What do you think?
Rate this book
The Roads Chosen
Inspired by the author’s own unnerving experiences during decades spent in the former Soviet Union.
The Roads Chosen is a breathtaking debut, exposing both the depravity within the Russian armed forces, along with the consequent and irreversible damage to families within the rural settlements; while portraying a unique culture in which hospitality and warmth are bedfellows with corruption and duplicity.
The body of a dockworker is found floating off the windswept shore of the Caspian: just another merciless killing, but one that sparks revenge. An anonymous tip-off lands on a desk in London, asserting money laundering, implying drug trafficking, smelling of terrorist funding: it begs a peek. A young wayfarer arrives in the energy capital of Kazakhstan, alleging an austere life spent walking the Silk Road. A chance encounter provides a few weeks work, but intrigue and deception ensue, weaving an inextricable web of deceit. Trapped by the far-reaching tentacles of organised crime, and possessing secrets that will shake the very walls of the Kremlin, is there any escape?
“There are tales, myth some might say, told of a ghost-like people able to spirit away the ill-fated.”
The Roads Chosen is a breathtaking debut, exposing both the depravity within the Russian armed forces, along with the consequent and irreversible damage to families within the rural settlements; while portraying a unique culture in which hospitality and warmth are bedfellows with corruption and duplicity.
The body of a dockworker is found floating off the windswept shore of the Caspian: just another merciless killing, but one that sparks revenge. An anonymous tip-off lands on a desk in London, asserting money laundering, implying drug trafficking, smelling of terrorist funding: it begs a peek. A young wayfarer arrives in the energy capital of Kazakhstan, alleging an austere life spent walking the Silk Road. A chance encounter provides a few weeks work, but intrigue and deception ensue, weaving an inextricable web of deceit. Trapped by the far-reaching tentacles of organised crime, and possessing secrets that will shake the very walls of the Kremlin, is there any escape?
“There are tales, myth some might say, told of a ghost-like people able to spirit away the ill-fated.”
394 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2020
4 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
Ben Carlyle
3 books126 followersBen was born in Britain to a mother commissioned into the Royal Navy and a father serving with the United States Armed Forces. Soon after, the family moved to San Diego; whence, as just a toddler, Ben became acquainted with the water.
Before his teens, the family moved back to Britain, where Ben received the offer of a place at boarding school. From university, Ben set his sights on the ancient trading routes of Asia. Nearly a decade later, Ben returned to the United States, settling down on a smallholding that prides itself on minimising its environmental impact and maintaining a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle.
Long winter nights gave pause for reflection and time to gather his thoughts. Ben’s experiences and the voices of the friends he made whilst vagabonding gave him the foundations upon which his books are based.
At the present time, Ben is working with a small team engaged in the transportation of household goods within the Black Sea basin and is rarely online; though messages left on his author page will, if not immediately, receive an answer.
Before his teens, the family moved back to Britain, where Ben received the offer of a place at boarding school. From university, Ben set his sights on the ancient trading routes of Asia. Nearly a decade later, Ben returned to the United States, settling down on a smallholding that prides itself on minimising its environmental impact and maintaining a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle.
Long winter nights gave pause for reflection and time to gather his thoughts. Ben’s experiences and the voices of the friends he made whilst vagabonding gave him the foundations upon which his books are based.
At the present time, Ben is working with a small team engaged in the transportation of household goods within the Black Sea basin and is rarely online; though messages left on his author page will, if not immediately, receive an answer.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
November 3, 2024
I’ve backed myself into a corner: I’ve been running around GR screaming. “He was just trying to do the right thing.”
Ten years ago, I was all gooey-eyed when it came to Jason Bourne. I was a teen! They, the mind-controllers, didn’t do a good enough job on him and a tiny bit of his brain continued its want to do the right thing and so he bailed on shooting Wombosi in front of his children, which is why my heart-throb got himself in the bad-books.
Marie, the love interest in the Jason Bourne story, declares, “Nobody does the right thing.” It wouldn’t have worked if she had said, “Nowadays, nobody does the right thing.” As far as I am concerned, that is what she meant and I’m inclined to agree with her.
Sam Mitchell, in this story, my current heart-throb (it won’t last) was just trying to do the right thing. His parents did a good enough job on him and he has a set of principles he lives by. That is why he bailed on running off with Rebecca when she put the idea to him and also why he ends up in the bad-books with organised crime. He’s a man (if you’re reading this and you’re a man, well, you can rant and rave all you want, but…) and they make decisions that they believe are rational and we, us girls, just shake our head in disbelief. They cannot be blamed, they’re men.
Sam cannot be blamed for the decisions he makes: he’s a man. He only survives because of a helping hand from a…
Why is he put on an airplane? A woman intercedes whilst the ‘man-plan’ is being concocted.
