Books

Moscow X

David McCloskey

‘Thrilling, propulsive and terrifying’ Simon Sebag Montefiore

THE SECOND NOVEL FROM FORMER CIA OFFICER, THE REST IS CLASSIFIED PODCAST CO-HOST AND THE SUNDAY TIMES-BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE SEVENTH FLOOR AND ***THE TIMES THRILLER OF THE YEAR*** DAMASCUS STATION (‘One of the best spy thrillers in years’ THE TIMES)
FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOKS OF 2024

SHORTLISTED IN THE NED KELLY AWARDS 2025

FOURTH NOVEL THE PERSIAN AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW

A daring CIA operation threatens chaos in the Kremlin.
But can Langley trust the Russian at its center?

CIA operatives Sia and Max enter Russia to recruit Vladimir Putin’s moneyman. Sia works for a London firm that conceals the wealth of the super-rich. Max’s family business in Mexico – a CIA front since the 1960s – is a farm that breeds high-end racehorses. They pose as a couple, and their targets are Vadim, Putin’s private banker, and his wife Anna, who is both a banker and an intelligence officer herself…

PRAISE FOR MOSCOW X:

‘The most authentic depiction of CIA deep cover operations you’ll find in print’ – John Sipher, Former CIA Senior Operations Officer

‘A terrific read, cementing McCloskey in my mind as the best spy fiction writer since le Carré’ – Nicholas Kristof, New York Times

‘Spellbinding … An electrifying read. I could not put it down’ – Clarissa Ward, CNN Chief International Correspondent

RAVE READER REVIEWS:

‘Moves at a ripping pace. A terrific, unputdownable page-turner’

‘A page-turner, the pace is frantic … Superb fun’

‘A barnstorming tour de force. I loved it!’

Hardback

ISBN: 9781800752894

Published: January 18, 2024

Paperback

ISBN: 9781800752917

Published: August 29, 2024

Ebook

ISBN: 9781800752900

Published: October 3, 2023

Category:
Fiction

Reviews for Moscow X

‘As gripping as its predecessor … Complex yet satisfyingly vicious, especially so once Max and Sia in turn enter Russia, Moscow X is a tense, all too plausible depiction of the struggle for power within a corrupt regime’ – The Times, Book of the Month

‘A gripping depiction of the struggle for power within a corrupt regime’ – Sunday Times, Best Summer Reads

‘The spy thriller has a champion who can peek behind the curtain’ The Times

‘An informed, gripping tale’ – Financial Times, Best Books of 2024

‘McCloskey shows all the talents that brought so much acclaim for his debut, Damascus Station, and takes us inside the inner workings of the CIA, where he once worked as an analyst … It’s the cast of layered, complex characters that makes Moscow X such a gripping read — one often leavened with dry, poetic wit’ – Adam LeBor, Financial Times

‘McCloskey is the most thoroughly convincing spy novelist to have emerged in the last decade’ – Mail on Sunday

‘Thrilling, propulsive and terrifying … unputdownably superb’ – Simon Sebag Montefiore

Praise for Damascus Station:

‘Simply marvellous storytelling…a stand-out thriller and essential reading for fans of the genre’ – Financial Times

‘The best spy novel I have ever read’ – General David Petraeus, former director of the CIA

‘For an authentic representation of what it’s like to work in intelligence, look no further than Damascus Station. McCloskey has captured it all: the breathtaking close calls, the hand in glove of tech and ops, the heartbreaking disappointments, the thrill of a hard-won victory’ – Alma Katsu, author of Red Widow and former CIA and NSA analyst

Author

David McCloskey

David McCloskey is a former CIA analyst and former consultant at McKinsey & Company. While at the CIA, he worked in field stations across the Middle East and briefed senior White House officials and Arab royalty. He lives in Texas.