NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK - Arkady Renko's triumphant return to Moscow quickly turns into a waking nightmare in this "crackling suspense thriller" (The Boston Globe) from the author of Gorky Park. "What ultimately sets the Renko books apart is the careful writing, and, more importantly, the knowledge of the human heart that is carried through it, through them, first to last."--Chicago Tribune Back from exile in the hellish reaches of the Soviet Union, homicide investigator Arkady Renko discovers that his country, his Moscow, even his job, are nearly dead. But his enemies are very much alive, and foremost among them are the powerful black-market crime lords of the Russian mafia. Hounded by this terrifying new underworld, chased by the ruthless minions of the newly rich and powerful, and tempted by his great love, defector Irina Asanova, Arkady can only hope desperately for escape. But fate has something else in store.