Few military organisations speak more to our dark imagination than the Wagner Group, a savage private mercenary group dedicated to committing war crimes as well as the challengers of the Kremlin on 23-24 June, 2023.

From its inception in 2014 this nebulous organisation operating from Russia was intentionally cloaked in questions. How was it able to operate alongside Russia's top government officials? How could it deploy the logistical systems of the Russian army up to and including ordering air attacks with fighter planes of the Russian Federation, despite the deep antipathy of Russia's powerful defence minister Sergei Shoigu? Why did the Kremlin provide such an ample helping hand to its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, for over a decade?

In this compelling book, former Financial Times journalist Owen Wilson investigates the Wagner Group and their ties to Vladimir Putin. It skilfully sets out its history and dramatic death of Yevgeny Prigozhin to cast a searching light on the person who ultimately stands behind the group.