Two Norwegians are murdered in the Soviet wilderness, setting off a web of intrigue in this "consistently superior" Cold War spy thriller ( Chicago Tribune ). In this "galloping good read" that blends "Stephen King horror and Ingmar Bergman darkness," Jan Johansen heads to Finland on a seemingly routine intelligence operation—but when he and his companion wander over the Russian border, they are gunned down in cold blood ( The Washington Post Book World ). Halvard Starheim, an experienced explorer and Jan's good friend, is determined to find out what went wrong. He is joined by Jan's beautiful widow and a journalist, who is hiding his own dangerous secret. Their journey will slowly undercover an international conspiracy—and lead to a terrifying showdown in the freezing Arctic winter. Interweaving the stories of these three characters and revealing the complex political tensions in the region where northern Europe meets the USSR, the international bestselling author of Unforgotten and Homeland offers a suspenseful tale of adventure and espionage: "The classically structured spy thriller has rarely been better done" ( The New York Times ).