The Collaborators
An exhilarating debut spy thriller, packed with explosive action and up-to-the-minute tradecraft
Published on 30. January 2025
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-3985-3775-0 (ISBN)
Description
A brilliant young intelligence officer and a troubled heiress stumble into a global conspiracy that pits present-day Russia against the CIA in this electrifying, globetrotting spy thriller.
Combining realistic thrills with sophisticated spycraft and witty dialogue, The Collaborators delivers a gut-punch answer to the biggest geopolitical question of our time. How exactly did post-Soviet Russia turn down the wrong path?
Criss-crossing the globe on the way to this shocking revelation are disaffected millennial CIA officer Ari Falk, thrown into a moral and professional crisis by the death of his best asset, and brash, troubled LA heiress Maya Chou, spiralling after the disappearance of her Russian American billionaire father. The duo's adventures take us to both classic and surprising locales - from Berlin and Tangier to Latvia, Belarus and a semi-abandoned technopark outside Moscow.
Dynamic, fast-paced and filled with captivating details that provide a window into a secretive world, The Collaborators is a first-rate thriller that pays homage to both meanings of 'intelligence'.
'A terrific espionage thriller with a propulsive plot and fantastic twists, but what really sets this book apart is the writing, sparkling on every page' Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of The Expats and Two Nights in Lisbon
'Crackles with energy as it veers between international caper and more classic espionage thriller, laced with the promise of romance. Idov . . . brings a pleasing cinematic sweep, insider knowledge of Russia and sharp dialogue to this enjoyable tale as it roams around the world' Financial Times
'Gathers stories from the headlines - novichok, Ponzi schemes, Wagner Group mercenaries - and blends them into a hipster spy smoothie' The Times, Book of the Month
'A skilful story about manipulative spymasters in Russia and the United States. . . . Switching perspectives and continents and written with vivid intelligence, this is a great example of the international spy novel' Literary Review
'Idov breathes fresh air into [the genre] . . . A sparkling new voice in spy thrillers' CrimeTime
Combining realistic thrills with sophisticated spycraft and witty dialogue, The Collaborators delivers a gut-punch answer to the biggest geopolitical question of our time. How exactly did post-Soviet Russia turn down the wrong path?
Criss-crossing the globe on the way to this shocking revelation are disaffected millennial CIA officer Ari Falk, thrown into a moral and professional crisis by the death of his best asset, and brash, troubled LA heiress Maya Chou, spiralling after the disappearance of her Russian American billionaire father. The duo's adventures take us to both classic and surprising locales - from Berlin and Tangier to Latvia, Belarus and a semi-abandoned technopark outside Moscow.
Dynamic, fast-paced and filled with captivating details that provide a window into a secretive world, The Collaborators is a first-rate thriller that pays homage to both meanings of 'intelligence'.
'A terrific espionage thriller with a propulsive plot and fantastic twists, but what really sets this book apart is the writing, sparkling on every page' Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of The Expats and Two Nights in Lisbon
'Crackles with energy as it veers between international caper and more classic espionage thriller, laced with the promise of romance. Idov . . . brings a pleasing cinematic sweep, insider knowledge of Russia and sharp dialogue to this enjoyable tale as it roams around the world' Financial Times
'Gathers stories from the headlines - novichok, Ponzi schemes, Wagner Group mercenaries - and blends them into a hipster spy smoothie' The Times, Book of the Month
'A skilful story about manipulative spymasters in Russia and the United States. . . . Switching perspectives and continents and written with vivid intelligence, this is a great example of the international spy novel' Literary Review
'Idov breathes fresh air into [the genre] . . . A sparkling new voice in spy thrillers' CrimeTime
Reviews / Votes
'A hell of an espionage thriller - thoroughly modern and frighteningly relevant, yet with clear reverence for the genre's roots . . . I did not want to put this book down' Alex DeMille, New York Times bestselling author of Blood Lines'Compulsively readable, with more twists than a bar full of martinis, The Collaborators takes a deep dive into global espionage, what-ifs, and the things we do for those we love' I. S. Berry, Edgar Award-winning author of The Peacock and The Sparrow
'Smart, stylish, and propulsive from the very first page. I can't wait to see what Michael Idov writes next' Anna Pitoniak, author of The Helsinki Affair
'Intelligent and explosive' Paul Burke, CrimeTime
'What the ever expanding world of espionage fiction needs, it turns out, is a Yale-educated Millennial field operative who dresses in Weezer T-shirts and knows his way around a semi-automatic . . . a novel as cool as it is accomplished, that knits together action, tradecraft and quippy dialogue with flair' Vogue (named a Best Book of the Year)
'[A] globe-trotting spy adventure . . . Idov balances modern-day intrigue with Cold War flashbacks, tracing spy bloodlines from the former Soviet Union into today' Paste Magazine
'If you are in the mood for a high-stakes global espionage novel, with secret agents jet-setting all over the world, you have come to the right place. . . . cleverness and subterfuge abound, followed by a believable, real-world sort of denouement' BookPage
'A ripping gem of a novel. . . . Entertaining, rocketing, and unforgettable, The Collaborators is not to be overlooked' Shelf Awareness
'Idov is screenwriter as well as a novelist, so has a well-honed facility with plotting such a complex story and maintaining a blistering pace . . . it all comes together expertly' Crime Fiction Lover
'Sharp, freshly conceived, thoroughly entertaining' Kirkus Reviews, starred review
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
440 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3985-3775-0 (9781398537750)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Michael Idov
The Collaborators
An exhilarating debut spy thriller, packed with explosive action and up-to-the-minute tradecraft
Book
01/2026
Simon & Schuster Ltd
€13.00
Available immediately
Michael Idov
The Collaborators
An exhilarating debut spy thriller, packed with explosive action and up-to-the-minute tradecraft
E-Book
01/2025
Simon + Schuster LLC
€6.44
Available for download
Person
Michael Idov is a novelist, director, and screenwriter. A Latvian-born American raised in Riga under Soviet occupation, he moved to New York after graduating from the University of Michigan. Michael's writing career began at New York magazine, where his features won three National Magazine Awards, and he has also been the editor-in-chief of GQ Russia. Michael has worked on numerous film and TV projects, including Londongrad, Deutschland 83, Leto, and The Humorist. He and his wife and screenwriting partner, Lily, divide their time between Los Angeles, Berlin, and Portugal.