Peter Hopkirk’s “On Secret Service East of Constantinople” tells the history, in thrilling style, of the least-remembered front of the First World War, the German-Turkish attempt to weaken the British & Russian empires in Central Asia & India. Here, told in epic detail and for the first time, is the true story behind John Buchan’s classic wartime thriller “Greenmantle”, recounted through the adventures & misadventures of the secret agents and others who took part in it. It is an ominously topical tale today in view of the continuing turmoil in the volatile region where the “Great Game” has never really ceased.Peter Hopkirk is a veteran journalist and is widely recognized as an authority on the complex history of Central Asia. This is one of several books he has written on the region.