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The Russian Trilogy #1-3

The Russian: Three Complete Novels

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A thrilling compilation of three complete novels in bestselling author Noel Hynd's Russian Trilogy.
Conspiracy in Kiev
Working with the U.S. Treasury, federal agent Alexandra LaDuca travels to Ukraine to track a Russian-Ukrainian mobster named Yuri Fedrov during a visit by the American president. Personally and professionally, Alex's life will be changed forever by the explosive events that transpire in the Ukrainian capital.
Midnight in Marid
U.S. Treasury agent Alexandra LaDuca returns from Conspiracy in Kiev to track down stolen artwork, a small carving called The Pieta of Malta. It seems to be a simple assignment, but nothing about this job is simple, as the mysteries and legends surrounding the relic become increasingly complex with claims of supernatural power.
Countdown in Cairo
Alexandra LaDuca is smart, tough, and cool under fire. But when she travels to Cairo to investigate a former mentor who was believed to be dead, Alex is caught in a bizarre game of double cross, and her life is more perilously on the line than ever.
You'll be holding your breath from the explosive beginning to the very last twist!

1430 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2011

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About the author

Noel Hynd

62 books219 followers
I've been a published novelist for longer than I care to admit, since 1976. I'm frequently asked, however, how I first got published. It's an interesting story and involved both Robert Ludlum and James Baldwin, even though neither of them knew it --- or me --- at the time.

My first agent, a wonderful thorughly perofessional gentleman named Robert Lantz was representing Mr. Baldwin at the time. This was around 1975. Balwin, while a brilliant writer, had had some nasty dealings with the head of Dell Publishing. Dell held Jimmy's contract at the time and he could not legally write for anyone else until he gave Dell a book that was due to them. Nonetheless, he refused to deliver a manuscript to Dell and went to Paris to sit things out.

The book was due to The Dial Press, which Dell owned. Baldwin was widely quoted as saying....and I'm cleaning up the quote here, "that he was no longer picking cotton on Dell's planatation."

The book was due to The Dial Press. The editor in chief of The Dial Press was a stellar editor who was making a name for himself and a fair bit of money for the company publishing thriller-author Robert Ludlum. A best seller every year will do that for an editor. Anyway, Baldwin fled New York for Paris. The editor followed, the asignment being to get him to come happily back to Dial. As soon as the editor arrived, Baldwin fled to Algeria. Or maybe Tunisia. It hardly mattered because Baldwin was furious and simply wouldn 't do a book for Dell/Dial. The editor returned to NY without his quarry. Things were at a standstill.

That's where I entered the story, unpublished at age 27 and knowing enough to keep my mouth shut while these things went down. I had given 124 pages of a first novel to Mr. Lantz ten days eariler. Miraculously, his reader liked it and then HE liked it. It was in the same genre that Ludlum wrote in and which the editor at Dial excelled at editing and marketing.

My agent and the editor ran into each other one afternoon in July of 1974 in one of those swank Manhattan places where people used to have three martinis for lunch. The agent asked how things had gone in Europe. The editor told him, knowing full well that the agent already knew. The next steps would be lawyers, Baldwin dragged into US Courts, major authors boycotting Doubleday/Dell, Dial, maybe some civil rights demonstrations and.......but no so fast.

Mr. Lantz offered Dial the first look at a new adventure/espionage novelist (me). IF Dial wanted me after reading my 124 pages, he could sign me, but only IF Baldwin was released from his obligations at Doubleday. I was the literary bribe, so to speak, that would get Jimmy free from Dial. It seemed like a great idea to everyone. It seemed that way because it was. Paperwork was prepapred and paperwork was signed. Voila!...To make a much longer story short, Dial accepted my novel. The editor instructed me on how to raise it to a professional level as I finished writing it over the next ten months. I followed orders perfectly. I even felt prosperous on my $7500 advance. He then had Dial release Mr. Balwin from his obligation. Not surpringly, he went on to create fine books for other publishers. Ludlum did even batter. Of the three, I'm the pauper but I've gotten my fair share and I'm alive with books coming out again now in the very near future, no small accmplishment. So no complaints from me.

That''s how I got published. I met Ludlum many times later on and Baldwin once. Ludlum liked my name "Noel" and used it for an then-upcoming charcter named Noel Holcroft. That amused me. I don't know if either of them even knew that my career had been in their orbits for a month 1975. They would have been amused. They were both smart gifted men and fine writers in dfferent ways. This story was told to me by one of the principals two years later and another one confirmed it.

Me, I came out of it with my first publishing contract, for a book titled 'Reve

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5 stars
92 (45%)
4 stars
66 (32%)
3 stars
30 (14%)
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9 (4%)
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4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
7,778 reviews50 followers
October 26, 2019
CONSPIRACY IN KEIV
Alex is unique, intrigue with languages, and then excels at learning them.
This mission will send her to the Ukulele, while the President is visiting. She is not sure her handlers are truthful with her. Why do they want her to get close to Yuri Federov . A lot of history to get thru, which some may or may not like. To me the story was an inside life of what Alex was facing, and learning about her assignment.She is tested in her faith, losing a loved one, and her life.
MIDNIGHT IN MADRID
While recovering on a beach from her many injuries that occurred from the last assignment. She was in no hurry to take another, when she gets the call. An art relic said to be holy is stolen from Madrid Museum, they want her to investigate. Not a simple task, when finding it has been linked to many deaths. Good intrigue and attempted terrorism, as well as the history of Madrid.
COUNTDOWN IN CARIO
9 reviews
October 18, 2013
This compilation of three books, featuring the same heroine, weaves a non-stop thriller through exotic countries that leaves you wanting more. Fortunately, Noel Hynd does give us a plateful of stories to read.
I particularly like his historical notes (I'm constantly highlighting on my Kindle)that give a fresh prospective to the character's actions while painting a complete historical picture using (HYNDsight!)
hindsight. You are involved in the present story but now understand what happened in the past. "Oh, now I get it!"
How does he write so many books with wonderful, characters and inventive stories?
Profile Image for Mercury.
40 reviews2 followers
July 15, 2012
Well written, but weak plot and lots of unnecessary details, characters and sub-plots to fill in the weak story line. This book is a collection of 3 of the author's works. I read The Russian and Midnight in Madrid. Both suffer from similar problems of a weak plot.
Won't be reading the third - Countdown in Cairo.
Profile Image for Jack.
10 reviews
February 3, 2014
Noel Hind wove three great tales, each a thriller in its own right. Now woven together in this trilogy. You will meet well developed characters in well described places, you'll visualize easily. The plots are placed in realistic situations, easy to get involved. Just make sure you've got a comfy chair, it's a long read and you won't like putting it down! Enjoy!
201 reviews7 followers
June 17, 2015
Very Disappointing

Too many improbable scenarios. A far less well thought out story than previous novels. I quit reading when the lead character decided to meet the bad guy! I will be skeptical of all other novels by this author. Truman's Spies was well written and believable. What happened on this book?
1,565 reviews2 followers
April 17, 2014
While I found the books long winded in some areas, they still held my interest. The characters are well developed, the history is accurate and the stories held my interest to the end. A very good trilogy.
Profile Image for Gayle Styles.
46 reviews2 followers
August 26, 2014
Loved it! Always have trouble putting Noël Hynd books down and this one is no different!
Profile Image for Dave.
1 review
April 10, 2014
Excellent three separate books in one great story.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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