Russian Roulette

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I had a great deal of help with the Russian sections of the book. Olga Smirnova reluctantly took me through some of her childhood memories and translated the chapter headings. Simon Johnson and Anne Cleminson introduced me to their friends and family, including Olga Cleminson, who cooked me a Russian lunch and helped create the village of Estrov. In Moscow, Konstantin Chernozatonsky showed me the buildings where Yassen might have lived and first drew my attention to the fortochniks. Sian Valvis took me round the city and told me of her experiences working for an oligarch. Ilia Tchelikidi also shared his school memories with me from his home in London. Finally, Alex Kteniadakis gave me the technical information for Yassen’s computer.

A great many of the details in this book are therefore based on fact but it’s fair to say that the overall picture may not be entirely accurate. So much changed between 1995 and 2000 – the approximate setting for the story – that I’ve been forced to use a certain amount of dramatic licence.

My assistant Olivia Zampi organized everything right up to the photocopying and binding. I owe a very special debt of thanks to my son Cassian, who was the first to read the manuscript and who made some enormously helpful criticisms, and to both Sarah Handley at Walker Books and Harry F at HMP Ashfield who both suggested the title. I am, as ever, grateful to Jane Winterbotham, my squeamish but incisive editor at Walker Books. Finally, my wife – Jill Green – lived through the writing of this without hiring a contract killer to have me eliminated. She must have been tempted.