Historical thrillers really don't come much more gripping and seat-of-the-pants than this epic tale. Beautifully written, crisply plotted, this is classic story-telling with a larger-than-life lead character, Charlie Doig, who you just long to have as your best friend. Set in the years leading up to the Russian Revolution, the various backdrops are utterly convincing and the action sequences suitably gruesome, gory and nail-biting. At various points in the book I was reminded of Conrad, Pasternak, Tolstoy, with a little bit of Anthony Burgess thrown in for good measure. James Fleming is clearly at the top of his game, and once started, only rigid self-discipline kept me from reading his book in one sitting. I have already bought Fleming's follow-up, Cold Blood, and after this mesmerising introductory volume I cannot wait to find out what Charlie Doig gets up to next. Go to it, Doig, and don't spare the horses...
