A searing story of a young man's search for his own family truths set against the relentlessly cold, cruel and stark realities of early 1980s Soviet Russia. 'A disquietingly well-crafted thriller . . . ' - The Age. Enthralling, atmospheric and suspenseful, Stray Dog Winter is at once an unconventional Cold War thriller and an original, unforgettable love story set in 1980s Moscow. Darcy, a restless young artist, travels to the Soviet Union to visit his elusive half-sister Fin. Together only briefly during their youth, Darcy and Fin are estranged by the distance between them, yet inextricably bound by the secrets and betrayals of their childhood. Upon his arrival in the depths of a bleak Moscow winter, Darcy is immediately embroiled in Fin's mysterious life there and also drawn to Moscow's forbidden underground, finding himself swept up in political and sexual intrigues of a nature he could never have imagined. As the past resurfaces and the present closes in, the intricacies of their bond as brother and sister are revealed, and Darcy uncovers Fin's involvement in a dangerous game of her own. Their worlds threaten to collide with profound and deadly consequences. Written with a stark, haunting beauty, Stray Dog Winter is pure Soviet noir, a remarkable tale of love, passion, politics, identity, and espionage. 'Elegantly written and grippingly suspenseful, David Francis's Stray Dog Winter takes readers right into the heart of Graham Greene country.' - JANET FITCH, author of White Oleander and Paint it Black. 'David Francis has a surgeon's cold eye and a poet's heart; his prose is powerful, masterful.' - SAMANTHA DUNN, author of Failing Paris and Faith in Carlos Gomez. 'Permeated with a brooding unease, powerfully matched by the palpable cold of winter in Moscow . . . sinister, suspenseful and beautifully written.' - DEBRA ADELAIDE, author of The Household Guide to Dying. 'Francis is as adept at capturing the isolation of life in small-town Australia as he is in recreating the frightening world of Cold War Russia. . . Stray Dog Winter is a remarkable achievement on many levels (and) David Francis is a writer of considerable skill. In Stray Dog Winter he combines a literary style with a compelling narrative about love, passion and betrayal.' - Canberra Times