The Road to Deal Pier - Kevin J Lynch

"The last time we spoke, you had been to North Korea and now here you are in Siberia... What on earth have you done wrong?!" HRH the Duke of York.

Some of this book is true - maybe as much as 'a lot' - but there's also dishonesty, subterfuge, exaggerations, facts that are not facts, and historical inaccuracies in the mix too. So welcome to the world's first non-fiction semi-autobiographical book, and it's written by a diplomat. Don't pretend to be surprised.

In 1978, a young man joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to escape a normal life of employ in the prison service. This newfound freedom set in action a chain of events that would see him travel to, and work in, some 66 different countries: from Belgium to Bangladesh, Dakar to Denver and Siberia to the Seychelles over a thirty-eight year career. A career that saw him wave across the Korean Demilitarized Zone, make Margaret Thatcher laugh, get lost in a war zone and find himself in a "poisonous cess pit of depravity and desperation".

Through a wide range of diplomatic postings, and touching on a number of significant world events, Kevin J Lynch casts light over what is normally kept to the shadows. Whether packed into an office or off on another globetrotting adventure, he shares his witty account of four tumultuous decades in one of the more unfamiliar great offices of state. From passport control, the Cold War and dealing with clandestine goat reports to aiding in serious criminal investigations, there was never a dull moment to be had.