The rivetingly tense and timely conclusion to the Arkady Renko series – an iconic character from a titan of the political crime thriller genre.

When Arkady Renko is charged with investigating the murder of Alexei Kazasky, the Deputy Minister of Defence, he knows he has to tread carefully. Alexei Kazasky is a high-profile politician and has a complicated relationship with Putin. This investigation clearly has Kremlin approval, but, as with everything in Russia, things are not always what they seem.

Already preoccupied with his developing Parkinson’s, Arkady finds he has more to worry about. The war in Ukraine is gaining momentum, and his adopted son Zhenya has become involved with the Black Army, a Russo-Ukrainian group of hacktivists. Moreover, as Arkady digs deeper into Kazasky’s murder, he realizes that the man’s death may have been more politically motivated than he first assumed.

Now it seems that the people behind the killing have him firmly in their crosshairs – but this time Arkady’s life is not the only one on the line.

PRAISE FOR MARTIN CRUZ SMITH:

'Does more on a page than most writers manage in a chapter. He is unique and irreplaceable' MICK HERRON

'Among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' GUARDIAN

'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' VAL McDERMID***?***

'The undisputed master of the political crime thriller' ABIR MUKHERJEE

'One of the finest writers of our age' CHARLOTTE PHILBY