Cold Sunset: A Gabriel Dax Novel

by William Boyd

“William Boyd once again brings to the spy novel his particular storytelling genius. The result is brilliant fun.”—Mick Herron

“One of my favorite authors—he never disappoints.”—Kate Atkinson

From the internationally bestselling author, the third literary thriller starring beloved reluctant spy Gabriel Dax draws readers deep into a shadow-drenched world where loyalty blurs, treachery abounds, and any misstep could be fatal.

It is 1964, and Cold War Moscow is smoldering with secrets. Travel writer-turned-spy Gabriel Dax has been tasked with delivering a mysterious Blanco drawing to Kit Caldwell, the triple-agent and celebrated “defector” now leading the well-heeled life of a Hero of the Soviet Union.

But Caldwell is convinced that the KGB suspects him of treachery. He wants Gabriel to do the impossible and smuggle him over the Russian border to Finland. When Gabriel is ordered to help by his enigmatic handler Faith Green, he is pulled into a web of shifting loyalties and dangerous escape plans. As tensions rise and trust fractures, he is forced to confront the fine line between devotion and deception . . .

Genres: Fiction, Espionage

272 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication November 3, 2026

About the author

Note: William^^Boyd

Of Scottish descent, Boyd was born in Accra, Ghana on 7th March, 1952 and spent much of his early life there and in Nigeria where his mother was a teacher and his father, a doctor. Boyd was in Nigeria during the Biafran War, the brutal secessionist conflict which ran from 1967 to 1970 and it had a profound effect on him.

At the age of nine years he attended Gordonstoun school, in Moray, Scotland and then Nice University (Diploma of French Studies) and Glasgow University (MA Hons in English and Philosophy), where he edited the Glasgow University Guardian. He then moved to Jesus College, Oxford in 1975 and completed a PhD thesis on Shelley. For a brief period he worked at the New Statesman magazine as a TV critic, then he returned to Oxford as an English lecturer teaching the contemporary novel at St Hilda's College (1980-83). It was while he was here that his first novel, A Good Man in Africa (1981), was published.

Boyd spent eight years in academia, during which time his first film, Good and Bad at Games, was made. When he was offered a college lecturership, which would mean spending more time teaching, he was forced to choose between teaching and writing.

Boyd was selected in 1983 as one of the 20 'Best of Young British Novelists' in a promotion run by Granta magazine and the Book Marketing Council. He also became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in the same year, and is also an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He has been presented with honorary doctorates in literature from the universities of St. Andrews, Stirling and Glasgow. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005.

Boyd has been with his wife Susan since they met as students at Glasgow University and all his books are dedicated to her. His wife is editor-at-large of Harper's Bazaar magazine, and they currently spend about thirty to forty days a year in the US. He and his wife have a house in Chelsea, West London but spend most of the year at their chateau in Bergerac in south west France, where Boyd produces award-winning wines.

Reviews

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

5* Cold Sunset - William Boyd. A superb end to the brilliant Gabriel Dax trilogy.

Cold war spy caper with Gabriel Dax, travel writer and part time accidental spy, who is now more spy and less travel writer. Instructed by his enigmatic handler Faith Green, Dax is sent to Moscow on a mission which seems suspicious from the outset and is a world of shifting sands and imminent tense danger.

This trilogy is an absolute delight. No wasted words and plots which swing from high tension to considered prose. Dax is the glue but there are other recurring characters and locations which made it a delight to be back in this world. I have listened to Boyd talking about Dax and a possible future reprisal - I sincerely hope that he gets many more outings.

I was excited to get this last volume and it is every bit as good as the preceding books with an ending that is perfect for the series.

Thanks to Penguin / Viking and Netgalley for an ARC.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable read by William Boyd in the Gabriel Dax series.

This time the novel is mainly set between UK, USSR and Finland, with old friends and foes all making appearances. The book is well written, with a good pace to the narrative, though having finished the book it is not clear if there will be another sequel.

A good read from a master story teller.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Venky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gabriel Dax, by day is a respectable travel writer. Gabriel Dax, by day is also an efficient and inconspicuous spy in the service of British intelligence. The Institute of Development Studies, by day is a prosaic façade housing within unobtrusive individuals engaged in the research of mundane topics. The Institute of Development Studies, by day is also a muted and oblivious euphemism for MI6, the United Kingdom’s Secret intelligence service. Faith Green, by day, is a highly ranked employee of the Institute of Development Studies. Faith Green, by night, is the handler of Gabriel Dax — and on some opportunistic nights, also his lover.

Gabriel Dax is roused out of his sublime abode that is Rose Cottage, set in a panoramic landscape of rural England, to embark on a journey across the Atlantic to establish a rendezvous with the poet F.T. Falkner. The ravage of a terminal illness finds Falkner at the doorstep of death. The dying man, however, brings to life an explosive revelation involving a former colleague at Bletchley Park, and currently a professor at Carlsen University, Indianapolis, Angus Fairford. Ordered by Faith Green to get to the bottom of things, Dax takes Fairford unawares by springing himself upon the Professor after an insipid lecture on Molière. What Dax learns, more than just stirs a hornet’s nest. There has been an insidious infiltration of the MI6, the nature of which is grave enough to rival the treachery of defectors such as the Cambridge Five.

