Elise Alexander
Viktor is a Russian academic in a specialised field who is recruited to the KGB by order of the Politburo of the Communist Party headed by Leonid Brezhnev. He has a specific task to carry out and we meet him as he travels with his small family to Washington to take up a cover post at the Soviet Embassy. We are introduced to a range of characters, most under deep cover, who help Viktor with his task, but as he and the family become accustomed to the American way of life, priorities change and doubts creep in. This is such a good story. Viktor is a sympathetic character, even though his assignment is pretty dastardly, and the ways the author shows us the strong relationships in Viktor's family reinforce the perception that he is a principled, honourable man. A great strength of Jo Calman's writing is his vast knowledge of international intelligence and agents' tradecraft. This expertise enriches the story and gives fascinating insights into the mind of a spy and the motivation that drives them in their lonely, often despicable activities. I have read other books by Calman, and with this one, he has grown as a writer and this new direction is intriguing.
