This tragicomic classic by Robert Littell, New York Times bestselling master of the espionage thriller, follows a black marketeer’s madcap odyssey through Soviet-era Moscow.
In a city brimming with paranoia, Robespierre Pravdin keeps his head down, scraping by hustling wristwatches on the black market. Formerly held in a prison camp, he wants nothing more than to fly under the state’s radar.
But when Pravdin stumbles across the original manuscript of a famous Russian novel, he discovers evidence that the book’s lauded, Nobel-prize winning author plagiarized the work. Pravdin pursues the truth, even if it means risking getting him committed to a mental hospital or imprisoned—again.
With his signature absurdist style, Robert Littell evokes a dark, gripping, and humorous portrait of crime and punishment in Soviet-era Moscow—where someone is always watching.
Robert Littell is the author of twenty-one other highly acclaimed novels, many about the Cold War and the Soviet Union, including his masterwork, New York Times bestseller The Company, and the Los Angeles Times Book Award winner for best mystery-thriller Legends. An American born in Brooklyn, Robert Littell now lives in France.
This tragicomic classic by Robert Littell, New York Times bestselling master of the espionage thriller, follows a black marketeer’s madcap odyssey through Soviet-era Moscow.
In a city brimming with paranoia, Robespierre Pravdin keeps his head down, scraping by hustling wristwatches on the black market. Formerly held in a prison camp, he wants nothing more than to fly under the state’s radar.
But when Pravdin stumbles across the original manuscript of a famous Russian novel, he discovers evidence that the book’s lauded, Nobel-prize winning author plagiarized the work. Pravdin pursues the truth, even if it means risking getting him committed to a mental hospital or imprisoned—again.
With his signature absurdist style, Robert Littell evokes a dark, gripping, and humorous portrait of crime and punishment in Soviet-era Moscow—where someone is always watching.
Author
Robert Littell is the author of twenty-one other highly acclaimed novels, many about the Cold War and the Soviet Union, including his masterwork, New York Times bestseller The Company, and the Los Angeles Times Book Award winner for best mystery-thriller Legends. An American born in Brooklyn, Robert Littell now lives in France.
