When Arkady Renko is charged with investigating the murder of Alexei Kazasky, the Deputy Minister of Defence, he knows he has to tread carefully. Alexei Kazasky is a high-profile politician and has a complicated relationship with Putin. This investigation clearly has Kremlin approval, but, as with everything in Russia, things are not always what they seem.

Already preoccupied with his developing Parkinson’s, Arkady finds he has more to worry about. The war in Ukraine is gaining momentum, and his adopted son Zhenya has become involved with the Black Army, a Russo-Ukrainian group of hacktivists. Moreover, as Arkady digs deeper into Kazasky’s murder, he realizes that the man’s death may have been more politically motivated than he first assumed.

Now it seems that the people behind the killing have him firmly in their crosshairs – but this time Arkady’s life is not the only one on the line.

PRAISE FOR MARTIN CRUZ SMITH:

‘Does more on a page than most writers manage in a chapter. He is unique and irreplaceable’ MICK HERRON
‘Among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary’ GUARDIAN
‘One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe’ VAL McDERMID?
‘The undisputed master of the political crime thriller’ ABIR MUKHERJEE
‘One of the finest writers of our age’ CHARLOTTE PHILBY  

PRAISE FOR MARTIN CRUZ SMITH:
 
‘Does more on a page than most writers manage in a chapter. He is unique and irreplaceable’  Mick Herron
‘Among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary’  Guardian
‘One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe’  Val McDermid?
‘The undisputed master of the political crime thriller’  Abir Mukherjee
‘One of the finest writers of our age’ Charlotte Philby  

ARKADY RENKO IS BACK . . .
 
Confined to a desk job by his superiors to keep him out of the way, Arkady Renko is more disillusioned with the general state of Russia than ever. But, despite everything, he has hope. People want change, and politician Leonid Lebedev could be the man to do it.
 
Tasked by a father with finding his missing daughter, a staunch Lebedev supporter and member of the Forum, Renko is thrown into the heart of a dangerous conspiracy when another member of the Forum is found murdered – Alex, a close friend of his own son.
 
The night before his murder, Alex sent Arkady a cryptic message, simply containing three pictures of Russian writers. The link between the pictures is there, if only he could  see it.
 
But Arkady has just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and the disease is taking its toll. This time, he must fight more than the impenetrable Russian regime to get answers – he will also need to fight himself.  

PRAISE FOR MARTIN CRUZ SMITH:

‘Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary’ Guardian
‘One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with  respect bordering on awe’  Val McDermid
‘Martin Cruz Smith writes with an immediacy, depth and lightness of touch that is rare in its combination, and impossible to resist . . . Independence Square is no exception, and further crystallises Cruz Smith as one of the finest writers of our age’ Charlotte Philby  ?
‘The undisputed master of the political crime thriller’ Abir Mukherjee
‘A moving portrayal of struggle against political and personal tides’ New York Times