Nicholas Marten started life as John Barron, an LAPD detective who got caught up in something bigger than a routine investigation. When his situation in Los Angeles became untenable, he left everything behind and rebuilt himself as Nicholas Marten in Europe.
Allan Folsom created a protagonist whose identity crisis is as much a part of the story as the political conspiracies he encounters. Marten cannot fully escape his past, and each book puts him in situations where his old skills and old enemies resurface. The tension between who he was and who he is trying to be drives the character across all six books.
Marten moves through European capitals, getting pulled into plots involving assassinations and powerful political figures. He is resourceful and driven, but always looking over his shoulder.
Reading Order
See the complete John Barron/Nicholas Marten reading order for all books in the series.