by Adam Hall
First published 1979
Quiller's vacation ends abruptly when London sends him to Moscow on an urgent retrieval mission. His former partner Schrenk, a seasoned British operative, has escaped from Lubyanka Prison after enduring Russian interrogation. Now Schrenk has vanished without contacting his handlers. Quiller must navigate the hostile Soviet capital to locate his old colleague before the Russians recapture him. The mission forces the aging, world-weary spy back into the field despite his growing cynicism and exhaustion. Operating behind the Iron Curtain, Quiller faces surveillance, deception, and deadly opposition while racing to find Schrenk. The search becomes both a professional duty and a personal test of loyalty between two veterans of the intelligence game.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, thriller, action, espionage
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Moscow, Lubyanka Prison
Period: Cold War
236 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins Publishers Ltd