Before he can realise, the unwitting dilettante is coopted, nay, dragged into an extremely dangerous operation, that involves amongst other things, an intricate process of exfiltration. Partly egged on by his ambivalent feelings for Faith. Partly by the sheer exhilaration spontaneous patriotism can incite, the full-time author and part-time spy is thrown into a roiling cauldron of deceit, desperation, and duplicity.

Boyd has always succeeded in maintaining a mesmerising and almost messianic hold over his readers. Never one to conflate plot with ponderousness, and enthusiasm with egregiousness, he is an absolute master in triggering taut nerves, unpredictable chills, and involuntary nail shortening using teeth as unsuspecting accomplices.

Dax is a helpless albeit inevitable blend of vulnerability and self-preservation. He is the Holden Caulfield who is relentlessly searching for his personal bildungsroman, without realising that the novice has long made the transition to a veteran. While he may not boast a finesse that is the prerogative of le Carré’s Smiley, or lay claims to the ferocity of Len Deighton’s Palmer, he sure can keep Ludlum’s Bourne honest.
Dax is by no stretch of imagination a paragon of virtue. But he is no philanderer either. Firmly in possession of principles to the extent necessary, he manages his excesses methodically and gives vent to his vices in gradation, all the while never forgetting the cardinal tenet of placing his feet firmly on the ground. License to thrill and kill purely on a need to perform basis. Terra Firma when not on unsavoury business.

Cold Sunset is impeccably and refreshingly ‘Boydian’. A wicked juxtaposition of humour and heightened tension, an ingenious blend of caution and carelessness, and an uncanny meeting of the predictable with the startling. In the simplest of terms, an imprimatur of vintage William Boyd. Beginning in the idyllic settings of a sparsely populated village in an English country, traipsing through bustling Indianapolis, making indelible pitstops in Moscow, Leningrad, and Oslo, before finally careening to a thundering stop at picturesque Ikarios in the Island of Corfu, Boyd weaves a tapestry of subterfuge, suspicion, and stellar spy craft.

Cold Sunset – leaves the reader craving for another riveting sunrise!

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Viking for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I LOVE this series, starting with Gabriel's Moon and then The Predicament.

The spy genre is not one I've ever really read much of, but this series has been a revelation. Whether it's because of Boyd's storytelling ability and his fabulous characters, I don't know, but the espionage part is almost background because it's such an exquisite study of human nature.

I love how he's planted this fictional story in real life, in true events, as it keeps the story grounded and makes it more real. I don't know much about this era so I can't say how accurate it is but it feels rooted in history. I find that really impressive, especially as it still sounds like a novel and not a travel guide.

The UK/USSR connection increased the peril. The USSR fell about 18 months before I was born so I don't have any lived experience of it. But there's always been this undercurrent of fear around them that there just isn't with other countries, and I think Boyd has got that just right.

What I did like about it is how much time he takes describing things, even the most mundane things, explaining every aspect of Gabriel's outfit or what he's eating. This might be too slow for some readers but I think it's okay. This series is a mixture of fast paced and slower bits which balances nicely, and I think those more intimate passages bring us closer to the characters. I will say this has more slower parts than longer and whilst I think he's managed that balance - just - it was much slower than the others.

What I like is it's not all espionage. We go through Gabriel's everyday routine, his relationships, and his work as a writer. He is one of those characters that I think you'll either love or be bored by. He's a bit haphazard, lovestruck, and yet relatable. He seems up for anything but I don't think any of it is his choice. But I really like him. He feels normal, like the everyman who got caught up in something bigger than him. He's flawed, he drinks more than he should, and he sleeps with whatever woman takes his fancy. He should be utterly unlikeable but it is this very human nature that I love so much.

You've got the old characters which adds a level of familiarity and continuity, but we also get new ones which keeps it fresh.

Some sequels can be read as standalones. This is not one of them. Each book might have a slightly different main storyline, but the undercurrent of the books and characters flow through all three and you will most definitely be at a disadvantage just reading this one.

It's not like James Bond, it's not full-on action from the first to last page. There are elements of that, but it's more of a genteel spy novel, but no less tense. But it has the bits you expect from an espionage story - action, death, violence, romance, globetrotting, money.

I'm not sure how long this series will go on for - or should go on for - but it's one of the best I've read and I always recommend it.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabriel’s Moon and its sequel, The Predicament, follow the career of reluctant spy, Gabriel Dax, a travel writer who has become useful to the British secret service. He’d unknowingly become involved in the movement of information thanks to his brother, and now, because of his infatuation with his handler, Faith Green, finds it difficult to extricate himself from the world of espionage.

In the third book, Cold Sunset, Gabriel can’t ignore the fact that he’s become a killer, with two deaths bugging his conscience, both self-defence, but still. Just as well he continues to see a therapist, who he’d originally contacted for help with a sleeping disorder. Now he unburdens himself quite openly about his spy work, which is troubling, and his relationship with Faith, which also raises red flags.

It’s 1964, and Boyd paints a very realistic and vivid picture of the time. There’s attention to all the details – the clothes and cars, the restaurant meals – that give you time and place without overwhelming us in period colour. We’re also very aware that we’re a couple of decades on from World War II, with social change in the air, that women can have careers, and that we are in the midst of the Cold War.

