One Night in Winter

Moscow, 1945: As Stalin and his courtiers celebrate victory over Hitler, shots ring out. On a nearby bridge, a teenage boy and girl lie dead.

This is no ordinary tragedy and these are no ordinary teenagers, but the children of Russia’s most important leaders who attend the most exclusive school in Moscow.

Is it murder? A suicide pact? Or a conspiracy against the state?

Directed by Stalin himself, an investigation begins as children are arrested and forced to testify against their friends – and their parents. This terrifying witch-hunt soon unveils illicit love affairs and family secrets in a hidden world where the smallest mistakes will be punished with death.

Based on a true story and featuring real-life historical characters, this heartbreaking novel of passion, intrigue and betrayal takes you inside 1940s Russia with such thrilling authenticity that you know you’re in the hands of a master storyteller.

One Night in Winter was named Political Fiction Book of the Year at the Paddy Power Political Book Awards 2014.