'Magisterial... based on access to a Who's Who of senior politicians, diplomats and intelligence sources.'
- Guardian
'An exhaustive profile'
- Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year
'Exceptional... unlikely to be matched as a study of the man... It is readable, judicious, critical but balanced and focused on Putin the person rather than on the Putin regime'
- The Irish Times
'[A] revealing and compellingly granular biography'
- Times Literary Supplement
'Anyone wanting to learn more about Putin's personality, ideas, power and the threat he has come to pose to world peace should read this outstanding biography'
- Ian Kershaw