Zhena

by Michael Pennington

Susan was content with her ordinary life. As ordinary as it can be when you're married to an officer in the submarine force. For the past twenty years she has wanted nothing more than to help her husband Bill succeed in his career and raise her children. Then one day the phone rang. After this mysterious call, nothing was the same. Suddenly, she is able to analyze situations and people more rapidly than she thought humanly possible. Anything or anyone that is out of place is immediately noted and its threat level determined. She has fighting and weapons skills, despite having never even held a gun. And most concerning and disconcerting is the strange voice in her head telling her what to do in any given situation, as though her life is one big mission - a mission she knows nothing about. And why do strangers keep speaking to her in a language she shouldn’t understand but does.
Now for the first time she is questioning everything she has ever believed about herself and her entire life. Looking for those answers opens the gate to unimaginable danger not only for herself but for what is most precious to her, her children. She will have to dig into something she never considered important before, her past. It will result in an incredible journey involving cold war spies, Russian intelligence, and old friends some of which she remembers, and others she doesn’t. As time works against her she must solve the mystery before her husband reaches port. All the while trying to protect her children and friends not to mention herself.

394 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2009

Reviews

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zhena is a thrilling page turner about a Navy wife, Susan who receives a strange phone call and suddenly her world is turned upside down. Suddenly she has martial arts experience, the ability to analyze every little detail of a given situation, and the capability to speak Russian. There is also a voice in her head gearing her towards the "Mission."

Michael Pennington is a talented author and proves it with Zhena. I was utterly engrossed from page one. I stayed up way too late trying to finish this book. I liked the main character, Susan. She is incredibly capable and intelligent without seeming to have super powers or the ability to suddenly overcome a situation no other human could. The book is fast paced with twists and turns. If you enjoy spy thrillers or suspense novels, I think you will enjoy this book.

My main criticism: the editing. It desperately needs an editor or proof-reader or someone to go through and make some corrections. If you can get past this, read the book.

I did feel that Susan's story ended a tad abruptly but all loose ends were tied up so I'm not upset by this. I thoroughly enjoyed the last chapter. I didn't fully see the ending coming - it was a subtle twist. I will definitely read more from this author when he writes another one. No doubt about that.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Killer plot. What if you learned that everything about your past is a lie created so that you could hide your mission until it was time to be activated? Susan is living that life. She is married to a submarine officer and has 2 children. She receives a phone call one evening that changes everything. She begins to recall a past that she previously didn't remember. She has abilities that she didn't have before. She speaks russian and knows her way around guns. Susan must find out what is going on before the people who have activated her can kill her and her friends and family.

The main character, Susan, is a strong woman I wouldn't want to cross. The ending is very exciting and has the best writing in the book.