Defectors (Hardback)

The explosive new thriller from the bestselling author of Leaving Berlin

“The question isn’t what’s right, his father would say, the question is what’s the right thing to do? They’re not always the same.”

Some secrets should never be told.

Moscow, 1961: With the launch of Sputnik, the Soviet Union's international prestige is at an all-time high. And the most notorious of the defectors to the Soviet Union, former CIA agent Frank Weeks, is about to publish his memoirs. What he reveals will send shock waves through the West. Weeks' defection in the early 1950s shook Washington to its core - and forced the resignation of his brother, Simon, from the State Department.

Simon, now a publisher in New York, is given the opportunity to read and publish his brother's memoir. He knows the US government will never approve the publication of what is clearly intended as KGB propaganda. Yet the offer is irresistible: it will finally give him the chance to learn why his brother chose to betray his country. But what he discovers in Moscow is far more shocking than he ever imagined...

'Kanon writes beautifully, superbly conveying human sadness and regret.' - The Telegraph

'One of the most exciting books I've read in years' - Alexander McCall Smith on Leaving Berlin

'Spectacular in every way' - Lee Child on Stardust

'Tense and atmospheric, with sinister intrigue' - Wall Street Journal on Istanbul Passage

American author Joseph Kanon is best-known for the dark, atmospheric espionage thrillers that have earned him comparisons with Graham Greene and John le Carré. His novels include: Los Alamos, The Prodigal Spy, The Good German, Alibi, Stardust, Istanbul Passage, Leaving Berlin and Defectors.