by Luke Harding
First published 2016
On November 1, 2006, Alexander Litvinenko meets his killers in central London. The former Russian spy doesn't know he has just consumed polonium, a rare radioactive poison that will kill him from within. Over twenty-two days, his body deteriorates as doctors struggle to identify what's destroying him. Litvinenko had fled Russia and made enemies by exposing state corruption and violence. Now those enemies have reached across Europe to silence him. Luke Harding reconstructs the murder through years of investigation, interviews with suspects and witnesses, and trial evidence. He follows the deadly trail of polonium across London hotels and nightclubs, revealing how Russian assassins carried out their mission. The book exposes the network of spies, dissidents, and criminals surrounding the case. Harding argues this assassination marked the start of a new confrontation between Russia and the West. The murder of one man becomes the opening move in a larger geopolitical conflict that would reshape international relations for years to come.
Genres: historical-fiction, crime, non-fiction, 21st-century, espionage, political-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Central London, Europe, Russia, United Kingdom
Period: 2006
432 pages · Paperback · Guardian Faber
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence, murder