This one started and I thought it was going to be the first one of his novels I didn't like. Very quickly, however, I came to love it. It has tragedy, comedy, characters... the villain is strangely sympathetic, the heroes, in many ways, not.

It examines terrorism, old Russia, the holocaust, the secret services - and, as in all Seymour, it is incredibly well researched and gives you a better feeling for life in certain areas than any news stories or articles or TV shows.

I was reading it on one of my plane trips back from Nice and the lady next to me across the aisle said "my mother thinks he's the single best writer in Britain today. I bought her that when it came out and read it myself and absolutely loved it".

The only thing I don't understand is why great British novelists like Seymour and Le Carre, very much in the Graham Greene tradition, don't ever get shortlisted for the Booker prize.

I heartily recommend this to anyone who enjoys a beautifully written and thrilling story.