Gabriel’s trying to complete his new book, On the Beaten Track, with unusual angles to very familiar tourist attractions, a useful cover for a job for Faith in the United States. Nothing is ever quite as simple as she makes out, of course, and on his return he realises he’s in the sights of a man with a grudge – a hangover from what happened in The Predicament. The world of espionage is already encroaching, when Faith has a new assignment for him: to “exfiltrate” their double agent in Moscow.

So not long into the story, the pace is set for some nail-biting situations. Boyd also cleverly brings in characters from the previous books – Tyrone, his London friend who’s something of a fixer, or Varvara, his former Russian contact in London, a set-up designed to keep Gabriel onside with their counterparts in Moscow, and a nice little earner. It’s all meticulously plotted, as any spy novel should be. But it’s also a thoughtful examination of what life as a spy might be like – the lies Gabriel tells people, even his friends, the “kill or be killed” aspect that’s always hovering in the background.

And although Gabriel’s a flawed character – there’s his drinking and poor judgement with women just for staters – he’s also very much aware of how he’s caught in Faith Green’s web and what it’s doing to him. This gives the book an interesting psychological aspect, which along with the brilliantly crafted writing, makes the book a satisfying read.

I read Cold Sunset courtesy of Netgalley and Penguin Random House. Best read after the first two books in the trilogy, Cold Sunset is due for release on 3 September and is a four-star read from me.

[Mona Sami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of *Cold Sunset* before publication. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

*Cold Sunset* is a stylish and intelligent Cold War thriller filled with shifting loyalties, concealed motives and the constant possibility of betrayal. Gabriel Dax, a travel writer who has been reluctantly drawn into the world of espionage, is sent to Moscow to deliver a mysterious drawing to Kit Caldwell, a celebrated British defector now living as a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Caldwell is convinced that the KGB suspects him of treachery and asks Gabriel to help him escape across the Russian border into Finland. When Gabriel’s enigmatic handler, Faith Green, orders him to assist, what should have been a relatively simple assignment becomes an increasingly dangerous operation. Gabriel must navigate a world in which almost everyone is performing a role and loyalty can change according to circumstance.

Gabriel remains an engaging protagonist because he is not a conventional, highly trained spy. He is intelligent and observant, but he is also vulnerable, uncertain and frequently caught between people who understand the rules of espionage far better than he does. His reluctance makes the danger feel more believable, while his complicated relationship with Faith adds emotional tension to the mission.

The Moscow setting is one of the strongest aspects of the novel. William Boyd creates an atmosphere of surveillance, suspicion and restrained danger, where an apparently harmless conversation or minor mistake could have serious consequences. The period detail is vivid without overwhelming the story, and the escape planning gradually builds a strong sense of pressure.

The pacing is measured rather than relentlessly fast, with much of the suspense developing through conversations, observation and uncertainty about who can be trusted. Readers expecting continuous action may find the early sections slower, but the tension increases steadily as Gabriel becomes more deeply involved in Caldwell’s situation. Some of the shifting allegiances require close attention, although they also make the mystery more rewarding.

Overall, *Cold Sunset* is an absorbing and sophisticated espionage novel with an excellent Cold War atmosphere, a likeable reluctant spy and a carefully constructed story of loyalty and deception. It combines literary writing with genuine suspense and offers a compelling conclusion to Gabriel Dax’s latest assignment. Although the pacing is occasionally slow, the strong setting, intelligent plotting and moral uncertainty made this a highly enjoyable read.

[Martin Baggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Boyd has done it again. With Cold Sunset, the third installment in his Gabriel Dax series, he delivers a spy novel that feels less like genre fiction and more like literature.

It is 1964, and Cold War Moscow is doing what Cold War Moscow does best: simmering with paranoia, secrets, and the constant threat of exposure. Gabriel Dax, that most reluctant of spies — a travel writer who somehow keeps finding himself in the killing business — is tasked with delivering a mysterious Blanco drawing to Kit Caldwell, a celebrated triple-agent living large as a Hero of the Soviet Union. Caldwell, convinced the KGB is closing in, wants Gabriel to do the unthinkable: smuggle him across the Russian border to Finland. With his enigmatic handler Faith Green pushing him forward, Gabriel is once again pulled into a world where loyalty is a moving target and trust is a luxury no one can afford.

Readers who came to Boyd through le Carré will feel right at home here. Cold Sunset inhabits the same shadow-drenched moral universe as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy — all Cold War fog and psychological tension, with precious little in the way of gadgets or car chases. This is character-driven espionage at its most literary, and Boyd's storytelling genius is on full display. The prose is elegant, the atmosphere immersive, and the ethical murk that surrounds Gabriel genuinely uncomfortable in the best possible way.

As for Gabriel himself — three books in, he is now a three-time killer, which sits uneasily on a man who never asked for any of this. He is no James Bond. He does not sip martinis shaken not stirred; he drinks whatever he can lay hands on, and plenty of it. He shares his bed with three women in the course of this story, yet there is nothing glamorous about it. Boyd resists the seductions of the spy fantasy at every turn, keeping Gabriel grounded, flawed, and utterly human. That is precisely what makes him such compelling company.

