Soviets, scientists, and CSIS all conspire to make this novel much more than just another post-Cold War thriller.

Anna’s Shadow by David Manicom (Véhicule Press) is the story of a bored diplomat assigned to debrief the beautiful, brilliant Russian scientist who seeks asylum inside his Moscow embassy. It sounds like just another post-Cold War thriller about the deterioration of the Evil Empire, but it’s actually a thoughtful and nuanced Canadian literary novel. Adrian Well, the hero, is a junior diplomat who knows more about wheat prices than particle physics or shifty spies. Anna Mika