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.