A whopper of a post war murder mystery that wraps in espionage. It's a good read with well done characters and a fast moving plot. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of historical fiction.

I think I got about two thirds of the way through this book. What I read was really well crafted and I did enjoy it but think I got distracted and sadly never finished it.

A brilliant novel of post-WWII, cold-war paranoia and the chaotic aftermath of the espionage that took place during WWII among the US, Russia and Britain. There were so many double-agents that I don't even know if the spies knew whose side they were really on...they were probably just trying to stay alive. This story catches up with a former spy, Tom Wrought, who escaped the US after being blacklisted for having communist sympathies as a student twenty years before. Now Tom is a Pulitzer Prize winning historian who has secured a teaching position at Oxford and is trying to live a normal life. His marriage isn't great and he falls in love with his married neighbor, Liz. The affair is the normal story...but en route to a rendezvouz, Tom witnesses Liz's husband being pushed in front of a train in the London Underground. Within 24 hours, Tom has been arrested. This is where the story gets interested...we know Tom didn't commit the murder so who has enough reason to frame him for the murder. The story then unfolds, providing insight into Tom's introduction to the communist party, the major players, his time at University, leaving the party and then his actions in WWII as a defender of the black soldiers and eventually, a spy. So who wants him out of the way...the KGB, M15, M16, the FBI, the CIA...what secrets does Tom know??? In a race against time, Liz and a young soliciter, Alice, attempt to uncover the truth and save Tom and themselves before it's too late. This was a fascinating story, with many actual events and major players of the time. It was well-written, full of interesting historical events and kept me hooked to the final page. An excellent read for anyone interested in history.

I received a copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review