A back and forth spy thriller that works extremely well. A man living under an assumed identity starts off in the present day but the real identity five years earlier is the key. From New York to Moscow and sundry U.S locations the action never stops. Fall in love with the daughter of an Oligarch leads to somewhat gainful employment but when the truth starts to emerge things get tricky which leads to living under the assumed name. When he’s found the violence ramps up with more victims. A clever twisting tale and a satisfying explanation at the end makes for a great read!

I was attracted by the title of this book- it sounded interesting- although I haven’t read any other books by this author.
It got off to an excellent start and held my attention from the very first page.
It is a dual time line story- the present day parts are about a character called Grant who is on the run, hiding out in a small town under an assumed name. Forced to leave his life after his past catches up with him, he goes on the run.
Meanwhile the reader is taken to a period five years earlier when a high flying Wall Street trader meets a beautiful Russian woman who turns out to be the daughter a wealthy Russian, an oligarch who lives in America.
I don’t want to reveal too much more about the plot as it would spoil the book but suffice it to say that this is a very exciting, fast paced espionage thriller with great characters.
It seemed very well researched- there was a lot about the life of an Oligarch as well as some sections on surviving and hiding in an outdoor environment using very little in the way of modern conveniences.
I was really rooting for the main character and was certainly hoping he would find his happy ending!
Having discovered this author I will definitely look out for more books by him because if they are written in the same vein they will be real page turners. Highly recommended to espionage thriller fans.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance.

An ok read for me,not overly keen on the writing style,was choppy and short sentenced found all the boat building talk very specific and if you have no interest in it then there was a lot to read about that didn’t hold your attention

I am very happy to rediscover Joseph Finder. Sometimes an author slips off your radar for no reason except for that pile of books on the to be read list. Thank you for reminding me that that there are still reads that are difficult to put down because they are so absorbing and exciting. This thriller kept me turning pages way past normal lights out time.
I shall now check out the back list to discover how many Finder books I need to rediscover.

‘Until that day, Grant had never killed anyone.’

A man on the run, living under an assumed name in a small New England town. Paul Brightman is his real name, and there is a million-dollar bounty on his head. His cover blown; Paul flees into the New Hampshire wilderness.

The story unfolds over two timelines. In the present, we are with Paul as he tries to evade those seeking him. In the past, we learn how he came to be in such a dire predicament.

Yes, the story involves a Russian oligarch and his daughter. Paul Brightman, a successful hedge fund manager, falls in love with the daughter, starts working for the father and, gradually, finds himself in danger. Various US intelligence agencies are also involved. Who can Paul trust?
It took me a while to adjust to the pace of this novel. I enjoyed the shifts between past and present which certainly helped to maintain the tension. There were a few fortunate coincidences towards the end, but by then I was so caught up in the story that I accepted them and quickly moved on.

A terrific spy thriller. This is the first of Mr Finder’s novels I have read: I’ll be looking for others.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Veteran thriller Joseph Finder never disappoints and his latest is another good read.

Told through dual timelines, The Oligarch’s Daughter follows the escapades of Paul Brightman as he tries to regain control of his life. Paul has been living under an assumed name in a small New England town with a million-dollar bounty on his head. When his security is breached, Paul is forced to flee into the New Hampshire wilderness to evade the Russian operatives who can seemingly predict his every move.

Six years ago, Paul was a rising star on Wall Street who fell in love with a beautiful photographer named Tatyana, unaware that her father was a Russian oligarch and the object of considerable interest from several U.S. agencies. Now, to save his own life, Paul must unravel a decades-old conspiracy that extends to the highest reaches of the government.

This a very entertaining novel. The timeline about Paul Bright’s earlier life is a little slow to take off, but it is more than compensated for by the thrilling early chase through the wilderness. There are some fortunate coincidences towards the end, but not enough to detract from the enjoyment. Finder is very good at combining big business and criminal activity with international concerns, and the book really hooks you in. The scenes in Moscow are vivid and credible and the plot at the core of the book is well thought out. In all, another top read from a master of the genre.

My first book by the author and it was a brilliant read. I love a bit of action and thrills in a story like this and it did not disappoint. I will definitely read more by the author.

A new discovery for me this author. What a fantastic read…. Detailed, dynamic plot with twists and turns. Lots f depth and intelligent writing. I am already into his back catalogue. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Paul meets Tatyana and they become engaged. This allows him to meet her father who wants him to come work for his investment company. As time goes on, Paul realizes not everything is on the up and up. He starts doing some investigating and goes on the run from the authorities. He lives for five years as someone else until they find him. Now he's on the run once again. Who is behind all of this? Will he survive? Good suspense. Kind of scary if you think about all the dirty cops out there.