My heart goes out to the young this story, as far as I’m concerned, focuses on. Their most awful plight is something I had no idea of and I imagine the author must have become aware of it during his wanderings. That reality cannot be made light of, and I admire the author for highlighting its existence.
I’ve no idea where this sits: Realist Literature? It’s fiction. It’s the most realistic fiction I’ve read. All of what is happening in this novel is happening in the real world. The characters come across as real people with the foibles, egos, and traits of real people. The consequences of actions taken abide by the laws of nature: you try jumping off a train trundling along atop a three-metre levee, then leaping to your feet and racing off: one of the events within this story that sold me on its value. I have already admitted, the only two things Sam and Jason have in common is: ’They were just trying to do the right thing.’
Ten years ago, I was all gooey-eyed when it came to Jason Bourne. I was a teen! They, the mind-controllers, didn’t do a good enough job on him and a tiny bit of his brain continued its want to do the right thing and so he bailed on shooting Wombosi in front of his children, which is why my heart-throb got himself in the bad-books.
Marie, the love interest in the Jason Bourne story, declares, “Nobody does the right thing.” It wouldn’t have worked if she had said, “Nowadays, nobody does the right thing.” As far as I am concerned, that is what she meant and I’m inclined to agree with her.
Sam Mitchell, in this story, my current heart-throb (it won’t last) was just trying to do the right thing. His parents did a good enough job on him and he has a set of principles he lives by. That is why he bailed on running off with Rebecca when she put the idea to him and also why he ends up in the bad-books with organised crime. He’s a man (if you’re reading this and you’re a man, well, you can rant and rave all you want, but…) and they make decisions that they believe are rational and we, us girls, just shake our head in disbelief. They cannot be blamed, they’re men.
Sam cannot be blamed for the decisions he makes: he’s a man. He only survives because of a helping hand from a…
Why is he put on an airplane? A woman intercedes whilst the ‘man-plan’ is being concocted.
My heart goes out to the young this story, as far as I’m concerned, focuses on. Their most awful plight is something I had no idea of and I imagine the author must have become aware of it during his wanderings. That reality cannot be made light of, and I admire the author for highlighting its existence.
I’ve no idea where this sits: Realist Literature? It’s fiction. It’s the most realistic fiction I’ve read. All of what is happening in this novel is happening in the real world. The characters come across as real people with the foibles, egos, and traits of real people. The consequences of actions taken abide by the laws of nature: you try jumping off a train trundling along atop a three-metre levee, then leaping to your feet and racing off: one of the events within this story that sold me on its value. I have already admitted, the only two things Sam and Jason have in common is: ’They were just trying to do the right thing.’
April 17, 2025
A thought provoking, deeply emotional tale:
The chapters are headed: place/time/day/date. I’ve never seen that before and I thought it both sensible and helpful. We are taken from one country to another and the story is strung out over a seven-month period: there are things that happen on the same day, on the following day, and weeks later. It would be simply ridiculous to tell a tale as immense as this over a shorter period of time.
The book is ingenious in construction for many reasons. I doubt too many readers will figure it all out before they get to the final few chapters, which then leaves me in a position where I don’t want to say too much and give the game away.
Others have already said, the story is tied/hung off ongoing, true, grave social tragedies. That alone gives pause for thought and also allows the author (canny of him) the option of exploring the human and social consequences such injustices brought to those throughout the former Soviet block. What is true and has been accepted by the author, through experience or because he has the wit, is that across the world wherever a regime intent on terror has come to power, the majority will suffer in silence and endure, others will end their torment, but a few will work to alleviate suffering. Some of the few will put their own lives at risk, work in the shadows, behind the scenes, underground and do whatever they can to help. I cite, Nicholas Winton, as just one example. There are, I am certain, many others.
Laid over the top of these injustices is a tale that bounces off: drug trafficking, organised crime, British Intelligence (MI6 and MI5) and two young people who are thousands of miles apart. One is regretful of his past behaviour. The other sees herself as toxic: I’d judge her as close to suicidal.
There are red-herrings, banana skins and giveaways littered throughout, but figuring out the agenda of the scrawny, starving, vagabond is not easy.
If I found myself in Rebecca’s position, I think I would curl up inside of my shell; and the scrawny, starving, vagabond is not to blame, he is a dream and is totally lovable.
The chapters are headed: place/time/day/date. I’ve never seen that before and I thought it both sensible and helpful. We are taken from one country to another and the story is strung out over a seven-month period: there are things that happen on the same day, on the following day, and weeks later. It would be simply ridiculous to tell a tale as immense as this over a shorter period of time.
The book is ingenious in construction for many reasons. I doubt too many readers will figure it all out before they get to the final few chapters, which then leaves me in a position where I don’t want to say too much and give the game away.
