Kossuth Square

'A first-class crime thriller' CHARLES CUMMINGS. THE TIMES BEST 100 BOOKS OF THE SUMMER. When Detective Balthazar Kovacs is called out before dawn to a brothel owned by his brother, he knows it can only be bad news. A customer has died in the brothel's VIP room. Worse still, he's an Arab financier, a guest of government, connected to a massive investment programme that could transform Hungary. It looks like a heart attack – but why has the brothel's CCTV footage been erased? Kovacs knows only too well the treacherous undercurrents that permeate life in Hungary's capital – the deadly intersection between the criminal underworld, the corridors of power and the ghosts of history. He knows that his investigation is more than likely to lead back to the seat of power, the Országház, in Kossuth Square... but he does not expect to be swept into his own family's dark past too.

An elegant, atmospheric tale that twists and surprises at every turn, Budapest is a versatile and exciting setting for Adam LeBor's superb thriller... As well as being a police procedural, the book deals with politics and organised crime in Hungary. LeBor lives in Budapest and it shows in the vivid detail', LeBor continues to captivate with his handsome Roma gypsy detective, Balthazar Kovacs... A gripping, well-observed tale that will enthral and tantalise from the first page to the last', All the twists and turns of a high-concept Hollywood thriller... But what makes Kossuth Square really stand out is the way LeBor intelligently grafts his novel's thriller elements on to Hungarian history and politics as well as current events, from the rise of populism to organised crime. Each facet has the ring of truth', Murder, political conspiracy, racism, corruption and feuds in this thriller set in Budapest

Adam LeBor lives in Budapest and writes for The Economist, Newsweek, New York Times, The Times and other publications. He is the author of a number of nonfiction books, including the Orwell Prize shortlisted Hitler's Secret Bankers. adamlebor.com @adamlebor facebook.com/adamleborauthor