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.

‘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

‘A sniper’s life, a thriller of the highest quality, as timely as it is gripping, by a very fine writer’ Philippe Sands

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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.

Translated from French by Nick Castor.

Product Details:

Format: Hardback

Published: 11th Sep 2025 by Simon & Schuster UK.

ISBN: 9781916788763