Others have already said, the story is tied/hung off ongoing, true, grave social tragedies. That alone gives pause for thought and also allows the author (canny of him) the option of exploring the human and social consequences such injustices brought to those throughout the former Soviet block. What is true and has been accepted by the author, through experience or because he has the wit, is that across the world wherever a regime intent on terror has come to power, the majority will suffer in silence and endure, others will end their torment, but a few will work to alleviate suffering. Some of the few will put their own lives at risk, work in the shadows, behind the scenes, underground and do whatever they can to help. I cite, Nicholas Winton, as just one example. There are, I am certain, many others.
Laid over the top of these injustices is a tale that bounces off: drug trafficking, organised crime, British Intelligence (MI6 and MI5) and two young people who are thousands of miles apart. One is regretful of his past behaviour. The other sees herself as toxic: I’d judge her as close to suicidal.
There are red-herrings, banana skins and giveaways littered throughout, but figuring out the agenda of the scrawny, starving, vagabond is not easy.
If I found myself in Rebecca’s position, I think I would curl up inside of my shell; and the scrawny, starving, vagabond is not to blame, he is a dream and is totally lovable.
May 28, 2025
What a story! We're treated to a rich tapestry of life in present day Kazakhstan and Russia and the social issues the story bounces off along the way.
I became totally invested in what was going to happen to both the boy and the girl. I sympathised with the girl; more I was smitten with the boy. After every page, I became more and more convinced that the paths trod by the boy and the girl would cross at some point. He admits very early on that he wants to meet with her and say, "Sorry."
The girl is a mess: she has issues and needs help. The boy becomes tangled up with some very bad people and needs help. I knew exactly where this was going to end up, but... by then, I thought I knew what would happen with the spy and the secretary in London. And, by then, I thought I knew who the boy would phone at an opportune moment.
It's a great story.
I became totally invested in what was going to happen to both the boy and the girl. I sympathised with the girl; more I was smitten with the boy. After every page, I became more and more convinced that the paths trod by the boy and the girl would cross at some point. He admits very early on that he wants to meet with her and say, "Sorry."
The girl is a mess: she has issues and needs help. The boy becomes tangled up with some very bad people and needs help. I knew exactly where this was going to end up, but... by then, I thought I knew what would happen with the spy and the secretary in London. And, by then, I thought I knew who the boy would phone at an opportune moment.
It's a great story.
March 22, 2025
It's a good story: a great story, and focused on ordinary people going about their ordinary lives. I know little of countries in the former Soviet bloc, but do feel that this tale reeks of how life is. The preface is a list of facts that give notice of where the plot will go. Even so, it remained packed full of suspense as I followed the adventures of a traveller as he seeks work to put food in his belly, makes decisions. Some of which, in hindsight, might be seen as not that advisable and tries to extricate himself from the trouble he puts himself in.
The traveller has spent time amongst the masses and knows of 'the way of things'. His priority up until he decides to help has been plodding the trail and so he does, even in his knowing, remain somewhat wet behind the ears. His helping goes awry and with that he's left in desperate straits. It's then that he decides to 'phone a friend'. If you read this and you get to guess correctly who it is that he decides to phone, you must be a 'steely-eyed-mystery-man' ('person'). We're not allowed to be gender specific any longer (such a shame). It has such a better ring when you say, "Steely-Eyed-Mystery-Man".
The story provokes thought of what might be. It has a ring of truth about it. The writing has a ring of truth about it. The characters have a ring of truth about them. Nothing feels levered in. It left me with a want to learn more.
The traveller has spent time amongst the masses and knows of 'the way of things'. His priority up until he decides to help has been plodding the trail and so he does, even in his knowing, remain somewhat wet behind the ears. His helping goes awry and with that he's left in desperate straits. It's then that he decides to 'phone a friend'. If you read this and you get to guess correctly who it is that he decides to phone, you must be a 'steely-eyed-mystery-man' ('person'). We're not allowed to be gender specific any longer (such a shame). It has such a better ring when you say, "Steely-Eyed-Mystery-Man".
The story provokes thought of what might be. It has a ring of truth about it. The writing has a ring of truth about it. The characters have a ring of truth about them. Nothing feels levered in. It left me with a want to learn more.
August 18, 2024
The Roads Chosen (a trilogy):
An Outstanding Entry...
Whilst flicking through the myriads on offer, the word wayfarer caught my eye. After university, I spent a few years wayfaring. I soon found that a willingness to talk of where you have come from and what you have seen increases your chances of being accepted; whilst showing respect and working hard gains trust. Which is why I took to the tale so readily.
A young wayfarer arrives in a Kazakh oil-town: hungry, penniless and with nothing more than a tent for shelter. Life as an itinerant has given the boy a deep understanding of the concerns and the fears held by the proletariat: those who inhabit the rural pastures: those preyed upon. Once in the oil-town, his experiences show us a side to the boy’s character: he has an ethic, and it pays dividends. The character of the boy is the mainstay of the entire story.
