First published 1987
Charlie Muffin sits in a British prison cell, convicted of treason after a rigged trial. His cellmate is a British traitor with secrets Charlie needs to extract. When KGB operatives storm the prison to free their asset, Charlie seizes his chance. He faces a stark choice: travel to Moscow to finish his mission or serve forty years behind bars. The decision comes easily. In Moscow, Charlie encounters Natalia Fedova, a skilled KGB interrogator tasked with determining whether his defection is real or an elaborate British deception. Charlie operates without complete information, the standard condition in espionage work. He doesn't second-guess his escape across the Iron Curtain. The mission puts him in mortal danger, but Charlie discovers an unexpected threat. As Natalia probes his loyalties and motivations, he finds himself drawn to her in ways that could compromise everything. For a veteran spy, the greatest risk isn't capture or execution. It's the possibility of genuine love in a world built on deception.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, thriller, action, espionage
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Britain, Iron Curtain, Moscow
Period: Cold War
257 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Bantam