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 heart stopping 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. AUTHOR: David Downing grew up in suburban London. He is the author of the Jack McColl novels, Jack of Spies, One Man's Flag, Lenin's Roller Coaster, and The Dark Clouds Shining; the thrillers The Red Eagles and Diary of a Dead Man on Leave; and six books in the John Russell espionage series, set in WWII Berlin.