A debut novel that is, I would say, raw, real, and refreshing. I’d go as far as to say it outshines anything in the current litany of spy novels. Which it is not. Having spent enough time reflecting on the author's agenda, my view is, it’s a glimpse behind the curtain marked: ‘The societal dilemmas faced by the unwashed in Post-Soviet Europe’.
What is more, the foreword provides a list of factual, geo-political events the author has used to lace his storyline with. This brief exposition of geo-political history provides a solid framework on which hangs a complex conspiracy thriller, linking organised crime with government corruption, counter-terrorism, heroin trafficked from Afghanistan and international money-laundering. Therein, the author highlights the grave iniquity suffered by young conscripts within the Russian military; and I would suggest the most shocking news of all. That is: “Between 1960 and 1995, over two-thirds of Russia’s small villages became uninhabited; of the known 34,000 that remained in the mid-1990s, more than half the population was older than sixty-five. As their aged inhabitants die, thousands more Russian villages are vanishing.”
I, as I am sure is true for many others, skipped over what can be said, 'is a random selection of news articles.' Before the story finishes, it becomes quite obvious the list was carefully chosen and put before us for good reason.
The story begins in Kazakhstan, then flits to the London offices of British Intelligence, from where I assumed the tale would rapidly become all muscular action with an inevitable and preposterous plot-line; truth be said, the tale deserves far-higher praise. It’s more in keeping with works by William Somerset-Maugham, Graham Greene, John Buchan, and I would go as far to say Erskine Childers, yet capturing an up-to-date tenor. On the first page of this story, a mother talks of the unfortunate news that her son having survived polio will be permanently lame. “Blessed,” his mother claimed in wonderment, and smiled in her kindly way. “Spared from the military.” A passing comment, maybe? I'd say, 'it is probably one of the most profound statements in the entire story; and a reference to the horrors a young conscript may face when dragged into the military; and a plot thread that runs throughout the book.'
We’re told the author spent decades in Eastern Europe/Central Asia. I wonder if Ben Carlyle has, like the authors mentioned, connections within government and the intelligence services; the plot smacks of insider knowledge and, I’d guess, is written by someone who has, ’come in from the cold’.
I’ll leave it there as I’ve no wish to spoil such an ingenious plot. There is a sequel and I intend reading it post-haste.
An Outstanding Entry...
Whilst flicking through the myriads on offer, the word wayfarer caught my eye. After university, I spent a few years wayfaring. I soon found that a willingness to talk of where you have come from and what you have seen increases your chances of being accepted; whilst showing respect and working hard gains trust. Which is why I took to the tale so readily.
A young wayfarer arrives in a Kazakh oil-town: hungry, penniless and with nothing more than a tent for shelter. Life as an itinerant has given the boy a deep understanding of the concerns and the fears held by the proletariat: those who inhabit the rural pastures: those preyed upon. Once in the oil-town, his experiences show us a side to the boy’s character: he has an ethic, and it pays dividends. The character of the boy is the mainstay of the entire story.
A debut novel that is, I would say, raw, real, and refreshing. I’d go as far as to say it outshines anything in the current litany of spy novels. Which it is not. Having spent enough time reflecting on the author's agenda, my view is, it’s a glimpse behind the curtain marked: ‘The societal dilemmas faced by the unwashed in Post-Soviet Europe’.
What is more, the foreword provides a list of factual, geo-political events the author has used to lace his storyline with. This brief exposition of geo-political history provides a solid framework on which hangs a complex conspiracy thriller, linking organised crime with government corruption, counter-terrorism, heroin trafficked from Afghanistan and international money-laundering. Therein, the author highlights the grave iniquity suffered by young conscripts within the Russian military; and I would suggest the most shocking news of all. That is: “Between 1960 and 1995, over two-thirds of Russia’s small villages became uninhabited; of the known 34,000 that remained in the mid-1990s, more than half the population was older than sixty-five. As their aged inhabitants die, thousands more Russian villages are vanishing.”
I, as I am sure is true for many others, skipped over what can be said, 'is a random selection of news articles.' Before the story finishes, it becomes quite obvious the list was carefully chosen and put before us for good reason.
The story begins in Kazakhstan, then flits to the London offices of British Intelligence, from where I assumed the tale would rapidly become all muscular action with an inevitable and preposterous plot-line; truth be said, the tale deserves far-higher praise. It’s more in keeping with works by William Somerset-Maugham, Graham Greene, John Buchan, and I would go as far to say Erskine Childers, yet capturing an up-to-date tenor. On the first page of this story, a mother talks of the unfortunate news that her son having survived polio will be permanently lame. “Blessed,” his mother claimed in wonderment, and smiled in her kindly way. “Spared from the military.” A passing comment, maybe? I'd say, 'it is probably one of the most profound statements in the entire story; and a reference to the horrors a young conscript may face when dragged into the military; and a plot thread that runs throughout the book.'
