A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2026

The explosive inside story of the most daring act of sabotage in modern history: the bombing of the $20 billion Nord Stream Pipeline. Written by the award-winning Chief European Political Correspondent of the Wall Street Journal

In September 2022, Scandinavian seismologists detected what seemed to be a huge undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption. These signals were caused by several devastating explosions that destroyed Nord Stream, the $20 billion pipeline carrying cheap Russian gas to Europe under the Baltic Sea. The mysterious blasts shifted global geopolitics, disrupted European economies and triggered a manhunt that strained relations within the NATO alliance.

Despite capturing the imagination of millions, the mystery of who blew up the pipeline has so far gone unsolved – was it the CIA? Was it part of the shadow war between Russia and the West? Could Putin himself have been behind it? Drawing on years of first-hand reporting and exclusive access to key players – including the saboteurs, the investigators and high-level intelligence – this deeply reported non-fiction thriller by an award-winning Wall Street Journal correspondent reveals the true story behind one of the most remarkable geopolitical mysteries of our time.

'Totally fascinating... As compelling as a spy thriller'
SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE

'A truly riveting account of the most notorious act of sabotage in modern history'
PETER FRANKOPAN

'Jaw-dropping... a pearl of a story'
RORY CARROLL

'All the elements of a fictional thriller... I can already see the blockbuster movie'
RORY CLEMENTS

© Bojan Pancevski 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026