Anthony Arguirov

A man must survive a prison where hardened criminals battle to the death for the warden's entertainment.

A former US Operative, who lived in Russia in his earlier years and had been married there with a child, comes out of retirement to face down a former enemy, now running as a candidate for President in modern Russia. Working with a Russian policewoman, they work to uncover a plot to use biological weapons against certain factions of the Russian people to commit genocide. The virus would also be released in other populations, but would be treated making the candidate a hero. A side plot has the agent being reunited with his long lost daughter.

A tale of man's inability to reconcile achieving the good with preserving the good. A glimpse into a world where love has been replaced by base human passions. A world of fear and wealth, of violence and lies, of physical strength and spiritual weakness. The young French teacher Nelly Kodeva and the venerable "businessman of the year" Kosta Keikenov cross paths by chance. Fighting in absentia for their personal right, the two unleash the spirit of evil in themselves and together destroy a human life.