A compelling spy thriller in the grand tradition of John le Carré and Robert Harris, Worrall's nerve-jangling tale revolves around four key players in the Cold War and a lethally dangerous chess tournament in the London of 1961.
It is the summer of 1961 and the brutal Cold War between East and West is becoming ever more perilous.
Two young prodigies from either side of the Iron Curtain, Yulia and Michael, meet at a chess tournament in London. They don't know it, but they are about to compete in the deadliest game ever played.
Shadowing them is Greta, a ruthless resistance fighter who grew up the hard way in the forests of Lithuania, but who is now hunting down some of the most dangerous men in the world.
Men who are also on the radar of Vassily, perhaps the Soviet Union's greatest spymaster. A man of cunning and influence, Vassily was Yulia's minder during her visit to the West, but even he could not foresee the consequences of her meeting Michael.
When the world is accelerating towards an inevitable and catastrophic conflict, what can just four people do to prevent it?
Epic in scope, The Partisan is a thrill ride like no other, taking you from the hallowed halls of Cambridge to the grimy depths of the Moscow underworld, from 1960s London to the Eastern Front in the Second World War.
Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 9781787635784
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 611 g
Dimensions: 240 x 162 x 35 mm
Immersive, intriguing, and intelligent - incredibly impressive, up there with the best in the genre - Lee Child
A taut, sophisticated, and hugely satisfying thriller. With a multi-layered and ingenious plot, this is a superb and immensely enjoyable read from an excitingly fresh and original new voice. Wartime resistance, Cold War espionage, a world on the cusp of nuclear catastrophe and a cast of deftly drawn and believable characters combine to make this a hugely compelling, unputdownable and fast-paced read that takes the reader on a journey from the forests of Lithuania, to the Kremlin and back streets of Moscow, to the jazz bars of early 1960s London and the colleges of Cambridge to the bleak realities of the GDR and post-war Vienna. - James Holland
Patrick Worrall has produced a constantly fascinating and emotionally authentic thriller that moves effortlessly and atmospherically from one decade to another and one location to another as the story's devious secrets are revealed. - Robert Goddard
Fast-paced, intriguing and deeply atmospheric. The Kremlin sequences in particular are mighty evocative. - Tom Bradby
A dazzlingly confident debut...Whether he's evoking the Spanish Civil War, the scheming and counter-scheming in Khrushchev's Kremlin or two brainy teenagers falling in love, Worrall rises impressively to every challenge - The Sunday Times (Thriller of the Month)
The only one way could describe Worrall’s debut is as one of the best Cold War spy stories you will read this summer.
Multi-layered, brilliantly plotted with great characters, Worrall corporates historical facts...
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It’s a rare treat to discover a debut novelist who is able to perform an unmatched balancing act of compulsive storytelling, impressive characterisation, writing which blends genre seamlessly, all while being... More
For a relatively short novel, this has an absolutely massive scope – mostly set in the 60s, it has flashbacks to WWII, and flashforwards to almost the present day, while exploring the POVs of quite a large cast of... More
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