Stalin's Soviet Union strives to be a paradise for its workers, providing for all of their needs. One of its fundamental pillars is that its citizens live free from the fear of ordinary crime and criminals. But in this society, millions do live in fear ... of the State. Death is a whisper away. The mere suspicion of ideological disloyalty -- owning a book from the decadent West, the wrong word at the wrong time --sends millions of innocents into the Gulags or to their executions. Defending the system from its citizens is the MGB, the State Security Force. And no MGB officer is more courageous, conscientious, or idealistic than Leo Demidov. A war hero with a beautiful wife, Leo lives in relative luxury in Moscow, even providing a decent apartment for his parents. When a murderer kills at will, Leo investigates and in return finds himself interrogated and exiled. Now Leo must uncover the truth about the murdered and the country where crime does not exist.

Originally published: New York, N.Y. : Grand Central Pub., 2008. Includes a Reading Group Guide. Includes excepts from: Agent 6.