Cold Sunset - (Gabriel Dax) by William Boyd (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"William Boyd once again brings to the spy novel his particular storytelling genius. The result is brilliant fun."--Mick Herron

"One of my favorite authors--he never disappoints."--Kate Atkinson

From the internationally bestselling author, the third literary thriller starring beloved reluctant spy Gabriel Dax draws readers deep into a shadow-drenched world where loyalty blurs, treachery abounds, and any misstep could be fatal

It is 1964, and Cold War Moscow is smoldering with secrets. Travel writer-turned-spy Gabriel Dax has been tasked with delivering a mysterious Blanco drawing to Kit Caldwell, the triple-agent and celebrated "defector" now leading the well-heeled life of a Hero of the Soviet Union.

But Caldwell is convinced that the KGB suspects him of treachery. He wants Gabriel to do the impossible and smuggle him over the Russian border to Finland. When Gabriel is ordered to help by his enigmatic handler Faith Green, he is pulled into a web of shifting loyalties and dangerous escape plans. As tensions rise and trust fractures, he is forced to confront the fine line between devotion and deception . . .

Review Quotes

Praise for The Predicament:

"My favourite reluctant spy, Gabriel Dax, has returned this year for the second instalment of William Boyd's brilliant spy trilogy. Boyd's addictive storytelling is at its very best as he navigates a collision of chance, ambition and human frailty while Dax tries to intercept a plot to assassinate John F. Kennedy. Shining a light on the intricate dance between fate and free will, The Predicament is a witty and insightful exploration of life's unpredictable twists."--Her Majesty Queen Camilla, The Spectator

"The second book in Boyd's delicious historical espionage series . . . Dax makes for an affable, Everyman operative, even when things get too serious."--New York Times, "Best Thrillers of 2025"

"A spy thriller with a conspiratorial edge . . . Travel writer Gabriel Dax becomes a secret spy, scouring the globe on British orders during the Cold War. He's looking for an escape from espionage, but when he starts to receive envelopes of cash from the KGB, can he resist? . . . The book presents a theory as to what actually happened when President Kennedy was assassinated."--Scott Simon, NPR "Book of the Day"

"You know you're in excellent hands with The Predicament, the second book in Boyd's delicious historical espionage series featuring Gabriel Dax, an English travel writer pulled into reluctant spydom in the early 1960s."--Sarah Lyall, New York Times Book Review

"Delicious . . . You know you're in excellent hands with The Predicament."--New York Times, "Six Books We Loved This Week"

"Mr. Boyd's depiction of the spy world is impressive in its details . . . Like the time Gabriel spends in Faith's company, The Predicament is 'full of sparks and kicks and swerves and percussions.' At one point Faith declares, 'nobody quits in this business, Gabriel.' With luck it won't be long before he is back for a third assignment."--Malcolm Forbes, Wall Street Journal

"This John Le Carré-esque Cold War thriller is something rare--a sequel that surpasses the original. Full of wry humor, this is a compelling novel full of intrigue, romance, and, once again, plenty of alcohol."--Booklist

"Beautifully crafted, with echoes of le Carré, Greene and Forsyth, this is a superb evocation of a vanished world, seen through the eyes of a relatably hapless accidental hero."--Guardian (UK)

Praise for Gabriel's Moon:

"Boyd builds layer upon layer of intrigue . . . A hugely enjoyable and satisfyingly intricate historical thriller . . . Gripping."--Washington Post

"Like John le Carré, with whom he has been compared, Mr. Boyd at his best creates characters that are complex, emotionally and psychologically--much like the dramas that ensnare them."--Wall Street Journal

"Stands shoulder to shoulder with the great spy novels of the last generation. But also, through artfully crafted reveals and unsettling moments of humanity, William Boyd adds to the genre, elevating it in such a way that Gabriel's life, outside of his missions for MI6 and the dangers associated there, feels real in a way that endears him to the reader."--San Francisco Chronicle

"Hugely enjoyable . . . Skillfully performs double duty: working as a satisfying standalone story and setting Gabriel up for further escapades . . . A vivid re-creation of the early 1960s, and one of the pleasures it offers is a feeling of agreeable time travel to fascinating corners of a vanished world. These are conveyed with a filmic vibrancy."--Marcel Theroux, Guardian (UK) "Book of the Day"

"Boyd is a pro: the pages turn easily and his imagination never lets us stop before dragging Gabriel to his next locus of drama and confusion."--John Self, The Times (UK)

"Boyd is brilliant at writing these great sweeping books where he takes fictional characters but ties them in with real people and events. He is at the top of his game: he really does combine, as in a way does Robert Harris and so did John le Carré, really fine writing with absolutely riveting storytelling."--Kathryn Bromwich, Guardian (UK)

"No scene is flat, no sentence is flabby . . . If you want to enjoy a gripping ride--and who doesn't?--you could do much worse than Gabriel's Moon."--George Monaghan, New Statesman

"A wonderfully intricate novel of espionage and elegant skullduggery, richly imagined, meticulously researched and unflaggingly readable."--John Banville

About the Author

William Boyd was born in 1952 in Accra, Ghana, and grew up there and in Nigeria. He is the author of sixteen highly acclaimed, bestselling novels and five collections of stories. Any Human Heart was longlisted for the Booker Prize and adapted into a TV series. His books have won many literary awards, including the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Fiction, and the Costa Book Award. He was named a Granta Best Young Novelist in 1983, and in 2005, he was awarded the CBE. Boyd is married and divides his time between London and southwest France.