Europe, 1948. The continent is once again divided: into the Communist Soviet-controlled states to the east, and the US-dominated democracies in the west. John Russell and his old comrade-in-espionage Shchepkin need to find a way out of the dangerous, morally murky world they have both inhabited for far too long. But they can’t just walk away: if they want to escape with their lives, they must, in Shchepkin’s words, ‘uncover a secret so damaging that we could buy our safety with silence’. In this heartstopping conclusion to the series, Downing ratchets up the suspense with a superb plot involving psychopathic mass murderers, a snuff movie that leads to the highest ranks of Soviet power, and Russell and his girlfriend’s last-ditch attempt to gain freedom.