Overview

Based on a true story, this acclaimed, chillingly authentic, page-turner of a thriller brings Soviet Russia and the Cold War world to brilliant life and should rank alongside Martin Cruz-Smith's Gorky Park and Robert Harris' Archangel. 'Outstanding' SUNDAY TIMES 'A stunning debut thriller . . . utterly terrifying . . . absolutely riveting' DAILY MAIL 'Fascinating . . . fearsome' FREDERICK FORSYTH 'Enthralling' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Thrilling . . . compelling' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE 1961. Hidden deep within central Soviet Russia is a place that doesn't appear on any map- a city called Arzamas-16. Here dedicated scientists and technicians are building the most powerful nuclear device the world will ever see - three thousand times more powerful than Hiroshima. But days before the bomb is to be tested, a young physicist is found dead. His body contains enough radioactive poison to kill thousands. The authorities believe it is suicide - they want the corpse disposed of, the incident filed and forgotten. But Moscow is alarmed by what's going on in this strange, isolated place. And so KGB major Alexander Vasin is sent to Arzamas to investigate. What he finds there is unlike anything he's experienced before. His wits will be tested against some of the Soviet Union's most brilliant minds - eccentrics, patriots and dissidents who, because their work is considered to be of such vital importance, have been granted the freedom to think and act, live and love as they wish. For in Arzamas, nothing can be allowed to get in the way of the project. Not even murder . . . Intricately researched, cunningly plotted and brilliantly told, Black Sun is a fast-paced and timely thriller set at the height - and in the heart - of Soviet power from the acclaimed author of An Impeccable Spy. What readers are saying- 'Woven around real events, people and places, it's genuinely terrifying stuff' ***** 'The twists and turns and intrigue kept me on tenterhooks' ***** 'Brings alive one of the most fascinating periods of Soviet history' *****

Full Product Details

Author:   Owen Matthews
Publisher:   Transworld Publishers Ltd
Imprint:   Corgi Books
Dimensions:   Width: 12.70cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 19.80cm
Weight:   0.283kg
ISBN:  

9780552176576

ISBN 10:   0552176575
Pages:   416
Publication Date:   09 July 2020
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  General/trade ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

Reviews

Fact and fiction combine to keep the pages turning in this impressive debut thriller. -- Antonia Senior * THE TIMES 'Best Historical Fiction of the Year' * One of the best thrillers of recent years . . . a glorious book, a tour-de-force. It drips with authenticity from every page . . . a page-turning, thumping good read. -- DAVID YOUNG, bestselling author of Stasi Child An outstanding first novel . . . Matthews writes superbly. * SUNDAY TIMES 'Crime Book of the Month' * There are some authors who have gone out into the world to observe the good, the bad and the ugly. Owen Matthews is such a novelist. Black Sun is fascinating and has fearsome authenticity. -- FREDERICK FORSYTH A stunning debut thriller . . . ferocious, authentic and utterly terrifying . . . absolutely riveting. * DAILY MAIL *

Author Information

Russian expert OWEN MATTHEWS is the author of two highly praised works of non-fiction, Stalin's Children and An Impeccable Spy, and two acclaimed historical thrillers, Black Sun and Red Traitor. As a war correspondent, he covered conflicts in Bosnia, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq and Ukraine, and for ten years he was was Newsweek's Moscow bureau chief. He divides his time between Rome and Moscow.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions