The Man From St Petersburg

Ken Follett

30 May 2019
9781509862344
480 pages

Synopsis

The Man From St Petersburg is a dark tale of family secrets and political consequences. Ken Follett's masterful storytelling brings to life the danger of a world on the brink of war.

A Secret Negotiation

1914. Tensions are rising as Europe finds itself caught in a web of alliances and dangerous warmongering. To help tip the balance in their favour, Britain aims to draw Russia into an alliance with them instead of Germany. Czar Nicholas’s nephew, Prince Aleksei, is sent to London for secret naval talks with Lord Walden.

A Play for Power

Walden has a personal connection to Aleksei; his wife is Aleksei’s aunt. And they are not the only ones interested in the Russian's arrival; so too are Walden’s wilful, idealistic daughter, the head of Special Branch, and a ruthless Russian anarchist.

A World at War

With the British desperately needing a signed treaty and the fate of the world hanging in the balance, the destinies of these individuals become inextricably linked, as tragedy threatens to shatter the Waldens’ complacency . . .

Ken Follett has done it once more . . . goes down with the ease and impact of a well-prepared martini
Eerily plausible . . . one of Follett's finest