THE BRAND NEW BLOCKBUSTER NOVEL WITH THE HIGH-STAKES THRILLS OF SLOW HORSES AND THE ADRENALINE-SOAKED EXCITEMENT OF BOX 88**SUNDAY TIMES THRILLER OF THE MONTH**'A breathtaking thriller. A classic in the making' PETER JAMES'A shot in the arm for thriller fans' THE TIMES'Hugely impressive and compelling' WILLIAM BOYD'Look out for The Scarlet Papers . . . Engrossing' STEVE CAVANAGH'The most impressive espionage debut since Mick Herron's Slow Horses' DAILY MAIL'Magnificent' LITERARY REVIEW'Superbly constructed and written with flair. This might be the best spy novel of the year' SUNDAY TIMES'The Cold War is given a new twist ... Impressive, superior spy stuff' SHOTS MAGAZINE___________VIENNA, 1946: A brilliant German scientist snatched from the ruins of Nazi Europe. MOSCOW, 1964: A US diplomat caught in a clandestine love affair as the Cold War rages. RIGA, 1992: A Russian archivist selling secrets that will change the twentieth century forever. LONDON, THE PRESENT DAY: A British academic on the run with the chance to solve one of history's greatest mysteries. Their stories, their lives, and the fate of the world are bound by a single manuscript. A document feared and whispered about in capitals across the globe. In its pages, history will be rewritten. It is only ever known as . . . THE SCARLET PAPERSThe devastating secrets contained within teased by a brief invitation:Tomorrow 11AM. Take a cab and pay in cash. Tell no one. ___________'Smart, slick and totally gripping . . . The Scarlet Papers is always credible, always startling and almost painfully human. A total triumph' TONY PARSONS'A masterpiece' TIM GLISTER'Grand in scope and packed with fascinating insights' MICK HERRON'An extraordinary novel' HOLLY WATT'Addictive, original and outrageously entertaining . . . Matthew Richardson proves himself a writer of huge talent and skill' CHARLOTTE PHILBY'An epic read!' JEREMY DUNS

Matthew Richardson studied English at Durham University and Merton College, Oxford. After a brief spell as a freelance journalist, he began working as a researcher and speechwriter in Westminster, and has also written speeches for senior figures in the private sector. He is the author of My Name is Nobody and The Insider.