In Russia, in 1812, has France finally met its match?
On the eve of the invasion of Russia, half-French, half-English Matthieu Carrey finds himself in the ranks of Napoleon’s 500,000-strong army.
With Tsar Alexander seemingly ill-prepared, a French victory seems certain. The Grande Armée will obliterate everything in its path.
Carrey’s purpose is less clear. Blackmailed into becoming a spy in the emperor’s army, he hopes to follow his lover, a French actress who has gone to work in the Moscow theatre.
As supplies grow scarce and temperatures plummet, the Grande Armée begins to crumble. Caught up in the maelstrom of war, Carrey embarks on an epic journey, while the Russians circle like hungry wolves.
Hundreds of miles lie between Carrey and safety.
To reach it seems utterly impossible…
Napoleon’s Spy by Ben Kane is published on 25 May, 2023.
Ben talks to us about researching and writing a completely new historical era. He also has some advice for writers at the start of their careers.