My only caveat — and it is less a complaint than an observation — is that the ending is deliberately ambiguous, the kind of conclusion that leaves threads dangling rather than tying them off. It is both satisfying and maddening at once, clearly designed to presage, if not outright demand, a fourth and possibly final book to close things out properly. Consider yourself warned, and consider yourself hooked.

A big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#ColdSunset #NetGalley

[Martin Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best and final Gabriel Dax story.

"Cold Sunset" is the final part of the Gabriel Dax trilogy, featuring the reluctant spy of the same name. It opens in March 1964, and finds Dax in California, on another job for MI6's Faith Green, while also carrying out research for his latest book. His job is to meet with a reclusive author, an MI6 asset who has news of a Russian double-agent living in America. Dax follows up on this and ends up interviewing the agent, Angus Fairford, who admits to feeding vital information from Bletchley Park to the Russians during the war. Afterwards Dax rewards himself with a visit to Parker Baumgarten, with whom he worked on a previous job.

Returning home, Dax is debriefed, before getting down to work on his book, but it isn't long before Faith imposes on him again - the spy, Kit Caldwell, currently in Russia, wants to be brought home, and he only wants Gabriel Dax to do it. And so, with three or four story arcs already in motion, the reader and Gabriel are thrown into a fast-moving and complex story of betrayal, revenge, and conspiracy. His adventures in Russia are particularly well told, and the threads of the piece are nicely brought together. . Once again, real-life events are woven into the story, and there's an authentic 60's vibe to the prose - William Boyd is certainly a master of the set scene. As with the previous books, Gabriel's home life, his relationships, and his work are nicely balanced with the complicated double life he leads- how he manages to push out best selling travel books is a mystery.

Fans will be glad to know that old faces are back - Gabriel's gorgeous uncle, Aldous, Russian spy Varvara, and ex-girlfriend Lorraine and her brother Tyrone all have parts to play. Plus there's his analyst, Dr Haas, who really needs a fuller part. The final third of the book is also worth mentioning - Faith and Gabriel have the chance to live the life they might have had, if not for all the spying stuff, and while the ending might make the reader assume there's another book coming, as it is, it's a fitting close to their story.

This is by far the most satisfying book in the trilogy, with lots of action, plenty of cloak-and-dagger, and the usual satisfying storytelling that only William Boyd can fit into 250 pages.

Highly recommended.

[Denis Wheller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kim Philby, the third “Cambridge Spy” defected in 1963. A year later, Gabriel Dax is in LA meeting a contact who might identify the “Fourth Man”. Gabriel is a professional Travel writer and an occasional, reluctant, MI6 asset, i.e. he’s not an actual agent of MI6, but can do a bit of spying while travelling the world. Back in the UK, he is MI6’s link to Moscow based, deep penetration agent, Kit Caldwell, although the KGB believe that Kit is their spy and Gabriel is his source. At times he wonders how he got into this mess, while acknowledging that being in love with Faith Green the head of a covert MI6 unit may be the reason. It now looks like Kit’s role as a double agent is compromised, because there is a new spy on the block. Kit need to get out of the USSR before he is exposed and then killed. Gabriel, on the pretext of writing a chapter about Moscow, is sent to help him exfiltrate.
This is the third book in what was flagged as a Trilogy. It works perfectly well on its own, although understanding Gabriel will benefit from reading the earlier books. It is well-written and plotted, although I did feel that the plot mechanics were a bit obvious. As usual, it is immersed in the real world of the time, its culture and its politics – Philby’s defection rocked the SIS. This is the world of the later Bond Books and the early Smiley Books, and it feel at home with these, though it is more Smiley than Bond. The last fifty pages or so seem to be setting up a different dynamic and presage a sequel, so perhaps it isn’t just a Trilogy after all.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are now quickly on to Boyd's third spy thriller featuring Gabriel Dax. Looking back, our hero has moved on considerably since we were first introduced to him. He is still a moderately unwilling spy, but he has proved to be very good at the work - mostly because he acts quickly and professionally in stressful situations.
"The Institute" is steeped in the world of 1960s espionage: moles and defectors, the Cambridge spy ring, the elusive fourth (and perhaps fifth) man, and spies coming in from the cold. It is a world built on betrayal and double-dealing. Even Gabriel himself finds he has become embroiled in a sanctioned pretence of being a double agent, which at times seems almost like a joke.
As if that were not enough, he is still being pursued by a hitman in the wake of his previous mission. This finally forces him to go abroad and off-grid for several months, during which time he usefully occupies himself by writing about his recent travels for his new book, "On the Beaten Track".
It is obvious that he greatly enjoys his "real" job as a travel writer, which some might now justifiably call his "cover"! He clearly relishes both the travel and the writing, and it is almost ironic that his espionage work gives him the opportunity to visit places that would otherwise have remained beyond his reach.
The novel ends on an unsettling note. There is an air of mistrust, and a number of questions remain unanswered, not only for the reader but also for Gabriel himself, as he is no fool. Thus we leave him deep in thought about his future in general and, more personally, about his relationship with his beloved Faith Green.

[Megan Mckellar · Rating 4 out of 5]

📖Publication date: 3rd of September 2026
✍🏻Author: William Boyd
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gabriel Dax, who is now more spy and becoming less of a travel writer, is instructed to deliver a mysterious Blanco drawing to the celebrated defector - Kit Caldwell. But Caldwell now believes that the KGB suspects him of treachery and wants Gabriel to help smuggle him over the Russian border to Finland. When Gabriel is given orders to help by his mysterious handler Faith Green, he finds himself caught in a tangle of changing alliances and dangerous escape plans.

