'A gripping thriller and Belkin is a character many readers will want to encounter again' THE SUNDAY TIMES

'Remarkable … If only all first novels were as enthralling as this' FINANCIAL TIMES

'Merridale’s talents as a Russia expert and writer combine to beam light on the depths of Moscow’s underworld' THE SUN

Moscow, 1934. When the body of an archaeologist connected to the construction of the glittering new Moscow subway is discovered in a deserted mansion, Procuracy Investigator Anton Belkin initially wants nothing to do with the case. It will mean asking difficult questions of the wrong people, and Anton has a reason to keep his head down. But he has not reckoned with Vika, his former lover and now a powerful member of the secret police, who is adamant Anton is the best man for the job.

Deep underground, Anton discovers a priceless secret. Yet excavating it will mean disturbing a complex web of political and personal rivalries, deceptions and betrayals. Soon Anton must make a choice between the truth, and everything else he holds dear.

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‘Both a brilliant thriller and a historical record of the ambition, terror and deviousness of that black era in Russian history’ Gareth Rubin, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Turnglass