Terry Hayes is back with a gripping and unusual spy thriller

Terry Hayes's writing is as sharp as ever

Anne Marie Scanlon

I was so blown away by I Am Pilgrim, the first book by Terry Hayes, that I sang its praises to everyone I met, from close family to random people at bus stops. That was a decade ago and his second work, The Year of the Locust has finally arrived.

The story is narrated by Kane, a US spy, and not just any old spy either – one who manages to get into Denied Access Areas. As the action begins he is tasked with going into the extremely hostile territory of Iran to deliver passports and new identities to a man known as the “courier”.