Paul Vidich was an executive
in the entertainment industry, specifically in music and media at Time Warner,
AOL, and Warner Music Group, where he was Executive Vice President in charge of
global digital strategy. He presently serves as an independent board director,
investor, and advisor to internet media companies in video and music. He also
works on the boards of directors of Poets and Writers, The New School for
Social Research, and the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation. He is the author of
several well-regarded novels.
The Poet’s Game: A Spy in
Moscow
(Pegasus, 2025) is his seventh spy thriller, conjuring up memories of John
LeCarre and his books about Cold War espionage. CrimeReads called it a
Top Five Espionage Novel of the Year and The Financial Times listed it
among the Best Thrillers of 2025.
Alex Matthews was the Moscow
Station chief at the CIA for years. With the change in administrations came a
change in agency priorities, and Alex did not hold back his criticism of the alterations.
His dissatisfaction with the new agency direction in addition to dramatic
changes in his personal life led to a timely retirement that seemed mutually
beneficial. Matthews turned his knowledge of Russia into investments in the
Russian economy and created a thriving financial business. He still spent a
good bit of time in Russia, putting pressure on his marriage and his
relationship with his teenage son.
Because he could travel freely
to and within Russia, the CIA director asked him to meet one of Matthews’
former agents to collect information the agent said was critical to the
protection of the sitting U.S. president. Matthews wanted to say no but the CIA
could throw roadblocks into his dealings with Russia and he agreed to this one
last job as he made arrangements to sell his Russian business and wrap up his
life there.
Nothing about the job is as
simple as he was told it would be. Fortunately he didn’t expect it but the
degree of scrutiny he received from multiple levels of Russian authority told
him matters were more complicated than he understood.
Layers upon layers of
duplicity and double-dealing, some expected as merely part of the job, but others
were surprises; one betrayal rocked Matthews to his core. The long-term impact
of living a double life in an authoritarian regime meant every agent never knew
entirely who could be trusted. A truly prepared agent had an exit strategy that
could be exercised at any time. This is a paranoia-laden story of Cold War
espionage filled with the unexpected right through to the end.
- Publisher:
Pegasus Crime
- Publication
date: May 6, 2025
- Language:
English
- Print
length: 336 pages
- ISBN-10:
163936885X
- ISBN-13:
978-1639368853
Amazon
Associate Purchase Link:
Aubrey
Nye Hamilton ©2026
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
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