Archangel by Robert Harris

A British historian in post-Soviet Moscow is tipped off by a dying former security officer to the existence of Stalin’s secret notebook, sparking a dangerous quest that leads to the icy north. Pursued and manipulated by rival journalists, thugs, and political schemers, he follows a trail of clues that suggests a hidden heir and a plot to resurrect a brutal legacy. As intrigue tightens in the city of Archangel, the search becomes a race against time, exposing how the myths of the past can be weaponized to shape the future.