The Marble Index, by Howard Thomas

In the shadows of 1975 Moscow and the hallowed halls of Cambridge University, secrets have a volatile life of their own. Alexei Kunayev, a bright student born into the KGB elite, hides a mind at odds with the Soviet regime. His father, a high-ranking Major-General, harbours a dangerous double life. Simultaneously, Dina Russakov navigates the perilous corridors of the KGB Central Index, seeking leverage to free her imprisoned father. The aims of the two main protagonists become irrevocably entwined.

When a mysterious file compiled decades earlier by British double agents surfaces, Alexei and Dina are thrust into a web of espionage, deception, and moral compromise. From covert operations in London to surveillance missions in Cambridge, alliances blur, loyalties fracture, and the line between friend and enemy vanishes.

In The Marble Index, Howard Thomas weaves a taut Cold War thriller of espionage, political intrigue, and personal courage. Against the backdrop of a world poised between oppression and freedom, the novel explores the sacrifices of conscience, the haunting costs of deception, and the fragile hope of love and redemption in the shadow of global espionage.