Nazi-occupied Budapest, Winter 1944. The Russians are smashing through the German lines. Miklos Farkas breaks out of the Jewish ghetto to find food - at the Nazis’ headquarters. There he is handed a stolen copy of The Budapest Protocol, detailing the Nazis’ post-war plans. Miklos knows it must stay hidden forever if he is to stay alive.
Present day Budapest. As the European Union launches the election campaign for the first President of Europe, Miklos Farkas is brutally murdered. His journalist grandson Alex buries his grief to track down the killers. He soon unravels a chilling conspiracy rooted in the dying days of the Third Reich, one that will ensure Nazi economic domination of Europe - and a plan for a new Gypsy Holocaust.
The hunt is on for The Budapest Protocol. Alex is soon drawn deeper into a deadly web of intrigue and power play, a game played for the highest stakes: the very future of Europe.
The Budapest Protocol is a journey into Europe’s hidden heart of darkness ...
"If this novel was a handbag it would be a black Chanel-beautifully made, perfect for every occasion and just a little old-fashioned (in a good way). . . . LeBor is a distinguished writer of non-fiction and his first novel shows that he’s just as good at making it up." The Times (London),
"Adam LeBor has deployed the [thriller] format with delicacy, reverence, expertise and (the acid test for even the darkest plots) charm." Daily Telegraph
"A page-turning thriller with a meaty conspiracy theory that is rooted in historical fact and bristling with warnings against complacency. Would that all debut novels were so ambitious, timely and relevant."Irish Times
"A thoroughly enjoyable debut." Jewish Chronicle
"A well-paced Eurothriller that rolls today’s headlines-terrorism, loss of liberty, political subterfuge and racial tension-into a conspiracy from the past that threatens the future of the continent. Fans of the late Robert Ludlum will be happy to learn that in Adam LeBor they have a worthy successor." Mark Burnell, author of the Stephanie Patrick thriller series
"A superb thriller from a talented writer. LeBor weaves together a gripping tale of Hungary’s complex wartime past and her corrupt, post-communist present. A stylish and atmospheric debut." Charles Cumming, author of A Foreign Country
"With a tale that intrigues from the start, Adam LeBor is a deft guide to a central Europe where the shadows of the past still hang heavy and where an alarming future beckons."
Jonathan Freedland, writing as Sam Bourne
"The Budapest Protocol is a first class political thriller. Only an exceptionally sharp-eyed and knowledgeable foreign correspondent like Adam LeBor could have written this book-he’s been there, he knows eastern Europe and the suspense is the real-life thing."Alan Furst, author of Mission to Paris
"The Budapest Protocol is in every way a superior thriller: tense, intelligent and thought-provoking. One of those books which flies by when you are reading it but stays with you long after you’ve finished." Boris Starling, author of Messiah
"A stylish, sophisticated, and exciting political thriller with all the haunting mystery of mitteleuropa, and the fascinations of a sinister, tainted past and a glitzy, corrupt present. A wonderful read that takes the reader into new worlds."Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of One Night in Winter Watch the trailer here