We’re told the author spent decades in Eastern Europe/Central Asia. I wonder if Ben Carlyle has, like the authors mentioned, connections within government and the intelligence services; the plot smacks of insider knowledge and, I’d guess, is written by someone who has, ’come in from the cold’.
I’ll leave it there as I’ve no wish to spoil such an ingenious plot. There is a sequel and I intend reading it post-haste.
October 31, 2024
Hmmm, I'm struggling to forgive him.
Although, I’m with Jenny on this: I’ve a sweet eye for the scrawny bag-of-bones. I’ve never had much time for the gym built, muscled hunk on the front of every other book cover. Ask any one of them to grab the two bags of logs from the boot of the car and all of a sudden they’ve a bad back. Yet, I’d ask you to take your foot off the throttle for a minute. When all is said and done, he’s a dolt. He’s a man: that allows him a little leeway. A little. No more.
If a girl had split from a boy and gone off to walk the Silk Road and still, years after, spent half her day thinking about him, she’d have made her move a good while back. And, before I go on, she can’t be blamed at all. Not one bit: look at the confines, the family dynamics, she has lived under since her school days. If you’re a boy and you’re reading this, don’t you dare try blaming the girl. It’s always the boy’s fault, and it’s always the boy that should take the blame, be it his fault or not. That’s what boys are for.
Six years down the line, he’s brought up short by the sight of a sunrise that reminds him of a morning with the girl. Six years on, he’s still besotted with her and he can’t think of phoning or nipping back home for the weekend! Come on girls, don’t you think we should question his thinking? Okay, I agree, he cares about people.
He won me back when he said, “And, if I had strayed into Afghanistan, Boris. If I had. How many decent people would have offered me shelter and shared food with me? I’ve thought about what’s happening in Afghanistan a thousand times. I’ve thought about what I’ve done a thousand times. How guilty will I feel each time I hear more news of more killing, Boris? The death of Afghan civilians. Good people. Honest people. That’s why I hacked those accounts, Boris. Because it will help put an end to what is happening there and help save lives.”
It’s a great story, a story you can really believe in. It’s tied to a whole handful of tragedies that are happening today. I think the scene setting and the descriptions of life for the ‘real-people’ in the former Soviet countries is marvellous. Arriving in Aytrau and finding his way to the hotel sent shivers down my spine more than once: the cold emptiness of the street with the piteous cries of seagulls and, the inquisition in the cafe, surrounded by an acrid smog of cigarettes. The scene at the laundry is brilliant: a blood splattered office and a dead cat on the floor. Then, the security guard at the hotel whacks him with a truncheon. I had to sympathise with the boy.
All very clever, because by then I was so caught up with what was about to happen, I couldn’t put it down.
Although, I’m with Jenny on this: I’ve a sweet eye for the scrawny bag-of-bones. I’ve never had much time for the gym built, muscled hunk on the front of every other book cover. Ask any one of them to grab the two bags of logs from the boot of the car and all of a sudden they’ve a bad back. Yet, I’d ask you to take your foot off the throttle for a minute. When all is said and done, he’s a dolt. He’s a man: that allows him a little leeway. A little. No more.
If a girl had split from a boy and gone off to walk the Silk Road and still, years after, spent half her day thinking about him, she’d have made her move a good while back. And, before I go on, she can’t be blamed at all. Not one bit: look at the confines, the family dynamics, she has lived under since her school days. If you’re a boy and you’re reading this, don’t you dare try blaming the girl. It’s always the boy’s fault, and it’s always the boy that should take the blame, be it his fault or not. That’s what boys are for.
Six years down the line, he’s brought up short by the sight of a sunrise that reminds him of a morning with the girl. Six years on, he’s still besotted with her and he can’t think of phoning or nipping back home for the weekend! Come on girls, don’t you think we should question his thinking? Okay, I agree, he cares about people.
He won me back when he said, “And, if I had strayed into Afghanistan, Boris. If I had. How many decent people would have offered me shelter and shared food with me? I’ve thought about what’s happening in Afghanistan a thousand times. I’ve thought about what I’ve done a thousand times. How guilty will I feel each time I hear more news of more killing, Boris? The death of Afghan civilians. Good people. Honest people. That’s why I hacked those accounts, Boris. Because it will help put an end to what is happening there and help save lives.”
It’s a great story, a story you can really believe in. It’s tied to a whole handful of tragedies that are happening today. I think the scene setting and the descriptions of life for the ‘real-people’ in the former Soviet countries is marvellous. Arriving in Aytrau and finding his way to the hotel sent shivers down my spine more than once: the cold emptiness of the street with the piteous cries of seagulls and, the inquisition in the cafe, surrounded by an acrid smog of cigarettes. The scene at the laundry is brilliant: a blood splattered office and a dead cat on the floor. Then, the security guard at the hotel whacks him with a truncheon. I had to sympathise with the boy.
All very clever, because by then I was so caught up with what was about to happen, I couldn’t put it down.
July 30, 2022
An underground network?
