This brutal thriller, set in the Caucasus during Georgia's ill-fated invasion of Abkhazia in 1992, gives a vivid focus to a world ripping itself apart.
Can our hero, Mac, trust the attractive Russian FSB officer, Kris, who befriends him and how will she react to Dr Anna, a Separatist rabble-rouser? How will Mac cope with the Chechen terrorist who has vowed to kill him?
The result is a story with quiet humour and surprising twists and turns.