Mazurka

In international bestselling author Campbell Armstrong’s page-turning thriller, counterterrorism agent Frank Pagan races against the clock to defuse a confrontation with the Russians that might change the map of Europe

Escorting a hard-drinking, fun-loving, probably-former-KGB Russian “envoy” to Edinburgh would appear to be one of the more relaxing jobs in Frank Pagan’s career. But in the flash of a gunshot everything changes. Now Frank’s got a Russian official with a bullet lodged in his heart, his bosses at Scotland Yard wondering if Frank missed a step, and countless politicians and secret service agencies screaming bloody murder.
 
With spies from the KGB, MI6, and the CIA dogging his every move, Pagan has to find the men behind the deadly shooting. From the Baltic émigré community, where he meets a beautiful woman who might provide answers, to the United States to the Soviet Union, Pagan unravels a chilling plot that will have devastating worldwide repercussions.

“A wonderful puzzle that keeps us guessing right to the end.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“An exceptionally good thriller, enhanced by rich politics and a bittersweet romance.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“Headline-fresh conspiracy thriller . . . manages to be both pacey and tantalizing.” —The Guardian
 
“Armstrong’s feeling for sullen foreign locations, and a flair for the jigsaw work of plotting, put this in the memorable category.” —The Daily Telegraph
 
“Spellbinding fusion of political intrigue, passion, betrayal and terror and unquestionably confirms the promise shown in Jig.” —Gloucester Citizen

Campbell Armstrong (1944–2013) was an international bestselling author best known for his thriller series featuring British counterterrorism agent Frank Pagan, and his quartet of Glasgow Novels, featuring detective Lou Perlman. Two of these, White Rage and Butcher, were nominated for France’s Prix du Polar. Armstrong’s novels Assassins & Victims and The Punctual Rape won Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year Awards.

Born in Glasgow and educated at the University of Sussex, Armstrong worked as a book editor in London and taught creative writing at universities in the United States.