I don’t want to spoil too much of the story for other readers, so I’ll keep this review spoiler free. I really enjoyed William’s writing and the intriguing characters, and I loved the 1960s setting. I really liked Gabriel as a character, and his character development throughout the book was so well written. What I particularly liked was that he had both strengths and flaws, which made him feel incredibly human and believable. I found him to be such a compelling character. I was especially intrigued by the interactions between Gabriel and Faith and found myself wondering what would happen next.
I have to say, I absolutely loved the ending. It felt like such an iconic way to end a spy novel and left me wanting more. I really do hope we get more books in this series.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and found the story incredibly compelling. If you love the spy genre and enjoy a book full of suspense, then this is definitely the book for you.

Many thanks to Penguin for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Ridgerunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cold Sunset this is the third book featuring Gabriel Dax the reluctant spy. I really enjoyed the first two and this book is written in the same style which is good news.
Despite always bemoaning how his handler Faith Green keeps manipulating him into simple jobs that are nothing but , he is becoming more and more accomplished as a spy. The main thrust of this book is in helping to exfiltrate a double agent from Russia back to England and safety. Again his main job as a travel writer gives him some cover and excuse for being in foreign lands. Towards the end of the book Gabriel realises his life is in danger and escapes for a while. He seems quite content with his solitary basic existence for months and seems to have no wish to return to England. However his past catches up with him again and he is forced to leave so we never know if he could stayed there forever. Back in England there is still the question as to the identity of a new double agent although the writer seems to have hinted strongly as to who it could be but Gabriel does not consider this.
I am not sure if this is the final book in the series but I think that it would be a good time to end it. There was time when helping Kit Caldwell to escape when I wondered if I had read this before as it felt similar to an escapade in one of the earlier books.
But overall I really enjoyed the series with delightful writing an interesting plot and a very interesting Gabriel .
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Andrew Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the third adventure featuring reluctant Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) spy Gabriel Dax, we find him in Los Angeles. The year is 1964 and he’s been asked to make contact with a man who, obliquely, is offering information concerning events in World War II. During this American visit, Dax is doubling up by also taking the opportunity to gather material for a travel book he’s writing. As ever, he’s really uncomfortable undertaking these tasks on behalf of the UK agency, yet he’s so in thrall to his ‘master’ Faith Green that he ultimately finds himself doing what ever she commands him to do.

Boyd’s ability to create interesting characters within stories that have a link to real historical events, together with his brilliant descriptions of both time and place always make entering the world he depicts a complete joy. There are brilliant sentences here that made me smile, their complexity and yet their complete clarity demanding that I re-read them for the pure pleasure of so doing. There is drama here and subtle humour too, as Dax stumbles his way through his latest adventure – smoking and drinking hard liquor as he goes.

I won’t disclose anything of the plot – why spoil the joy for future readers – all I will say is that this short series really needs to be read in order as there are spoilers aplenty here.

I really hope there is more to come from Mr Dax, I simply enjoy his adventures and his company so much.

My thanks to Penguin for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Gabriel Dax, reluctant spy, series, set in the 1960s Britain, against the backdrop of the Cold War.

Gabriel is a travel-writer-turned spy, and in this instalment, he has been tasked with helping double-agent Kit Caldwell, escape his post in Russia and return to England. But, with traitors being uncovered within MI6 and confusing behaviour from his handler, Faith Green, Gabriel is soon questioning who he can trust.

I went into this not having read the first 2 books in the series, but it felt like it totally worked as a standalone story. I definitely would have liked to have read the earlier books for more of the characters’ back-stories though – particularly the romantic side of the relationship between Gabriel and his MI6 handler, Faith!

What really stood out about this book was the quality of the writing. It was so descriptive, and captured the atmosphere of mistrust and mystery, and the feel of the 60s era, so perfectly. The language was sophisticated and really transported me to the different settings – from California to Sussex, Moscow and Greece. It felt like an adventure!

Gabriel was a really unique character, and I really enjoyed how he worked his travel writing into his spy-based travels. And felt for him as he tried to pre-empt what his professional spy colleagues were planning and thinking, working out how to protect himself and know who he should and shouldn’t trust. I’m definitely intrigued to go back and read the earlier books!

[Bannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cold Sunset by William Boyd is the third novel about the spying activities of Gabriel Dax.
Dax is once again pressed back into service as a spy and taken away from his career as a respected travel writer to work for his “handler” Faith Green in MI6. He is unable to resist her call so reluctantly agrees.
Dax is tasked with extricating the double agent, Kit Caldwell from Russia. The first few chapters describe an easy assignment in California which Dax carries out satisfactorily and appears to be unrelated but Boyd very cleverly crafts the story and soon the exciting sequence of events begin to unfold. There is plenty of double crossing and treachery ahead. Who can he trust in MI6?
The Cold War is featured again, and the story is mainly set in the UK, Russia and Finland. Boyd accurately describes the era that the novel is set in- the sixties, with his close attention to detail and the use of the historical events that surround it. The sixties was the well known era of double agents Burgess, McLean, Philby and Blunt.
Old familiar figures return from previous novels. Gabriel’s eccentric but lovable Uncle Aldous, the Russian spy Varvara, his old girl friend Lorraine, her brother Tyrone as well as Dax’s analyst Dr Haas who he initially visited to help with a sleep disorder but now is in even more need of as he has killed two people albeit in self defence.
I enjoyed reading the previous two novels, Gabriel’s Moon and The Predicament and eagerly looked forward to the third, I was not disappointed.
Thanks to Penguin / Viking and Netgalley for an ARC.

