01 · The discovery
Sean Fynn
An intelligence operative tracing Nexus 9 from a remote research station into the international racing world.
International espionage · High-stakes racing
The Pathogen Protocol
James WR Corden-Lloyd
A virus worth killing for — and a past that refuses to stay buried.
Manuscript complete · Awaiting editorial polish · Release date unconfirmed
The synopsis
A hidden programme. A dangerous wildcard. A mission built on trust.
In the remote Aksai Chin, intelligence operative Sean Fynn uncovers Nexus 9, a clandestine pathogen programme concealed behind an altitude ecology station. As Fynn and microbiologist Dr. Camille Perrin trace the conspiracy through the international horse-racing circuit, they face a coordinated threat aimed at three major race days — and an unseen architect known only as The Guardian.
Complicating Fynn’s mission is Liam O’Connor, born Jerry McRae: a former IRA member and jockey whose past, in the novel, is entwined with the infamous kidnapping of Shergar. His involvement in the current smuggling network makes him a dangerous wildcard — a man whose history may be as valuable as it is volatile.
To monitor the network, MI6 recruits Claire Dubois, a highly skilled former French Foreign Legionnaire and surveillance expert. Her assignment is to infiltrate O’Connor’s circle and win his trust, potentially through a romantic ruse. But getting close to a man like O’Connor means stepping into a world where every alliance has a price.
A virus worth killing for. A past that will not stay buried.
Inside the story
Three threads. One conspiracy.
02 · The wildcard
Liam O’Connor
A former jockey with an IRA past, now inside the smuggling network. What he knows could change the mission.
03 · The infiltration
Claire Dubois
A surveillance expert sent by MI6 to get close — where professional deception and personal trust collide.
The characters and their connections to historical events are presented as part of the novel’s fictional storyline.
Also by James
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The Gentlemen’s Ledger is a separate international crime thriller in progress — a world of privilege, deliberate killings and a new left-hand glove at every scene.