“William Boyd once again brings to the spy novel his particular storytelling genius. The result is brilliant fun.”—Mick Herron

“One of my favorite authors—he never disappoints.”—Kate Atkinson

From the internationally bestselling author, the third literary thriller starring beloved reluctant spy Gabriel Dax draws readers deep into a shadow-drenched world where loyalty blurs, treachery abounds, and any misstep could be fatal

It is 1964, and Cold War Moscow is smoldering with secrets. Travel writer-turned-spy Gabriel Dax has been tasked with delivering a mysterious Blanco drawing to Kit Caldwell, the triple-agent and celebrated “defector” now leading the well-heeled life of a Hero of the Soviet Union.

But Caldwell is convinced that the KGB suspects him of treachery. He wants Gabriel to do the impossible and smuggle him over the Russian border to Finland. When Gabriel is ordered to help by his enigmatic handler Faith Green, he is pulled into a web of shifting loyalties and dangerous escape plans. As tensions rise and trust fractures, he is forced to confront the fine line between devotion and deception . . .