It's almost exactly 100 years since the shots that blew a hole in history.

Yet little is known about the personalities who triggered the First World War. Who really was Franz Ferdinand's teenage assassin? What brought the Habsburg Archduke and the Serbian fanatic together that fateful day, 28 June 1914? Was it all just an accident of politics, or was there more to it than that?

Exploring the individual narratives that led to the Sarajevo killing, this novel fills in the gaps about how the gunman and his victim met their destinies. The dramatized account is inspired by extensive research, shedding light on a tragic journey packed with egotism, bungling and deceit. It's a story that resonates with significance for the post-9/11 era, but it isn't just another academic study.