“An intriguing Russian saga, full of politics, treachery, and a sharp stamp of authenticity. Richly evocative.”

“The Blumkin Project is a tale of espionage, revolution, assassination, revenge, and betrayal. It’s a saga, a fantasy, a historical document, a mystery, a love story, and a coming-of-age—all with the added benefit of being compelling, eye-opening, and even (possibly) true!”

“A brilliant multilayered construction, part memoir and part biography of legendary revolutionary Yakov Blumkin. This is both a page-turner and a beautifully written book—an enlightening and exciting must-read for anyone interested in the Russian Revolution or twentieth-century Europe.”

“For this man of many identities, each past episode consists of multiple versions…As an expert in the art of narrative, Christian Salmon understands what is most fascinating about this period of history: that the contemporaries of the revolution were, as the poet Mandelstam wrote, ‘cast out of their own biographies.’”

“An investigation that reads like a spy novel, but a true novel in which we encounter Mandelstam, Mayakovsky, and Victor Serge.”

“A genuine swashbuckling adventure story, Salmon’s book builds on episodes of spectacular, even extraordinary battles…Remarkable.”