The Poet's Game

A Spy in Moscow

Paul Vidich

A hall of mirrors with no exits, The Poet's Game is a sophisticated portrait of a spy working to uncover layers of deceit behind a Russian plot on the American president.

Alex Matthews thought he had left it all behind: his CIA career, the viper's den of bureaucracy at headquarters, the deceits of the cat-and-mouse game of double agents, and the sudden trips to Russia, which poisoned his marriage and made him an absentee husband and father, with tragic results.

But then the Director came asking for a favor. Something that only Alex could do because it involved the asset Byron—a Russian agent whom Alex had recruited. Byron had something of great interest to the CIA; the Director said it was a matter of grave national security that implicated the White House, and that Byron would hand over the kompromat once he was extricated from Russia.

But Alex is a different man than when he had run Moscow station: he has pieced his life back together after a tragic accident killed his wife and daughter—but the scars remain. He left the agency; started a financial firm that made him wealthy; and met a new woman, Anna, who works as an interpreter in the CIA. Anna is beautiful and supportive and helps him find love again after years of drowning in grief alongside his son. Throughout the last years, Alex has remained, in his mind, a patriot, and so he begrudgingly accepts the Director's request.

Something, though, doesn’t feel right about the whole operation from the start. The Russians seem one step ahead and the CIA suspects there is a traitor in the agency, passing along secrets to the Russians. Alex realizes that, by getting back into the game, he has risked everything he has worked for: his marriage, his family’s safety, and the trust of his closest colleagues—one of whom is betraying him. As the noose tightens around Alex, and the FSB closes in on Byron, the operation becomes a hall of mirrors with no exits. To find redemption, Alex must uncover Byron’s secrets or risk losing everything.

The Poet’s Game is a remarkably sophisticated and emotionally resonant portrait of a spy from a renowned master of the genre.

Paul Vidich is the acclaimed author of An Honorable Man and The Good Assassin, and his fiction and nonfiction have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, LitHub, CrimeReads, Fugue, The Nation, Narrative Magazine, Wordriot, and others. He lives in New York.

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Endorsements & Reviews

Praise for Beirut Station:

“Vidich has firmly established himself in the very top flight of espionage writers, with a series of slow-burn character studies putting him in the line of le Carré. In his latest novel, Beirut Station, he adds a shot of adrenaline into the mix, as his story follows a young Lebanese-American CIA agent involved in a joint operation with Mossad in Beirut, 2006. The interiority of Vidich’s characters is as complex as ever, but the meticulous operations work will keep you turning the pages and moving deeper into the chaos.” Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads

“With Beirut Station, Mr. Vidich has written his most emotionally involving and suspenseful book yet.” Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal

“This is an outstanding thriller that has its roots sunk deep in a conflict that has shaped modern history.” Shots Magazine

“[Vidich] writes with an easy elegance about the ethical dilemmas of espionage and their human cost. Beirut Station is one of his best.” Financial Times

“In assessing the ‘best’ of the year lists that have come out so far, we determined that one of the areas of fiction that gets short shrift in these lists is spy/espionage fiction, so we determined to use our decades of reading and reviewing experience in this area to come up with the following list. 2023 is a great year for the publication of excellent spy fiction. If you are a fan of this type of entertainment, you are in for some real treats. Enjoy. George, Jeff and Steele.” Deadly Pleasures' Best Espionage Fiction of 2023

"This well-plotted thriller deftly mixes spy craft with questions about identity and justice.” The Christian Science Monitor

"Vidich’s oeuvre already solidifies his place in the genre. Readers unfamiliar with his work will be dazzled by his vision.” Peter Handel, CrimeReads

"First and foremost it's a compelling story, one that gripped me from start to finish, but it also awakened in me a dormant interest in the complex politics of the Middle East.” Mystery and Suspense Magazine

"There is plenty of death to avenge in this tense, fast-moving novel.” Kirkus Reviews

“This taut, nuanced spy thriller centered on Lebanese American CIA agent Analise Assad further establishes Vidich as a new master of the genre. Vidich ably describes daily life in a war-torn setting and convincingly highlights the dangers Analise faces as a woman in her position. He brings the action to a satisfying conclusion. Fans of Eric Ambler, Graham Greene, and John le Carré will be eager for more.” Publishers Weekly