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The Poet's Game

The first book in the Alex Matthews series

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The Poet's Game

By: Paul Vidich
Narrated by: Andy Ingalls
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Alex Matthews thought he had left it all behind. His CIA career, the viper's den of bureaucracy at headquarters and the lies and stress of the cat and mouse game of double agents. But then the Director came asking for a favour.

Alex is a different man from when he had run Moscow station, where he recruited a network of 'poet spies' including the one he names BYRON. He has pieced his life back together after a tragic boating accident killed his wife and daughter but the scars remain. But Alex remains, in his mind, a patriot, and so he begrudgingly accepts the Director's request.

Something, though, is off about the whole operation from the start. The Russians seem one step ahead and the CIA suspects there is a traitor in the agency. Alex realizes that by getting back into the game he has risked everything he has worked for: his new marriage, his family’s safety, his firm. As the noose tightens around Alex, and the FSB closes in, the operation becomes a hall of mirrors with no exits. To find redemption, Alex must uncover the secrets behind BYRON or lose everything.

The Poet's Game is a remarkably sophisticated, timely, and emotionally resonant portrait of a spy from a master of the genre.©2025 Paul Vidich (P)2025 W F Howes Ltd Espionage International Mystery & Crime Mystery Political Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense Russia Marriage Game
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A well crafted narrative with a decent amount of unpredictability. Vidich conveys well the idea that there are not simple goodies and baddies.
I usually avoid American narrators but found this one easy to listen to.

Stands up to comparison with the best espionage writers

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A proper twisty turny espionage novel. Viddich avoids all the usual cliches. The characters all have believable ambivalence. Beautifully read.

Intellectually Satisfying Espionage

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