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Clive Franklin, a Russian language expert in the Foreign Office, is summoned unexpectedly to the city to act as translator for the British Prime Minister. Marina stuns Clive with the news that she’s ready to help stop the attack, betraying her country for a new identity and a new life. “A classic thriller of the new Cold War” - Antony Beevor, author of Stalingrad Paperback Erast Fandorin, a hot-headed new recruit to the Criminal Investigation Department, is assigned to the case. Hardback
Reviews
Karen Louise Hollis
This book really intrigued me. Not only is it about the work of a translator, but we go behind the scenes in the political corridors of both Moscow and London. The characters were well built through the novel and I found myself routing for Clive and Marina and thoroughly disliking General Varlamov. Relations between Russia, the UK and the West.
The booktrail
Bitter Lemon Press does it again! There’s a bit of a guided tour in a way around the ballet and the Metropol, as well as the politically famous Red Square and government buildings. He is forty-one year old Clive Franklin, who works as a Russian language expert in the British Foreign Office.
Lozzieloves
And Clive and Marina have to work together to try to sort it all out. Although Clive is soon asked to listen to what the Russians are saying. Both Clive and Marina are great characters and you care about them straight away and hope things turn out well for them. Now, that was where the tensions really ramped up for me.
These days with Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, we are talking about Russia on a daily basis, with everyone wondering what could happen next. Ok, so he speaks the language but he likes to stay ‘ safe’ behind the translators lines.
The story was easy to get into. He’s been asked to be the interpreter for the British Prime Minister, Martha Maitland, at a meeting with President Serov. I am fan of spy novels and this one did not disappoint!
As a translator in this very unstable political drama, he can relax a little. ) added an extra level of interest for me. Having studied translation at university the fact that the novel was about interpreters (I disagree with Clive’s view on being called a translator when he dealt in speech!
I felt I was living the news or recent history at least and that heightened the scary experience. The descriptions feel very authentic and I could easily picture the settings. The author’s love for all the good things about Russia really shines through.
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