I’m impressed. The way in which the characters are developed and the scenes are set is captivating.
The core of this story is the abuse of Russian military conscripts. This vein runs throughout the entire book: it’s not shouted from the rooftops. Yet, it encompasses so much more.
This story takes you into a world of crime, politics, bravery, and an altruistic, underground network.
Halfway through this, I took a look on the Internet.
We will never know the true figures, but: somewhere between 2,000 and 6,000 military conscripts desert each year. Most are illiterate. The authorities search for them, year-in-year-out. I’ll agree: it’s a big country! If they’re dead – where are the bodies? If they’re not dead – where can they be? They’ve not gone home, because according to my research that is the first place the authorities go and they go year-in-year-out. Is there an underground network organising the removal of those in plight?
There is much, you have to dig for it, to back up the claims made here:
- Hazing, Suicides, and Unreported Deaths in the Russian Army
- Russia’s Armed Forces: The Power of Illusion
- Russia: Brutal Hazing Incident Rocks Army
- Dedovshchina in the Post-Soviet Military
This is not a Soviet Army problem; it did happen years back, but the plight of these young people continues. It’s an increasing and worsening situation.
In 2006, the Centre for the Study of Elites found that: ‘up to 78% of 1,016 leading political figures in Russia had previously served in organizations affiliated with KGB or FSB. Many are involved in the day to day running of business and regional government’.
This has complex plot-line, involves spies, mafia, government, drug trafficking and an itinerant who happens to be in the wrong town at the wrong time and foolishly decides he can expose money-laundering. This book took me into a little-known world, where I became absorbed with the idea of an underground network helping young conscripts.
What does the author know that we don’t? Is there an underground network operating in Russia? He’s spent years there, apparently.
I’m impressed. The way in which the characters are developed and the scenes are set is captivating.
The core of this story is the abuse of Russian military conscripts. This vein runs throughout the entire book: it’s not shouted from the rooftops. Yet, it encompasses so much more.
This story takes you into a world of crime, politics, bravery, and an altruistic, underground network.
Halfway through this, I took a look on the Internet.
We will never know the true figures, but: somewhere between 2,000 and 6,000 military conscripts desert each year. Most are illiterate. The authorities search for them, year-in-year-out. I’ll agree: it’s a big country! If they’re dead – where are the bodies? If they’re not dead – where can they be? They’ve not gone home, because according to my research that is the first place the authorities go and they go year-in-year-out. Is there an underground network organising the removal of those in plight?
There is much, you have to dig for it, to back up the claims made here:
- Hazing, Suicides, and Unreported Deaths in the Russian Army
- Russia’s Armed Forces: The Power of Illusion
- Russia: Brutal Hazing Incident Rocks Army
- Dedovshchina in the Post-Soviet Military
This is not a Soviet Army problem; it did happen years back, but the plight of these young people continues. It’s an increasing and worsening situation.
In 2006, the Centre for the Study of Elites found that: ‘up to 78% of 1,016 leading political figures in Russia had previously served in organizations affiliated with KGB or FSB. Many are involved in the day to day running of business and regional government’.
This has complex plot-line, involves spies, mafia, government, drug trafficking and an itinerant who happens to be in the wrong town at the wrong time and foolishly decides he can expose money-laundering. This book took me into a little-known world, where I became absorbed with the idea of an underground network helping young conscripts.
What does the author know that we don’t? Is there an underground network operating in Russia? He’s spent years there, apparently.
September 20, 2025
This is a gift from my friend, Beth: thank you, Beth.
I now have enough experience in books to award five stars, so like a few others that I've read and really enjoyed it can have five stars.
It took me to places I've not imagined exist, in today's world. I think if I could step back in time by 50 or 100 years I might find something similar to the scenes portrayed in this.
Early on, there is a cafe, where you use a metal saucer to drink tea. A grotty cafe, that stinks of bad food-hygiene and nicotine and full of people smoking: it's difficult for me to think that is possible, I've never seen a person smoke inside a hospitality establishment. There's a laundry, again, maybe a back-street laundry service 50 years ago would resemble this. The depiction in these places and a good few others is: basic, worn, battered, ill-kempt. Are things that far behind in Eastern Europe?
There are so many people, in different parts of the world, and you have to keep tabs on what they're up to.
The chapters are headed with: place, date, time. As you go from chapter to chapter, you don't really know, at any time, what's going to happen next; and I did want to know; it gnawed at me more and more as I read.
It is like 'The Riddle of the Sands': I had not one clue how that story was going to unfold. Lots of scary-stuff, for me, in 'The Riddle of the Sands' was when thinking he was going to tip the boat over and people would drown.
In this, a good portion of the scary-stuff is him getting caught or killing himself while trying to escape: getting away from the 'baddies' does not go well. I did think he was going to get caught.
