July 1914 and Europe is in crisis As the Continent spirals uncontrollably towards all-out war, the British foreign secretary pressures the German government into a last-resort peace conference. In the chaos of frenzied diplomacy, the fledgling British secret service, the forerunner to Mi6, sends two unlikely agents to the conference in the Kaiser's summer capital, uncovering a German pro-war conspiracy of high-ranking politicians, military officers, and industrialists intent on taking their nation to war to achieve power, glory and wealth for themselves and a resurgent Germany. Mansfield Cumming, the first 'C' of the secret service, tasks Jon Shay, a common soldier and veteran of the French Foreign Legion, and his own niece, Lady Elizabeth Cavelle, the bereaved widow of a diplomat, with the mission. Taking a high-risk decision, Cumming believes partnering a fighter and survivor with a member of the gentry capable of gaining entry to the salons of Europe is Britain's best hope of averting disaster. With the Austrians declaring war on Serbia, Shay and Cavelle must race against time and the warmongers of Europe. The Eternal Reich's shocking conclusion will force you to rethink your view of the First World War for ever.
