'In Bulgaria, in 1934, on a muddy street in the river town of Vidin, Khristo Stoianev saw his brother kicked to death by fascist militia." So begins Alan Furst's novel, Night Soldiers. It was the defining moment of Khristo's life and all the events of the next 11 years proceed from that moment.'

'His anger and resentment over the killing makes Khristo ripe picking for the communist Antipin, who secretes him to Moscow where he is trained as an agent of the Soviet intelligence services. Excelling in his craft, Khristo quickly becomes aware of the turnover of agents as Stalin’s purges become more and more random. For his first major assignment he is sent to Spain, which is in the grip of civil war, to support the communist cause. When he is tipped off that he is about to become a victim of Stalin’s latest cleansing, he escapes to Paris and adopts a new identity. However as the Second World War reaches France, the Communists use the chaos and disorder in the capital to settle old scores and Khristo has to embark on another journey to save his life.'