Sent on a mission to Hong Kong by the secretive London Bureau, Quiller is given little information about his goal. As Quiller pursues his investigations, while under constant surveillance and surviving assassination attempts, his mission's objective becomes evident.
Quiller must swim through waters in Chinese territory, barely surviving underwater assaults, to get aboard a ship guarding what looks like an oil rig but is far more deadly. To achieve his mission and survive, Quiller's martial arts skills, including underwater combat, and his ability to outwit his enemies are brought into full play.
Called by The New York Times "the greatest survival expert among contemporary secret agents," THE MANDARIN CYPHER shows Quiller in top form -- and reveals a bit more about this complex, intense, brilliant and solitary character.