He does, however, get away. I don't think I'm spoiling it when I say that. So, he's alone, hiding in the woods, battered and bruised from head to toe and decides to 'call a friend'. As soon as he made that decision, I was convinced of how the story would play out. I then felt all deflated, but a little further on, I thought, 'Silly me! In real life that wouldn't work.'
I accept the hero of the story has to be 'a nice person' so we the reader get to like him: he has to do good things for people, be honest and caring: he is.
Toward the end of the book, we get to understand why the hero made the decisions he did. He tries to justify his decisions with the man who rescued him. I don't know, is the writer stretching it?
That for me made the story. If a family had very little food available to them and still felt obliged to share what they had with me (a stranger), that I could never forget.
It's not a story about 'goodies' versus 'baddies' and at the end the 'goodies' win. It's about a man who tries to make good decisions, which tend not to be so good later down the line; and rather than give up, he admits to his mistakes and tries to do what he thinks is right.
And, he is vocal and sincere in his appreciation of what others do to help him: I like that. I like it because I am.
I now have enough experience in books to award five stars, so like a few others that I've read and really enjoyed it can have five stars.
It took me to places I've not imagined exist, in today's world. I think if I could step back in time by 50 or 100 years I might find something similar to the scenes portrayed in this.
Early on, there is a cafe, where you use a metal saucer to drink tea. A grotty cafe, that stinks of bad food-hygiene and nicotine and full of people smoking: it's difficult for me to think that is possible, I've never seen a person smoke inside a hospitality establishment. There's a laundry, again, maybe a back-street laundry service 50 years ago would resemble this. The depiction in these places and a good few others is: basic, worn, battered, ill-kempt. Are things that far behind in Eastern Europe?
There are so many people, in different parts of the world, and you have to keep tabs on what they're up to.
The chapters are headed with: place, date, time. As you go from chapter to chapter, you don't really know, at any time, what's going to happen next; and I did want to know; it gnawed at me more and more as I read.
It is like 'The Riddle of the Sands': I had not one clue how that story was going to unfold. Lots of scary-stuff, for me, in 'The Riddle of the Sands' was when thinking he was going to tip the boat over and people would drown.
In this, a good portion of the scary-stuff is him getting caught or killing himself while trying to escape: getting away from the 'baddies' does not go well. I did think he was going to get caught.
He does, however, get away. I don't think I'm spoiling it when I say that. So, he's alone, hiding in the woods, battered and bruised from head to toe and decides to 'call a friend'. As soon as he made that decision, I was convinced of how the story would play out. I then felt all deflated, but a little further on, I thought, 'Silly me! In real life that wouldn't work.'
I accept the hero of the story has to be 'a nice person' so we the reader get to like him: he has to do good things for people, be honest and caring: he is.
Toward the end of the book, we get to understand why the hero made the decisions he did. He tries to justify his decisions with the man who rescued him. I don't know, is the writer stretching it?
That for me made the story. If a family had very little food available to them and still felt obliged to share what they had with me (a stranger), that I could never forget.
It's not a story about 'goodies' versus 'baddies' and at the end the 'goodies' win. It's about a man who tries to make good decisions, which tend not to be so good later down the line; and rather than give up, he admits to his mistakes and tries to do what he thinks is right.
And, he is vocal and sincere in his appreciation of what others do to help him: I like that. I like it because I am.
October 15, 2024
MI6 receive an anonymous tip-off, sent from an internet cafe in an oil-town on the Kazakh coast. The information leads to a somewhat battle-scarred intelligence officer stretching the rules, using up favours and having an asset sent in to 'take a peek'.
The protagonist, a young man, arrives in said oil-town. Painting himself as an itinerant, adventuring in Asia, and through no fault of his own, is unwashed and wearing threadbare clothes. The state he is in, we must excuse him for as he has been hitch-hiking across a vast expanse of untrodden land. Nothing that a wash, a haircut and a change of clothes won’t sort. He's told a few fibs, but come on, wouldn’t you if you’d not eaten for three days and in the past weeks all you've had to keep the hunger at bay was a few leaves and some grass?
The lies he tells all bear out; the old days and how military conscripts were treated, especially once they’d served their time, is quite astonishing. Being born to parents of a Soviet state other than Russia did influence the support old-soldiers were given. The author brings our attention back to this enormity later in the story and shows how the treatment of non-Russian personnel leaving the military after the collapse remained the same. Also, the plight of young conscripts is alluded to on several occasions within the first fifty-pages. These are the necessary building blocks that give the story credibility.
The young man's time in the oil town lends to his presence being what I would call a mystery; the suspense builds by way of things going on in London and Moscow that he, it would seem, is not aware of. Those in social sciences have been known to point to the law of unanticipated consequences:
- a young lady in London lives under misconceptions, all of her own making, which several years later bring her into direct conflict with her father. The law of unanticipated consequences.
- the young man decides to act, more from a desire to help where he can, bringing consequences into play. Weeks later, he accepts his actions cannot help anyone; all that will happen is that people will die who would not otherwise do so. The law of unanticipated consequences.
