"The Defection of A. J. Lewinter" is a masterpiece of irony and intrigue, an unconventional and gripping anatomy of a defection. A.J. Lewinter, an American scientist and insignificant cog in America's complex defence machinery, contacts the KGB and tantalises the Russians with US military secrets he claims to possess, declaring that he wants to defect. But is he genuine? Neither the Russians nor the Americans are sure, and Lewinter is swept up in a terrifying political chess match of deceit and treachery. Deft and dazzlingly plotted, this is the book that introduced Robert Littell - the opening shot of a brilliant career.