[Teresa Cornelius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cold Sunset by William Boyd
The third instalment of the series about Gabriel Dax, travel writer and part time spy, is another superb offering by the superlative William Boyd. If you enjoyed the last two in the series you will love this novel. Set in 1964 during the Cold War Gabriel is tasked with interviewing a poet in America who has information in relation to someone who worked as a spy during the second World War. He duly carries out this duty and then returns to Britain and his countryside cottage only to discover that Dean Furlan might be hot on his heels and wanting revenge.
Faith Green then gives him another task, the exfiltration of a double agent. He sets off for Russia and then on to Norway. His insomnia is troubling him and his drinking is becoming excessive, but when Faith Green asks him to carry out a task he is unable to refuse. We learn about his innermost feelings through interactions with his psychoanalyst.
This is a wonderfully well written story which engages the reader form the outset. The book immerses you in the atmosphere of the 1960’s and it is a joy to accompany Gabriel on his adventures. Over the course of the series Gabriel has become more ruthless and I wonder where another outing will take him but I would love to join him on the journey. I will be recommending this novel at all of my book groups. Many thanks to William Boyd, the publishers and to Net Galley for the opportunity to read the novel in return for an honest review.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 1964, in a Europe still caught in the Cold War, reluctant English spy Gabriel Dax is tasked with a mission to Moscow. He has been asked to deliver a drawing to Kit Caldwell, a triple-agent and ‘defector’ leading a comparatively luxurious life as a Hero of the Soviet Union.
Once he arrives in Moscow, Dax learns that Caldwell wants to leave the USSR. Caldwell is convinced that the KGB suspects him of treachery and seeks Dax’s help to escape. Dax’s handler (and occasional lover) Faith Green asks Dax to assist Caldwell and what follows is a tense journey involving danger, death and double crosses.

Who can Dax trust?

This is the third novel in a series, and I need to read the first two novels to better understand Gabriel Dax. However, I don’t believe this detracted from my appreciation of the story. The pace is brisk; there are other issues complicating Dax’s life and he is not a conventionally trained spy. Dax is intelligent and observant, flawed and vulnerable. His romantic entanglements add to his vulnerability.

Mr Boyd’s description of Cold War Moscow creates a bleak grey atmosphere of danger and suspicion. The suspense builds as the story develops and while one turn was not entirely unexpected, it still took me by surprise.

Highly recommended.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General - UK for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Rob Twinem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to the publisher inviting me to early reading access in return for an honest review.
This is the 3rd book in the Gabriel Dax series (the previous 2 being Gabriel’s Moon 2024, The Predicament 2025) and what an absolute delight it is. Uncovering a rogue spy in America, our somewhat reluctant hero is recalled to the UK by his handler (and sometime lover) the ruthless and alluring Faith Green. His mission (if he chooses to accept🙂) is to travel to Soviet Eastern Europe, and arrange the extraction and repatriation of Kit Caldwell (readers of books 1&2 will recognise the name). For admirers of William Boyd, you can expect thrills galore, as naturally nothing goes to plan and a great race for survival takes place along the Norwegian/Russian border. The time is the mid 60s and a particularly embarrassing time for MI5/MI6 with the eventual discovery of double agents: Kim Philby, Donald McClean, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross (The Cambridge Five). Boyd as always creates a great feeling of time and place, and the mystery is deepened further by the possible disclosure of a rogue agent active within MI6. I particularly love the relationship (or not) between Faith and Gabriel, especially as our hero is clearly smitten, and the intentions of the lady are questionable at best.
Yet another brilliant book from one of my all time favourite authors, and highly highly recommended. It can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading the 3 books in order.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Cold Sunset’ has definitely been worth the wait. This is possibly the best of the Gabriel Dax trilogy. Gabriel realises that he is slowly becoming more of a spy than a travel writer even though the latter continues to be his profession. He recognises that ‘…something colder and harder [was] growing in him, a carapace forming. Were unsuspected transformations in his nature occurring after all the jeopardy and violence he’d gone through …?’ Boyd is clearly interested in exploring the psychological and emotional price that must be paid when one enters a world where nothing is as it may seem.

In this novel, Gabriel is sent first to the States to hear the confessions of an MI6 traitor and then to Russia to help extricate defector Kit Caldwell. As ever, his handler Faith Green is the puppeteer, expertly ensuring that Gabriel dances to her tune. However, Gabriel has also developed skills to be able to fend for himself when he becomes a target. As ever, William Boyd creates a convincingly murky world in which thinking several steps ahead is mandatory for survival. And what an ending – so apposite. This is a really well written and superbly paced spy novel. William Boyd promised us a trilogy; Gabriel Dax will be sorely missed if he really does disappear for good.

