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The Poet's Game

The first book in the Alex Matthews series
By Paul Vidich
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Brief Description
'Tense' and 'fast-moving' Kirkus on Beirut Station 'Confirms Vidich's status in the front rank of spy writers' Tim Shipman in The Sunday Times on Beirut Station 'We all have dreams and then we wake up.' Alex Matthews thought he had left it all behind. His CIA... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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The Poet's Game is a remarkably sophisticated, timely, and emotionally resonant portrait of a spy from a master of the genre.

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'Tense' and 'fast-moving' Kirkus on Beirut Station

'Confirms Vidich's status in the front rank of spy writers' Tim Shipman in The Sunday Times on Beirut Station

'We all have dreams and then we wake up.'

Alex Matthews thought he had left it all behind. His CIA career, the viper's den of bureaucracy at headquarters, and the lies and stress of the cat and mouse game of double agents. But then the Director came asking for a favour.

Alex is a different man from when he had run Moscow station, where he recruited a network of 'poet spies', including the one he names BYRON. He has pieced his life back together after a tragic boating accident killed his wife and daughter, but the scars remain. Yet, Alex remains, in his mind, a patriot, and so he begrudgingly accepts the Director's request.

Something, though, is off about the whole operation from the start. The Russians seem one step ahead and the CIA suspects there is a traitor in the agency. Alex realises that by getting back into the game, he has risked everything he has worked for: his new marriage, his family's safety, his firm. As the noose tightens around Alex, and the FSB closes in, the operation becomes a hall of mirrors with no exits. To find redemption, Alex must uncover the secrets behind BYRON or lose everything.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781915798831

Publisher: Bedford Square Publishers

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 June 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: No Exit Press

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 320

Collections

Crime & Thriller Education & Reference Fiction General Fiction History & Archaeology History & Military Literary Fiction Military History Paul Vidich Politics & Current Affairs Psychological Thriller Spy & Espionage Thriller

About the Author

Paul Vidich has had a distinguished career in music and media. Most recently, he served as Special Advisor to AOL and was Executive Vice President at the Warner Music Group. He serves on the Board of Directors of Poets & Writers and The New School for Social Research. Vidich is also an award-winning author of short fiction. His novels, An Honorable Man, The Good Assassin, The Coldest Warrior, The Mercenary, and Beirut Station, are available from No Exit Press.

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