After learning his mother was committed to a mental hospital, Daniel receives a call from her, claiming that his lying father is part of a crime conspiracy.

Tom Rob Smith-the author whose debut, Child 44, has been called "brilliant" (Chicago Tribune), "remarkable" (Newsweek) and "sensational" (Entertainment Weekly)-returns with an intense, suspenseful new novel: a story where the sins of the past threaten to destroy the present, where families must overcome unimaginable obstacles to save their loved ones, and where hope for a better tomorrow is found in the most unlikely of circumstances . . . The Secret...

Moskau, 1956. Den ehemaligen MGB-Offizier Leo Demidow holt die Vergangenheit ein. Eine seiner Adoptivtöchter wird gekidnappt. Die Bedingung für ihre Freilassung ist die Befreiung eines Priesters aus dem schlimmsten aller Lager: Kolyma. Leo hat ihn dort hingebracht, Leo soll ihn auch wieder herausholen - so lautet die Logik der Entführer. Auf offiziellem Weg ist das unmöglich - Leos einzige Chance ist, sich als Häftling getarnt in Kolyma einschleusen...

In 1953 Soviet Russia, secret police agent Leo Demidov loses status, power, and home when he refuses to denounce his own wife, Raisa, as a traitor. Exiled from Moscow to a grim provincial outpost, Leo and Raisa join forces with General Mikhail Nesterov to track down a serial killer who preys on young boys. Their quest for justice threatens a system-wide cover-up by Leo's psychopathic rival Vasili, who insists there is no crime in paradise.

Kathryn and Caden plan to take on Max - who is working on a strategy of his own.

Kathryn dedicates herself to Caden's recovery as Max looks to the future.

While Max is thrust into the public eye, Caden prepares to sacrifice himself.

As Caden spirals, Kathryn learns the dark secrets of Max's media empire.