White Fox
Published on 23. May 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-0-552-17836-5 (ISBN)
Description
The new novel from a master of the Cold War thriller . . .
'This is Robert Harris storytelling territory' Daily Mail
'Outstanding' Sunday Times
'Tense, exciting and authentic' Charles Cumming, author of Judas 62
'Stunning' The Times
'Brilliantly plotted' John Sweeney, author of Killer in the Kremlin
'A standout thriller' Financial Times
1963. In a desolate Russian penal colony, a radio broadcasts news of the killing of
President John F. Kennedy . . .
Alexander Vasin's new posting as director of a brutal gulag camp is far from a promotion. This is where disgraced KGB officers are sent to disappear, quietly, and forgotten.
But when a violent revolt breaks out, Vasin must decide: run or die. So he runs. With him goes a mysterious prisoner - an individual who might hold the key to an extraordinarily dangerous secret: the identity of who really ordered Kennedy's assassination.
Racing from bleak Siberian wastelands to the grey streets of Soviet Moscow, Vasin needs to stay one step ahead of the most ruthless intelligence organization in the world in order to keep the most wanted man in Russia alive. And with his loyalty, morality and patriotic duty tested to the limits, he will face the ultimate choice: fall in line, or die fighting the system . . .
Weaving together a critical moment in history with the cut-throat machinations of Soviet politics, this tautly told, nail-bitingly atmospheric novel is a superb Cold War thriller.
'This is Robert Harris storytelling territory' Daily Mail
'Outstanding' Sunday Times
'Tense, exciting and authentic' Charles Cumming, author of Judas 62
'Stunning' The Times
'Brilliantly plotted' John Sweeney, author of Killer in the Kremlin
'A standout thriller' Financial Times
1963. In a desolate Russian penal colony, a radio broadcasts news of the killing of
President John F. Kennedy . . .
Alexander Vasin's new posting as director of a brutal gulag camp is far from a promotion. This is where disgraced KGB officers are sent to disappear, quietly, and forgotten.
But when a violent revolt breaks out, Vasin must decide: run or die. So he runs. With him goes a mysterious prisoner - an individual who might hold the key to an extraordinarily dangerous secret: the identity of who really ordered Kennedy's assassination.
Racing from bleak Siberian wastelands to the grey streets of Soviet Moscow, Vasin needs to stay one step ahead of the most ruthless intelligence organization in the world in order to keep the most wanted man in Russia alive. And with his loyalty, morality and patriotic duty tested to the limits, he will face the ultimate choice: fall in line, or die fighting the system . . .
Weaving together a critical moment in history with the cut-throat machinations of Soviet politics, this tautly told, nail-bitingly atmospheric novel is a superb Cold War thriller.
Reviews / Votes
Matthews skilfully balances the exhilarating thrill of the chase with the conflict between duty, self-interest and justice in his hero's heart. A fine send off for a well-accomplished series. * THE TIMES 'Best Thrillers of the Month' * Matthews' excellent Black Sun spy trilogy comes to an impressively tense conclusion in White Fox . . . First rate. * MAIL ON SUNDAY * A white-knuckle ride through the grey paranoia of Cold War Soviet Russia, which Owen Matthews conjures up quite brilliantly. * SHOTS magazine * Superlative . . . balances thrills with historical fact (and speculation) in equal measure and it races you along to its breath-taking conclusion. -- Maxim Jakubowski * CRIME TIME * Impressive . . . Matthews' knowledge of the USSR and the Cold War gives the novel the feeling of authenticity . . . a personal note at the end shows why Vasin's struggles are both so convincing and so affecting. * LITERARY REVIEW * Brings to mind The 39 Steps . . . impressive plotting and historical detail. * CRIME FICTION LOVER * Outstanding . . . [Matthews] writes with verve . . . Vasin is his finest creation. -- Adam LeBor * FINANCIAL TIMES * One of the best of many western writers on Russia . . . a kind of Russian version of The Thirty-Nine Steps . . . such is the impact of the story as it progresses that we willingly suspend disbelief for the sake of an engrossing read. -- Andrew Rosenheim * SPECTATOR *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Transworld Publishers Ltd
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 125 mm
Width: 195 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
256 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-552-17836-5 (9780552178365)
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
E-Book
03/2023
Transworld Digital
€8.99
Available for download
Person
Russian expert OWEN MATTHEWS is the author of two highly praised works of non-fiction, Stalin's Children and An Impeccable Spy, and two acclaimed historical thrillers, Black Sun and Red Traitor. As a war correspondent, he covered conflicts in Bosnia, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq and Ukraine, and for ten years he was was Newsweek's Moscow bureau chief. He divides his time between Rome and Moscow.