THE EXPLOSIVE INSIDE STORY OF THE MOST DARING ACT OF SABOTAGE IN MODERN HISTORY

'Like London Falling… an absolute thriller' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL (The Rest is Politics)

'Incredible' RORY STEWART

'Totally fascinating... As compelling as a spy thriller' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE

'Truly riveting' PETER FRANKOPAN

'Jaw-dropping... a pearl of a story' RORY CARROLL

In September 2022, Scandinavian seismologists detected what seemed to be a huge undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption. These signals were caused by several devastating explosions that destroyed Nord Stream, the $20 billion pipeline carrying cheap Russian gas to Europe under the Baltic Sea. The mysterious blasts shifted global geopolitics, disrupted European economies and triggered a manhunt that strained relations within the NATO alliance.

Despite capturing the imagination of millions, the mystery of who blew up the pipeline has so far gone unsolved – was it the CIA? Was it part of the shadow war between Russia and the West? Could Putin himself have been behind it? Drawing on years of first-hand reporting and exclusive access to key players – including the saboteurs, the investigators and high-level intelligence – this deeply reported non-fiction thriller by an award-winning Wall Street Journal correspondent reveals the true story behind one of the most remarkable geopolitical mysteries of our time.

A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2026

"Totally fascinating and deeply researched... Both a fantastic read and an important work of investigation" - Simon Sebag Montefiore, Sunday Times bestselling author of The World

"Like London Falling… an absolute thriller" - Alastair Campbell, The Rest is Politics

"Pancevski has plucked from the Baltic depths a pearl of a story. In parts it reads like a Jason Bourne thriller except it’s all true – a shadow world brought into the light. The result is jaw-dropping" - Rory Carroll, Sunday Times bestselling author of Killing Thatcher

"Incredible... amazing... it's got everything" - Rory Stewart

"A truly riveting account of the most notorious act of sabotage in modern history. A real-life page turner" - Peter Frankopan, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Silk Roads

"All the elements of a fictional thriller – except it really happened. A heady mixture of Machiavellian geopolitics, storm-lashed seas, a rag-tag collection of flawed yet heroic characters and a glamorous diver called Freya. I can already see the blockbuster movie" - Rory Clements, Sunday Times bestselling author of Munich Wolf

"Here is a powerful detective story that finally and definitively answers the question who blew up Nord Stream. Not only is it brilliant journalism, but it reads like a bestselling thriller" - Admiral James Stavridis, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and bestselling author

"A classic... With a keen journalist’s eye for detail and a movie director’s sense of pacing, Pancevski tells one hell of a story. You won’t want to put this book down" - Fiona Hill, former intelligence official and Russia advisor to President Trump

"An absolutely extraordinary book… Combining the skills of a detective with those of a novelist, Pancevski has not only uncovered the truth about one of the most daring acts of sabotage in modern history but done so with the page-turning propulsion of a first-rate thriller. One of those rare books that informs even as it wholly entertains" - Scott Anderson, author of the New York Times bestseller King of Kings

"One of the most significant and riveting journalistic scoops of the twenty-first century. Through exclusive interviews, Pancevski reveals the definitive account of a daring mission brimming with secrets, saboteurs, and spies. This is investigative storytelling at its finest — relentlessly fast-paced, meticulously reported, and an absolute page-turner" - Richard Kerbaj, author of The Secret History of the Five Eyes