London Station (Extract)

October 2, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

London Station (Extract)

A woman wearing a silicone mask, body padding that adds thirty pounds, and a dental appliance that puffs out her mouth sits in a London hotel room, squeezing a stress ball instead of raiding the minibar. She is a CIA officer operating under the alias Sibyl Flanagan, and she is about to commit a series of felonies on British soil—without the knowledge or consent of the CIA's own London station.

The Operation

The target is Gao Xian, a senior officer in China's Ministry of State Security who travels to London once or twice a year. The Brits have told Langley to lay off him, following something that went sideways in Beijing months earlier. But the CIA's deputy director for operations has authorized what the officer herself calls "a real lady pair"—an operation that crosses "pretty much every liaison red line with their British counterparts."

The working theory inside CIA is that Gao knows or believes the agency is penetrated, making him reluctant about an American approach. But China ops has also learned that Gao desperately wants his eldest daughter, currently at boarding school in the UK, to attend Oxford or Cambridge. This, plus the suspicion about American penetration, tips the scales toward a false flag operation: Sibyl Flanagan will pose as an Englishwoman, a member of the British Secret Intelligence Service, to make the pitch.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:03) **Intro and Audiobook Setup** - Producer Becky introduces the audiobook excerpt of David McCloskey's novel *London Station*, featuring the first two chapters.
2 (01:11) **Chapter 1: The Setup - CIA vs. the Brits** - The protagonist, a CIA officer in disguise as "Sibyl Flanagan," reflects on the strained relationship between the CIA and British intelligence, calling the Brits "pickpockets."
3 (03:19) **The Disguise and the Kit** - After landing, Sibyl goes to a bathroom stall to check and repair her elaborate silicone disguise, using a concealment device hidden in her suitcase.
4 (05:55) **Passport Control: A Moment of Peril** - At the e-gate, Sibyl uses a legitimate US passport for "Sibyl Flanagan," but the machine stalls, causing her to panic about the op falling apart.
5 (09:05) **Preparing the False Flag Pitch** - At her hotel, Sibyl collects a forged UK passport, a fake SIS (MI6) badge, cash, and a water-soluble business card for a "crusty" (contact number), all designed to pose as a British intelligence officer to the Chinese target.
6 (13:35) **The Target: Gao Xian** - The narrative details the intelligence on Gao Xian: a senior MSS counterintelligence officer in London under commercial cover, with a history of not rejecting a pitch in Jakarta and a known desire for his daughter's education.
7 (15:15) **The Cold Pitch in the Lobby** - Sibyl stakes out the hotel lobby, waiting for an opportunity to approach Gao without his delegation or minders present.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

To coincide with the release of David's latest novel, London, we have the book’s first two chapters in audiobook form for you to enjoy.

Artemis Procter returns in David McCloskey’s electrifying new spy thriller, where London has devolved into a covert battleground between British and American intelligence services.

London Station by David McCloskey, is OUT NOW in the US and out next week in the UK.

Pre-order a signed edition ⁠⁠via this link.⁠

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A new US administration has taken office, installing a brash and unconventional CIA director skeptical of old alliances and determined to disrupt the Agency. When the axe falls on the chief of London Station, the agency veteran decides to spy for the Brits―a betrayal uncovered by his replacement, Artemis Aphrodite Procter. Caught between a turncoat spymaster and a ruthless new boss back at Langley, Procter must now navigate a tense environment as old friends become adversaries and no one knows whom to trust.

Adding to the chaos is a new breed of private intelligence agency: a secretive and powerful company run by a reclusive billionaire with a very different agenda than the two old allies who are suddenly at each other’s throats.

When assets begin dying, Procter and her team in London Station must find out who is leaking the sources’ identities―and why―before both agencies go blind. Soon they will have to decide whether loyalty to the Mission means disobeying the Agency they serve. Immersing readers in the technological revolution upending intelligence tradecraft, London Station explores the changing nature of the spy business and what happens when politics threaten to destroy the special relationship between America and Britain.

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Email: [email protected]

Producer: Becki Hills

Head of History: Dom Johnson

Exec Producer: Tony Pastor

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