I've enjoyed reading most of Joseph Finder's books so I was keen to read this one. This is a spy thriller that runs at 100 mph. It's well constructed and cleverly written. The book is split into then and now parts which doesn't always work but it does here. I enjoyed the characters even though some of them are a bit over the top. (Hey, it's a fiction.) Overall, another enjoyable read from Mr Finder.

This was the first book by the author I've read, and requested it based on a number of writers I enjoy blurbing very positive things (Lee Child: This is Finder at his finest... As good as it gets. Douglas Preston: Joseph Finder has written some of the finest spy novels of our time, and he just keeps getting better). The publishers themselves describe the book as 'a breakneck thriller that marries the dynastic opulence of Succession with the tense and disorienting spy craft of The Americans.'
The book certainly starts off at pace: we find an average sort of smalltown guy asked to do a favour and take a client out on a fishing trip. The customer turns out to be far from friendly and we're off and running - in the protagonist's case, literally.
Rather than a comparison of a mix between Succession and The Americans I'd say this is more a combination of The Firm(without the slow build of suspicion and moral decision making that book had) and something like Enemy of the State (in terms of staying off grid in today's techno world) as we follow a dual narrative showing Paul Brightman on the run interspersed with events of five years ago that have led to this.
I did think parts of the current day story - particularly the long sections when our hero is hiding in forests a little slow, but the historical sections zipped along and the sections taking place in Russia were particularly interesting.

Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Paul Brightman is hiding in a small New England town working on boats and doing fishing charters under an assumed name. When a fishing charter customer knows who Paul is, he knows his cover is blown and goes on the run.

I really like Joseph Finder and can read his books in a day or two. Unfortunately, this one dragged a bit for me. It was too long and there was too much about Paul running from the people that were after him, which I didn't find interesting because he was running through the woods, not moving from interesting city to city. The conclusion was interesting and I didn't see it coming, but it took so long to get there.

The Oligarch’s Daughter – WOW! At first, I wasn’t sure about the back-and-forth between the time periods, but it worked brilliantly and was fantastic. I really enjoyed it. There were a couple of moments when I thought, “This guy is really pushing his luck,” but it all came together perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven’t come across Joseph Finder before, but I’ll definitely be seeking out more of his work.

I have always been a fan of Joseph Finder and when I saw there was a new book on offer, I immediately requested it, and I was not disappointed.

This is fantastic spy thriller, and I could not turn the pages quick enough. Paul Brightman is a hedge fund manager and a very smart one. He meets Tatyana, an incredibly beautiful woman who is trying to become a successful photographer. Paul falls hard for her and soon they are in a relationship. As their relationship progresses it was inevitable that the time would come for him to meet her family. Tatyana told Paul that her father was a successful businessman and soon he finds himself being offered a role in her father’s business. Initially Paul is hesitant to take the job, but the offer is amazing, and he then makes the decision to jump ship from his current company and moves into the offices where her father works.

The action begins immediately and soon you are drawn into a world of lies, deceit and espionage. Paul is now in a very sticky situation, and he begins to question his decision, but he is now in over his head, who does he trust and are people really who they seem to be. Then throw in the FBI and the CIA and you have the makings of a terrific book that will take you on a wild ride. I am not going to say anymore other than that this was a five-star read for me, and if spy thrillers are your thing I do not believe you will be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

This is my first Joseph and won't be my last. Quick paced, full of action, this is his new unputdownable 2025 book about a ordinary man who suddenly finds himself with a bounty on his head. Gripping and made me want to come back for more.

A really excellent thriller. Brilliantly paced and told over a dual timeline, I found this hard to put down. One of the best books of this genre, I’ve read this year.
Wholeheartedly recommend.
4.5 stars.

I normally don’t care too much for books where the narrative drifts back and forward from present to past, but hey, this was Joseph Finder and he gets let off, as his books are always a good read..
Finder weaves a good story, despite the jumping back and forth, but I did feel that a small part of the story was missing.
But, you can’t go wrong with Joseph Finder.

This was a really enjoyable novel telling the story of Paul Brightman, living on the run, after becoming involved with an oligarch's daughter leading to all manner of ethical and legal dilemmas for him.

The story is told over a dual timeline with Paul's identity being discovered in the present day and then the back story telling us how he became involved with Tatyana and her family. One small issue I had was over the moving between timelines which seemed to be weighted in favour of the backstory for long periods of time and then just a couple of chapters of the present day before moving back to the past.. I think I would have preferred a more even, quicker move between timelines of just a couple of chapters each time to keep both stories moving at pace, but other than that minor quibble, a really enjoyable novel.