My thanks to NetGalley and Viking for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

[Matt Mansfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stranger in Paradise

Who you gonna trust in the spy versus double spy world of the early 1960’s Cold War?

William Boyd’s 2026 espionage thriller, “Cold Sunset”, brings back Gabrielle Dax, his British protagonist entangled in the intrigues of MI6 to counter and outwit infiltration efforts by the Soviets in the UK and Europe.

Modestly successful as a travel book writer, Dax has a plausible cover to allow him to travel internationally for investigating writing topics.

And as a double agent providing deliberately innocent or misleading government information to the Soviets in London and elsewhere as a means to determine if there are hidden agents, or termites, aka moles. Britain was still reeling from the betrayal of the Cambridge Five.

MI6 operative, Faith Green, continues as his handler and bewitching love interest. In addition, Gabrielle’s colleague and double agent, Kit Caldwell, returns now operating within the Kremlin but needing to get out. Exfiltrating him the Soviet Union across the Norwegian border is a high priority.

In a style reminiscent of John le Carre, the author weaves a dark, engaging tale of intrigue, betrayal and murder with a fine sense for detail and location not achieved by many others.

After a romantic idyll in Greece the ending has a surprisingly insidious twist promising another sequel in the life of Gabrielle Dax.

[LiA · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember that Gabriel Dax got on my nerves already in the last book I read featuring him. He is, I believe, in his late 20s. But he is anything but a mature adult. Apparently, he is a travel writer. And he has got lots of good ideas, I give him that. However, he also doubles as a spy. And he is kind of in love with an older woman, named Faith. But then, he also loves to have sex with his ex-darling Lorraine, and other women. Actually, he loves booze - he is drinking all the time, worse than Don Draper in Madmen -, he smokes Gitanes, and hundreds of those per day, and he has sex with every woman he needs, if possible, i.e. if they consent. As you can see from my long introduction, not much else is happening in this novel. Good guys, bad guys, spy guys, and girls, various locations and killers shit dead. I don’t understand Dax’s obsession with Faith, I don’t see the sense in including transcripts from his conversations with his psychoanalyst, and the whole style reminds me rather of a “Let’s write a little book” therapy, than of a real novel. I am not sure, whether Boyd really is a crime or spy novel writer. I liked his former works better. I received a pre-copy of this one thanks to NetGalley, and exchange for an honest review.

[Mergulum · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a weakness for spy novels which means that I can find something enjoyable even when they aren’t very good. So I did find something enjoyable in this one. It was the episode in the book covering the attempted exfiltration from Moscow of the hero, Gabriel Dax, accompanied by a double agent. But other than that I am struggling to say anything positive. I think the main problem is that the Dax character is so clearly reminiscent of James Bond with his womanising, drinking, smoking and consumption of fine food and yet he is simply nowhere near as interesting. All these women enthusiastically sleeping with him yet is he happy? Not in the least. Bond does practice some self analysis but with Dax it just comes across as whinging. And Fleming wrote about food and drink so beautifully. I remember reading a description of an Istanbul breakfast of figs, yoghurt, Turkish coffee and a carton of Chesterfields that had me absolutely salivating. But Mr Boyd’s depictions are just as perfunctory as a shopping list. This is apparently the third in a series so there is obviously an audience. But my suggestion is that rather than reading a poor-substitute Bond, go and find the real thing instead. You’ll thank me for it.

Penguin and NetGalley provided me with the review copy.

[Anne O'Connell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed returning to William Boyd's character Gabriel Dax, seen in his previous novels Gabriel's Moon and The Predicament. Gabriel makes trips all over the world as a travel writer, handy cover for his assignments for the British security services (for whom he also pretends to work for the KGB); a further complication is his infatuation with his handler. Now someone from a previous assignment is seeking revenge.
Post-Philby, MI6 is trying to work out if it harbours any more Russian termites (not moles - a later Le Carré invention I think). With double and even triple agents in play, it’s impossible to know where to put one's trust. Gabriel is caught between understanding the ruthlessness of spies and the desire to stay at arm’s length from the lies. As he asks himself at one point: Why would she lie? Why would she not lie? Quite.
This may be written by a man and have a male protagonist but it’s full of interesting and capable women. There’s tension throughout as Gabriel takes on various assignments but a proper rug-pull two-thirds of the way through fooled me. I recommend Cold Sunset if you want an easy and fast-paced read, full of espionage, travel and a 60s London where nearly everyone pickles their livers and clogs up their lungs.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book in the Gabriel Dax espionage series and it’s a joy to read. A well written spy book is difficult to find but William Boyd has become an expert in the genre.
It’s 1964 when the book opens and Gabriel, travel writer and part time spy, is in the USA , tracking down an old agent who has some important information to impart. Once this mission is completed, he returns to London where his handler, the mysteriously attractive but enigmatic, Faith Green, asks him to go to the Soviet Union to extract their MI6 double agent, Kit Caldwell.
There are thrills galore as well as murder and mayhem, Gabriel does not know whom to trust in the secret world, leading to a climax where Gabriel is fearful he may have to kill or be killed.
This is a fast moving novel with plenty of suspense - I raced through it in a couple of days. I really like Gabriel, William Boyd is very skilled at character development- as Gabriel becomes more confident in the secret world, he becomes more suspicious. Can he really trust anyone but himself?
I definitely recommend “Cold Sunset” as an excellent espionage thriller but I would suggest reading the first two books as they set the scene and introduce the main characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This enjoyable, engrossing spy novel has the intriguing storyline of travel writer/spy, Gabriel Dax, who has a talent for survival, on an assignment to Russia to play a major part in the exfiltration of a double agent. This is the first book I have read of the series of three, so I had not met Gabriel or the enigmatic Faith before and knew little of their history together, but luckily this story works well as a stand alone.

