The Black Stone

Alexander Murray grows up on a farm in Gloucestershire with a fascination for a family legend linking his ancestors to the Russian Decembrist uprising of 1825. Determined to uncover the truth, he studies Russian and plans to trace his roots in St Petersburg. Before university, Alex spends six months in South America, working as a gaucho on a ranch in Argentina and later in the wild landscapes of Chilean Patagonia. There he meets a Russian businessman and his wife—an encounter that will unexpectedly open the door to the country that has long fascinated him. In Russia, Alex’s search for his family history takes him deep into Siberia, where he discovers distant relatives and meets Olga Derevenko. What begins as a tense first meeting soon becomes a powerful romance. But Alex’s connection to Russia will draw him into far more dangerous territory. Back in London, his flawless Russian catches the attention of a shadowy British intelligence officer known only as Colonel Jack. A Russian spy working secretly for Britain has been exposed after uncovering a vast corruption scheme reaching into the highest levels of the Kremlin. Extracting him from Russia will require someone who can move unnoticed across the country—and Alex is the perfect candidate. As Russian security services close in, Alex is thrust into a deadly mission across the vastness of Russia, where courage, loyalty and survival are tested at every turn. The Black Stone is an international thriller of secrets, espionage and divided loyalties, moving from the English countryside to Patagonia, St Petersburg and the immense landscapes of Siberia.