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Under Admiralty Arch

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Book 3 of The Lynnford Files

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Pub Date Nov 28 2025 | Archive Date Feb 12 2026


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Description

Winter 1953. Robert Lynnford, star crime-reporter of The London Herald, discovers – while investigating the murders of two nightclub croupiers and the fraudulent activities of an investment advisor in the City of London - a dead body with all the hallmarks of an assassination. And first on the scene, Lynnford quickly becomes, for some, himself a suspect.

Meanwhile, Lynnford’s investigations broaden, and a Polish woman who has fled to post-war Britain seeking refuge from communist Poland soon becomes a person of interest for the journalist. Embroiled in murder and the theft of government secrets, she is being tracked down by British and foreign secret security services, and only subterfuge and her wits can keep her alive and safe. Lynnford faces a dilemma: who is she really, and should he try to catch her or help her escape?

Winter 1953. Robert Lynnford, star crime-reporter of The London Herald, discovers – while investigating the murders of two nightclub croupiers and the fraudulent activities of an investment advisor...


A Note From the Publisher

SJT Riley was born in Devon and educated in the Wirral. He started his professional life as a solicitor in London. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and until 2020, he worked extensively with government officials from all over the continent on democratic reform in the aftermath of the Cold War - from Lisbon to Kyiv and Tbilisi, and beyond. This is his third novel.

SJT Riley was born in Devon and educated in the Wirral. He started his professional life as a solicitor in London. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and until 2020, he worked extensively with...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781836284307
PRICE £8.99 (GBP)
PAGES 368

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Average rating from 5 members


Featured Reviews

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I wasn’t sure what this one would be like, but decided to give it a go. And? It was a really enjoyable read with a decent storyline and characters., so wouldn’t hesitate in recommending it to others.

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This is the third in a series featuring newspaper crime reporter Robert Lynnford in the early 1950s. I read the first in the series a couple of years ago and thought that it was a good mystery albeit witha lot of plot but didn't do the best job at explaining some of the background and details (sort of the reverse of an info dump problem!) but didn't realise that when I requested it from NetGalley. Still it was nice to drop in again to see what's changed.

And actually there are some similar issues here - the plot is very complicated, with a big cast of characters that can get a bit confusing because there's not a lot of detail to differentiate them from each other. But the underlying mystery is interesting and I wanted to see who did it. This is definitely going more towards the adventure-mystery end of the genre, with plenty of car chases and more than a few fights.

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Under Admiralty Arch has a fast-moving, exciting mystery/espionage plot with some well-developed characters. It is a good read. I would never have known that it is the third in a series featuring Robert Lynnford, and shall certainly be catching up on his first two investigations. However, I do remember 1950s London, and the city described in this novel in no way resembles the fairly grimy, sooty and occasionally smoggy place still littered with the odd bomb site that I recall. Apart from a couple of news items, this book might have been set in any post-war decade up to the advent of the mobile phone. Rounded up to 4 stars.

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What a hoot! A really fun read but I couldn't get rid of the character actor's voices from the BBC radio series Paul Temple. Seemed to fit like a glove.
It's a four from me for fun and simplicity.

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I didn’t realise that this was the third in a series but it was fine as a standalone. Set in 1953 in London, it involves an investigative journalist, MI5, MI6, Scotland Yard, the Russians and some Polish gangsters, In places I was reminded of Dick Tracy stories, lots of running around in Morgan cars, getting across London in twenty minutes ( those were the days). A pleasant enough story, cosy and easy to read. I could picture most of the action as I lived in central London for many years.

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