Boyd’s descriptive writing is pitch perfect as he paints the scenes in your mind and everything comes to life. As to place, I especially liked the episode on Corfu. Agents and double agents, I enjoyed the puzzle of trying to work out who, if anyone, was telling the truth and was who they claimed to be.

I thought the ending somewhat unsatisfactory, leaving a huge question unanswered - although I think the pointers were there. I am aware that this is the last of the series but it is almost as if the way has been left open for another outing for Gabriel!

Many thanks to William Boyd, Penguin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy it is much appreciated.

[vince weldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third Gabriel Dax novel by acclaimed British novelist William Boyd. The stories are set in a similar world to Le Carre's Smiley Circus, written from the perspective of Dax who acrobatically balances his "real" life as a travel writer with an evolving role as a secret agent, cum duplicitous Soviet double agent.


I find these an easier read than the older classic tales, whether that's because I read them in my youth when I knew little of what was before me or because Boyd's style is more to my liking is hard to tell, but the story telling here is certainly not burdened with the minutea of international spy craft procedure and technique...we learn as Dax learns and he's never going to be sinking deep into that detail - just enough to get the job done and I for one like that.


This tale takes us across the USA, through the mystery of mid-sixties Moscow and onto the Mediterranean delights of an as yet under developed island idyll...stopping off frequently at his established playgrounds of Southern England and the not quite swinging London.

It's a good read, ending on a note that implies more might be to come....for which I will be happy to receive

[Pgchuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

3.5* rounded up. This is the third in the series about hapless double agent and travel writer Gabriel Dax, and it refers back to the first two novels a fair amount. Once again Gabriel is sent on missions which allegedly require his travel writer cover. I enjoy these very much, but they are really 'cozy' spy novels. Gabriel leads a charmed life and here again emerges unscathed from perilous adventures.

I felt the descriptions of Gabriel's sex life took up more page space than was really merited (Lorraine appeared briefly in this book solely so that Gabriel could sleep with her) and his obsession with Faith, his boss, is very school-boyish. The shape of the narrative was odd - it seemed to me that it should have ended after the Norway section, but instead there was a lengthy chunk in Greece which wasn't terribly interesting initially. The ending was more unresolved than I like, but I look forward to the next instalment.

[Jill Westerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series gets better each time. This third in the Gabriel Dax novels sees Gabriel, newly returned from his adventures in Berlin (the subject of the second novel), tasked with helping a triple agent escape from Moscow where he apparently defected some years ago.

Our reluctant and slightly bumbling spy is becoming more and more accomplished. I very much enjoy the 1960s settings - the lack of technology makes it much easier to be a bumbler in the spying world, and the nods to Bond. Like Bond has many affairs, and his drinking and smoking are both prodigious. There is an island interlude which did remind me a little of Bond's memory gap sojourn in Japan.

Shooting and killing are becoming more pedestrian for Dax but his obsession with Faith Green continues unabated. I do hope to see more of Dax, the hints about the yet to be exposed double agent working in MI5 are worth completion.

Definitely a recommended read, it does stand alone but is better read as the third in the sequence. Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a review copy.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The books keep getting better and better!

This instalment in the Gabriel Dax series shows that, despite still earning his living as a travel writer, he is developing spying skills and survival instincts.

His lover and boss sends him to the United States to hear the confessions of an MI6 traitor, and then to Russia to assist in the extraction of a defector. Throughout this tale, the travel writing evokes a strong sense of each location he finds himself in.

Gabriel's experience helps develop his survival instincts when he himself becomes a target. Expertly paced and crafted to create a rich novel with a unique atmosphere, tension, and memorable events.
The ending left a loose thread, so I hope there will be another outing for Gabriel to see whether people are the honest patriots they claim to be.

I have read many of William Boyd's novels over the years, and they keep getting better. The Drax trilogy has been superb, and I hope another one comes along. Another 5-Star read.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Boyd's Gabriel Dax series has been one of my favourite recent discoveries, so I went into Cold Sunset with high expectations.

The espionage is as intelligent and understated, with Boyd once again favouring atmosphere, character, and moral ambiguity over explosive action. Gabriel's ongoing struggle with his identity continues to be the emotional core of the series, and his complicated relationship with Faith Green remains one of its most compelling threads. As loyalties shift and trust becomes increasingly fragile, the novel asks where duty ends and personal conviction begins.

The story kept me engaged throughout, but it didn't quite have the same impact as Gabriel's Moon or The Predicament. Even so, Boyd's storytelling is as polished as ever, and I was never in doubt that I wanted to keep turning the pages.

The ending left me genuinely unsure whether Boyd has closed the door on Gabriel Dax or quietly left it open for another adventure. I'll leave you to decide that for yourself when you reach the final page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.