You have to believe the detail, if not the plot is authentic here for the author, using a pseudonym, worked in intelligence specialising in Russian matters.  This, and his previous, Red and Black, deal with the threat of Russia becoming a hostile superpower and they are ace.  Tightly written with spades of action, an interesting woman our protagonist and fascinating sub-plots, it is what a good spy story should be – clever, engaging and chilling.  Highly recommended.

Comparison: Henry Porter, Robert Ludlum, Joseph Finder.

Synopsis

The threat of Russia as a hostile superpower returns in this chilling spy thriller. When British spy, Finn, is brutally murdered by a Russian assassin, Adrian, chief of MI6, wants vengeance. He also wants answers -- answers that can only be revealed by Finn's widow, Anna, the former KGB colonel who betrayed her country for love and has now disappeared with their child. Adrian isn't the only one desperate to find Anna. Finn accessed intelligence so confidential that the KGB are willing to kill to protect it, and now everyone wants to know what Russia is concealing beneath its veil of political cordiality.

About the Author

Alex Dryden is a pseudonym. He worked for many years in intelligence specialising in Russian matters and is now a writer and journalist. When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, Dryden watched the statues of Lenin fall across the former Soviet Union. Since then he has charted the false dawn of democracy in Russia as the country morphed into the world's most powerful secret state. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation