A SCHOOL trip to Moscow at the age of 15 seals Mo’s fate in a way that no English schoolgirl could ever imagine.

A chance encounter with the charming and entrepreneurial illegal vodka seller Pavel and the beautiful Katya leads to the trio’s lives being inextricably linked, with Mo and Katya becoming rivals for the oligarch’s love. Pavel’s success as a businessman takes him from extreme poverty to overwhelming wealth, but as he becomes increasingly powerful the darker aspects of his character come to the fore.

Blundy has created a classy thriller that keeps the reader hooked.

Stephanie Murray