The Swiss Agent

A wonderfully adroit and clever espionage novel with great characters and exceptional narrative verve. A terrific achievement William Boyd, author of Gabriels Moon

A chefs body washes up on Capri. The night he died, his employer - a Russian oligarch with direct Kremlin ties - hosted NATOs deputy secretary general for a private dinner. Amanda Cole, CIA station chief in Rome, knows exactly what that smells like.

Amanda Cole, CIA station chief in Rome, knows what that smells like. She calls Kath Frost: semi-retired CIA legend from the years when the rules were different. Kath is also unpredictable in ways that have always made Amanda nervous and this time that nervousness turns out to be justified.

Following the money from Moscow through Geneva to Washington, they uncover a Kremlin-backed operation to bribe NATO officials at the highest levels, run through the kind of Swiss banking that leaves no fingerprints. Until a banker named Julian Schmidt steps into the light - and it becomes clear that Kath knows him well. And has been keeping it quiet.

The choices Kath made during the chaos of the Soviet collapse have never gone away. Now Amanda has to decide whether her partner is the one person she can rely on, or the greatest threat to the operation.

The follow-up to The Helsinki Affair, from an author who understands that the most dangerous secrets are the ones closest to home.