First published 2005
Brano Sev works as a State Security Officer in the homicide department of his country's people's militia. His colleagues distrust him, but Brano follows orders without question. When authorities send him to his birth village to interrogate a suspected defector, he obeys. A man dies shortly after Brano arrives, and someone pins the murder on him. Brano assumes this frame job is part of some larger official plan, so he lets events unfold. The scheme forces him into exile in Vienna, where he finally starts questioning what's really happening. As Brano digs deeper, he discovers that his unwavering loyalty to the state may be the greatest betrayal of all. Set in 1960s Eastern Europe, this political thriller follows a man who must choose between blind obedience and dangerous truth.
Genres: historical-fiction, action, espionage, political-thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Vienna, Eastern Europe
Period: 1960s
352 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins Publishers Ltd