Vadim Kozhevnikov. Shield and Sword

This novel by renowned Soviet writer Vadim Kozhevnikov (1909–1984), winner of the USSR and RSFSR State Prizes, is a tribute to the deadly work of Soviet intelligence during World War II. The protagonist, Alexander Belov, is obliged to assume the guise of an enemy of his homeland and, risking his life at every turn, wage a difficult battle behind enemy lines. "The Shield and the Sword" is not only a thrilling spy story, full of political intrigue and endless tests of intelligence and willpower; it is a sweeping historical narrative, rich in dramatic conflicts, revealing to the reader the social and psychological roots of the most tragic confrontation of the twentieth century.
The events of the epic begin to unfold in the 1930s in the territories of the Baltic states, Poland and Germany, where agents of almost all European intelligence agencies operate and where the protagonist begins to transform from a romantic idealist into a cold-blooded professional.