On a summer morning in 1914, a teenage assassin named Gavrilo Princip fired not just the opening shots of the First World War but the starting gun for modern history, when he killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo.

A hundred years later, Tim Butcher undertakes an extraordinary journey to uncover the story of this unknown boy who changed our world forever. By retracing Princips journey from his highland birthplace, through the mythical valleys of Bosnia to the fortress city of Belgrade and ultimately Sarajevo, he illuminates our understanding both of Princip and the places that shaped him while uncovering details about Princip which have eluded historians for a century.

Tim Butcher is a best-selling author who blends travel with history. His first book,Blood River, was a number one bestseller, a Richard&Judy Book Club selection and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, while his next,Chasing the Devil, was longlisted for the George Orwell Prize. A journalist with theDaily Telegraphfrom 1990 to 2009, in 2010 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Northampton for services to writing. Born in Great Britain, he is based in Cape Town with his family.

A trek through the Balkans, an exploration of the life of an assassin (the teenager who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and so triggered the First World War), and a journey into the history of this complex and fascinating part of the world...