Published 21st May 2026 by Arlingham Press.
From the cover of the book:
An emperor marked for death.
A killer wave that shouldn’t exist.
One agent caught in the crossfire.
When Hiroshi “H” Suzuki, a deadly Anglo-Japanese operative, is sent to track a phantom assassin in Paris, he uncovers a chilling link to a billionaire genius with a secret agenda.
As the clock ticks toward a global catastrophe, H is drawn into a high-stakes game of deception, desire, and ruthless ambition, where nothing is what it seems and failure isn’t an option.
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Hiroshi “H” Suzuki is an Anglo-Japanese secret service agent on a mission. His assignment is to discover how a successful German billionaire, Doctor Otto Adolf Khyller, is linked to the mysterious assassin known only as Jamal.
H discovers that there is a lot more behind the billionaire's plans than the intelligence agencies could possibly imagine. A global catastrophe beckons. Can H foil Khyller's secret agenda in time...?
First published in 2015 by mother and son duo R. Pearl and G. Bamford, A Strange Way to Die is the first high-octane outing for charismatic Anglo-Japanese secret agent Hiroshi “H” Suzuki. This new edition relaunches the Hiroshi Suzuki Files series, and comes with a fancy new limited edition paperback make-over, featuring stunning sprayed edges.
The action kicks off almost straight out of the gate, after an intriguing Pacific Ocean-based prologue, and continues in the same fast-paced vein throughout - beginning with H tailing the excellently-named Khyller and his henchman through the street of Paris in his less than inconspicuous Bentley, on the way to the megalomaniac baddie's opulent French chateau. H is soon embroiled in Khyller's complicated machinations, which include an assassination enterprise targeting the Japanese Emperor no less.
Scene after, heavily Bond-inspired (with a touch of Jason Bourne), scene than play out across the globe, building up to an edge-of-your-seat climax of eco-thriller proportions which is as mad-cap as any Bond villain ever aspired to. Along the way, H cuts a swathe through dangerous situations in glamorous locations, in company of alluring women (and an accomplished female associate), firmly in the higher echelons of luxury living.
The vibe is very much 'visual spectacular' when it comes to the plot, and at times it a little restraint of the 'less is more' kind would work better in print form, especially when it comes to the cast of characters, which is too large for a first instalment as you never get to know most of them in any depth. I get the feeling that this has one eye on a cinematic iteration (currently in development), which, to be fair, would work well. I would certainly be happy to watch a screen adaptation, and await with interest.
There are some clever touches here that cut through the style and offer some substance though. H is actually rather intriguing on a number of levels, and an Anglo-Japanese spy with French connections is a refreshing twist on the more obvious British-American espionage scene. I very much enjoyed the thread about the unknown identity of his father, which hooks you into the next book in the series, Dead Men's Money (coming October 2026). And the flashbacks that reveal pertinent details of H's past are nicely done.
This is an ambitious opening to the series. It is a fun page-turner, and it kept me entertained through all the bangs, crashes, passionate clinches, and monologuing bad guy capers.
A Strange Way to Die is available to buy now in paperback and ebook formats.
Thank you to FMcM Associates for sending me a copy of this book.
About the authors:
R. Pearl has a large family and lives in London with her husband David. Educated at Heathfield School and École de Commerce, Switzerland she has written extensively for magazines on British sporting heroes and is the co-author, along with her son-in-law, G. Bamford, of the Agent H series: A Strange Way to Die, Dying for Power, and the forthcoming Dead Men’s Money. She is currently working on the fourth book, Precision Strike.
G. Bamford is married and lives with his wife and three children in the Cotswolds. Educated at Ampleforth he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Parsons School of Photography in New York and is the founder of Bamford Watch Department. He is Deputy Chairman of JCB, the company founded by his grandfather.
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