Description

LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026

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

‘Spectacular’ NEW YORK TIMES
‘Wonderful’ DAVID MCCLOSKEY
‘Gripping’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘Outstanding’ LITERARY REVIEW
‘An absolute thriller’ ALASTAIR CAMPBELL

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 NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE

A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2026

Publisher Review

A high-stakes international war story in blockbuster prose... A spectacular feat of investigative journalism * New York Times * Remarkable... Plenty of current-affairs books are trumpeted with the phrase "reads like a thriller". The Nord Stream Conspiracy genuinely does * Telegraph * 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 * Gripping... perhaps the most daring and consequential act of sabotage since the second world war... straight out of a Frederick Forsyth novel * Financial Times * Like London Falling... an absolute thriller * Alastair Campbell, The Rest is Politics * Jaw-dropping... the definitive account of the most impactful special operation in the history of warfare * Owen Matthews, Spectator * Outstanding... Pancevski's book [has] something of the feel of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly crossed with The Dirty Dozen - and, yes, it would make a great film... remarkable * Literary Review * 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 * Gripping... a chronicle of three feats: the sabotage, the police inquiry and the author's stupendous investigative reporting... Pancevski's sources and perseverance let him reconstruct the mission in technicolour * Economist * Wonderful * David McCloskey, The Rest is Classified *