In 'A Very Expensive Poison', journalist Luke Harding unveils the gripping true story behind the 2006 assassination of Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko in London. As he pieces together a chilling narrative of political intrigue and betrayal, readers are drawn into a web of espionage that stretches from the Kremlin to the streets of the UK. Harding sheds light on the deadly use of the rare radioactive polonium-210, which was used to carry out the murder, raising questions about state-sponsored terror. This compelling investigation reveals the dark undercurrents of Russian politics and the lengths to which powerful figures will go to silence dissent. A tale of danger, deception, and courage, this book leaves readers questioning the ramifications of power in our modern world.
By Luke Harding
Published: 2017
"In a world where truth is often shrouded in lies, the cost of silence can be far greater than the price of speaking out."
A true story of murder and conspiracy that points directly to Vladimir Putin, by The Guardian’s former Moscow bureau chief and author of The Snowden Files and Collusion On November 1, 2006, journalist and Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned in London. He died twenty-two days later. The cause of death? Polonium—a rare, lethal, and highly radioactive substance. Here Luke Harding unspools a real-life political assassination story—complete with KGB, CIA, MI6, and Russian mobsters. He shows how Litvinenko’s murder foreshadowed the killings of other Kremlin critics, from Washington, DC, to Moscow, and how these are tied to Russia’s current misadventures in Ukraine and Syria. In doing so, he becomes a target himself and unearths a chain of corruption and death leading straight to Vladimir Putin. F rom his investigations of the downing of flight MH17 to the Panama Papers, Harding sheds a terrifying light on Russia’s fracturing relationship with the West.
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“In a world where truth is often shrouded in lies, the cost of silence can be far greater than the price of speaking out.”
A Very Expensive Poison
By Luke Harding
Discover a world of knowledge through our extensive collection of book summaries.
Luke Harding is a renowned British journalist and author, well-known for his incisive reporting and analysis of international affairs, with a particular focus on Russia. He has written several notable works, including 'Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win', which investigates the links between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia, and 'A Very Expensive Poison: The Assassination of Alexander Litvinenko and Putin's War with the West', which explores the assassination of the Russian journalist in London. Harding's writing style is characterized by thorough research, compelling narratives, and an ability to distill complex subjects into engaging prose, making his work accessible to a broad audience.
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