The Winter Warriors

When the Soviet Union invaded Finland in November 1939, they were not expecting the Finns to fight back - much less to prevail. Olivier Norek's riveting, heart-pounding, epic historical thriller is a story of barely imaginable courage, astonishing resilience, and the best sniper the world has ever seen. 'Timely, thrilling and deeply affecting ... the appeal of this tour de force owes a lot to its intensity, brilliance, and ferocity, but also to a deeply moving portrait of an accidental patriot' Independent 'Impeccably researched and beautifully written, The Winter Warriors is perfect for fans of Ben Macintyre and Robert Harris' Paula Hawkins 'A novel you will not put down. Maybe never' Richard Ford 'There are echoes of Vasily Grossman in this gripping, chillingly urgent story of the horrors and heroism of war' A.D. Miller 'A fascinating and gripping novel about a forgotten corner of the Second World War. Remarkable and revelatory' William Boyd *Over 450,000 copies sold in French* _____ November, 1939. A conscription officer arrives in the peaceful farming village of Rautjärvi. The Soviet Union has invaded, and for the first time in its history as an independent country, Finland is at war. Setting off into the depths of winter to face the Red Army, the small group of childhood friends recruited from Rautjärvi have no idea whether any of them will ever return home. But their unit has a secret weapon: the young sniper Simo Häyhä, whose lethal skill in the snow-bound forests of the front line will earn him the nickname 'The White Death'. Drawing on the real-life figures and battles of the Finnish-Soviet Winter War, The Winter Warriors is a riveting, heart-pounding, utterly epic historical thriller from one of Europe's most acclaimed crime writers. ____ 'A well-researched, heart-rending account of a tragic war' Sunday Times 'Horribly topical and wholly immersive, with descriptions vivid enough to make you shiver, this astonishing book is not only a testament to bravery and resilience, but a powerful indictment of the cruelty and needless suffering that result when ideology comes up against reality' Guardian 'Young men fighting for their country have rarely been so movingly portrayed. As the temperature falls and the body count rises, the echoes of this powerful historical page-turner can be seen in Ukraine today' Daily Express 'A sniper's life, a thriller of the highest quality, as timely as it is gripping, by a very fine writer' Philippe Sands 'Over and beyond the vivid visceral writing, character-driven narrative and a chillingly immersive atmosphere, The Winter Warriors is epic in scope. Both moving and thought-provoking, it is literary adrenaline which hooks you from page one' Book Blast 'Grim, funny, poignant, always vivid, this is the best military novel I have read for a long time' Historical Novel Society magazine 'The plot revolves around a small group of village lads who are conscripted together, one of whom, Simo, becomes the so-called White Death ... What makes it tick is the urgent, vital narrative as the Russians surge across the border and the Finns fight back with little more than grenades and rifles' Bookbrunch 'Brutal, violent and heart-rending ... a dark tale that powerfully advocates belief, camaraderie and endurance' European Literature Network 'Chilling and distressing ... a genuine, breath-holding knock-out' Le Parisien 'A masterpiece' Le Figaro  'A dazzling success' La Croix  'Exhaustively researched, subtle, sensitive, and set against the background of a war which resonates with the present day' France Info 'Norek depicts with great humanity and profound empathy the courage and resilience of the Finns, fighting for survival in extreme conditions' Actualitté 'At once epic and intimate' Radio Télévision Suisse Winner of the Prix Jean Giono, the Prix Renaudot des lycéens and the Prix Le Mans - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Finalist for the Prix Interallié  Shortlisted for the Prix Renaudot, the Prix André Malraux and the Prix "Les Visionnaires" Longlisted for the Prix Goncourt Olivier Norek's thriller Between Two Worlds was The Times & Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Year 2024

Olivier Norek was born in Toulouse in 1975. After eighteen years in the French police force, where he rose to the rank of capitaine in the Seine-Saint-Denis Police Judiciare, he turned to crime writing. Norek’s books have sold millions of copies and won many prizes. The Winter Warriors is his first historical novel.