The Death of Trotsky

A breathtaking swoop into an extraordinary tale. The narrative takes us from Stalin’s dark obsession to a remorseless hunt spanning decades and continents and a final, fateful moment in Mexico City. This is lucid, kaleidoscopic history – RORY CARROLL, bestselling author of Killing ThatcherGripping … full of treachery, intrigue and betrayal. Josh Ireland reveals in shocking details how the long arm of the Russian state deals with its enemies, which still feels very timely today – DAMIEN LEWIS, author of Agent Josephine and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly WarfareElegant, unshowy and gripping in the manner of a dependable le Carré … Ireland, a bestselling ghostwriter and former editor, narrates the drama with a novelist’s eye and a historian’s restraint. He captures the claustrophobia of life with a target on one’s back – PRATINAV ANIL, author of Another India * THE TIMES *In this pacy, well-researched account, Josh Ireland sheds fascinating new light on one of history’s most notorious assassinations. The Death of Trotsky is as good as any thriller, proving that true stories, when well-told and with panache, are always the best – HELEN RAPPAPORT, author of The Race to Save the RomanovsJosh Ireland tells the grim story of Trotsky’s assassination with tremendous style and aplomb, weaving the many twists and turns of Trotsky’s exile and later targeting into a hugely compelling narrative. An elegant retelling of a most heinous act – ROGER MOORHOUSE, author of First to FightWith impeccable scholarship and impressive research, Ireland sheds new light on the incredible tale of The Death of Trotsky. It is epic, panoramic history crossed with the joys of a spy thriller and the tragic denouement is brilliantly brought to life in the dusty, claustrophobic streets of Coyoacán – EDWARD SHAWCROSS, author of The Last Emperor of MexicoMesmerising … A fascinating study of Trotsky … Equally a remarkable one about the paranoia and violent insanity that drove Stalin – ROBERT LYMAN, author of Victory to DefeatA riveting, propulsive read full of strange-but-true intrigue and laced with telling detail - this is narrative history at its very best – TOBY HARNDEN, author of First CasualtyA riveting account of how Stalin and his secret police successfully plotted to kill Leon Trotsky. Ireland takes us into the mind of the assassin and the flawed attitude of Trotsky himself, who allowed the murderer to infiltrate his home. Deeply researched and compellingly written, this book will stand as the definitive story of Trotsky’s shocking death in Mexico in August 1940 – JOSHUA RUBENSTEIN, author of The Last Days of StalinA supremely paranoid and vindictive man, Joseph Stalin went to any length to eliminate perceived enemies - no one more so than the urbane Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky. With engrossing detail and high drama, Josh Ireland skilfully unfolds the story of both the hunters and the prey, which ends in the assassination of Trotsky in 1940. It’s a tale that should resonate today, where a modern Russian dictator seems hell-bent on making sure that none of his political foes dies of old age – DOUGLAS WALLER, New York Times bestselling author of The Determined SpyBeautifully written … Ireland is a brilliant storyteller * SUNDAY INDEPENDENT *A thriller … A fresh timely look at Leon Trotsky … [with] narrative force and allure – STEPHEN KOTKIN, author of Stalin * WASHINGTON POST *A fast-paced and well-researched hybrid of history and spy thriller, it grips from start to finish – TLSAn incredible read about one of the most famous assassinations in history – Tim Bouverie, author of ALLIES AT WAR

Josh Ireland is a writer and editor. He lives in London and is the author of The Traitors (2017), an Observer book of the year, and Churchill & Son (2021), a Daily Telegraph book of the year. He has also ghosted a number of top-five Sunday Times bestsellers and written for the Daily Telegraph, Prospect, Spectator and the Times Literary Supplement.

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