t end when you make the last move. It ends when you survive it. About the Author
Wayne Gombar is a writer of historical and political thrillers that weave real-world events into tightly plotted fiction. Drawing on a lifelong fascination with intelligence history and the quiet conflicts fought in committee rooms and corridors, he brings an authentic eye for detail to his work.
When not writing, he delves into Cold War archives, explores forgotten corners of British history, and studies the interplay between politics, secrecy, and power. The Ashford Cipher is the first in a planned series exploring the shadows where official history meets the truth.
He lives in South Carolina but sets much of his work in Britain, where his fiction finds its roots in the sharp, understated tradition of the classic UK detective novel.