Eight stars
First and foremost, a large thank you to Blair Denholm for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
After devouring some of Blair Denholm's other work, I turned to this second gritty procedural inside Soviet-era Russia. On the eve of a major US-Soviet summit, a military attaché at the American Embassy is kidnapped and held for ransom. Whispers that she was seeking to defect have both sides desperate to get her back swiftly. When a ransom note appears, it asks for a massive sum in short order. Both sides scramble to secure the needed capital, though the Soviets are also trying to determine who is behind the kidnapping, so they might strike directly at the source. Denholm offers up a great story that ticks all the boxes in the waning years of the Cold War.
As a major Reagan-Gorbachev summit is set to take place in Moscow, something highly troublesome comes to light. While a US military attaché seeks to defect with a swath of highly confidential material, a former Moscow cop, Victor Voloshin is sent to bring her into Russian hands. During the transition, she is kidnapped and taken, her secrets along with her. Voloshin worries more when he discovers that it is a Russian gang that has her, ready to do whatever it takes to maximise profits.
Led by the enigmatic Roman Gromov, the gang is preparing toe sell the US secrets to the highest bidder in the Middle East, which could prove troubling for both Cold Wr superpowers. As Voloshin locates Gromov and the hostage, he must work swiftly to protect the asset and ensure that nothing is leaked or sold. Tensions mount and Voloshin will have to tap into his policing past to block any catastrophic event, even if it means putting his own life on the line. In a gripping and climatic end, Denholm paints a dire picture and keeps the reader guessing until the final reveal.
While I thoroughly enjoyed another of Denholm's series, this book was much more complex, even than the series debut, but also quite amusing. It left me feeling as though I were in the middle of the Cold War layers of politics and espionage in the waning years of the superpower clash. Anyone who has read Denholm's work ought to give this a try, as it will open your mind to so much. For those who have not heard of the author or tried any of his writing, this is the place to start. However, be prepared to read for long reading stretches and be fully committed.
Captain Viktor Voloshin returns in a strong way, though his presence is eclipsed by all the other moving parts of the novel. The story takes off with a strong narrative and does not diminish at any point. The reader can ride the wave of the story and see just this impactful strong storytelling can be, while the reader is committed. Things gain momentum and reach a virtual hum as characters grace the pages and flavour the larger storyline for all to enjoy. Denholm uses some of his typical abilities to keep the reader hooked.
The element of surprise is sometimes harder to depict in a piece of historical fiction. Denholm does well, mirroring issues of the day with some great procedural work. The reader finds themselves in the middle of the action and can never be sure what awaits them. This is a key element to the story's success and left me begging for more as I could not predict the direction in which the author sought to take things. It read well and kept me wondering, as I ponder how Balir Denholm will move things along from here.
Kudos, Mr. Denholm, for a great Cold War piece!
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