It is an incredible and at times breathtaking and gripping tale that is beyond all else a profound and deeply disturbing story about the survival of ordinary people in a land where the authorities remain largely unaccountable...
“And so the family struggles on. Staying as one. Praying and waiting. Anger becomes hatred. Hatred becomes resilience. Resilience becomes determination. Determination becomes wisdom. The wisdom not to oppose, and with it the courage to work for the safety and well-being of others.”
A modern-day thriller with a soul.
The protagonist, a young man, arrives in said oil-town. Painting himself as an itinerant, adventuring in Asia, and through no fault of his own, is unwashed and wearing threadbare clothes. The state he is in, we must excuse him for as he has been hitch-hiking across a vast expanse of untrodden land. Nothing that a wash, a haircut and a change of clothes won’t sort. He's told a few fibs, but come on, wouldn’t you if you’d not eaten for three days and in the past weeks all you've had to keep the hunger at bay was a few leaves and some grass?
The lies he tells all bear out; the old days and how military conscripts were treated, especially once they’d served their time, is quite astonishing. Being born to parents of a Soviet state other than Russia did influence the support old-soldiers were given. The author brings our attention back to this enormity later in the story and shows how the treatment of non-Russian personnel leaving the military after the collapse remained the same. Also, the plight of young conscripts is alluded to on several occasions within the first fifty-pages. These are the necessary building blocks that give the story credibility.
The young man's time in the oil town lends to his presence being what I would call a mystery; the suspense builds by way of things going on in London and Moscow that he, it would seem, is not aware of. Those in social sciences have been known to point to the law of unanticipated consequences:
- a young lady in London lives under misconceptions, all of her own making, which several years later bring her into direct conflict with her father. The law of unanticipated consequences.
- the young man decides to act, more from a desire to help where he can, bringing consequences into play. Weeks later, he accepts his actions cannot help anyone; all that will happen is that people will die who would not otherwise do so. The law of unanticipated consequences.
It is an incredible and at times breathtaking and gripping tale that is beyond all else a profound and deeply disturbing story about the survival of ordinary people in a land where the authorities remain largely unaccountable...
“And so the family struggles on. Staying as one. Praying and waiting. Anger becomes hatred. Hatred becomes resilience. Resilience becomes determination. Determination becomes wisdom. The wisdom not to oppose, and with it the courage to work for the safety and well-being of others.”
A modern-day thriller with a soul.
December 14, 2024
I’m not jumping on the bandwagon: several of my GR friends have written glowing reviews and are active in discussion about the story and the main character; and I’m not trying to shirk the task of writing a review that compares.
I’ve not read a huge amount of thriller/adventure fiction (over the years I have read more than I’ve put on my shelf), therefore cannot claim to be a voice worth listening to, but.......
This story is real.
This story is profound.
This story is tragic.
This story is heartening.
This story is alarming.
This story has a soul (already said, I know, but I can’t think of a better way of putting it).
This story is believable.
This story is real.
This story is held together by themes: organised crime, spying, drug-trafficking, romance, corruption within the Russian Federation. But, the themes overly the wretchedness faced by the populace.
I’m easily moved and I cry when watching movies (Love Story, Ghost, Atonement, et al.): those movies are make believe. I cried when reading this story: this is not make believe. It’s happening. You know when you’re reading, it’s happening.
The people that are trying to help the unfortunate are real. I know they are real. I believe they are real. I don’t want to believe. I believe. The book tells you these people exist. Do the maths. I have.
At times, I had tears in my eyes, sand in my mouth, and a lump in my throat.
Sam is wonderful: all the girls think so.
Boris is a Goliath.
I’ve not read a huge amount of thriller/adventure fiction (over the years I have read more than I’ve put on my shelf), therefore cannot claim to be a voice worth listening to, but.......
This story is real.
This story is profound.
This story is tragic.
This story is heartening.
This story is alarming.
This story has a soul (already said, I know, but I can’t think of a better way of putting it).
This story is believable.
This story is real.
This story is held together by themes: organised crime, spying, drug-trafficking, romance, corruption within the Russian Federation. But, the themes overly the wretchedness faced by the populace.
I’m easily moved and I cry when watching movies (Love Story, Ghost, Atonement, et al.): those movies are make believe. I cried when reading this story: this is not make believe. It’s happening. You know when you’re reading, it’s happening.
The people that are trying to help the unfortunate are real. I know they are real. I believe they are real. I don’t want to believe. I believe. The book tells you these people exist. Do the maths. I have.
At times, I had tears in my eyes, sand in my mouth, and a lump in my throat.
Sam is wonderful: all the girls think so.
Boris is a Goliath.
November 16, 2025
It’s a cunning plot, readers [Sir]. Not only is it a deviously cunning one it is deviously subtle in its cunningness. [Blackadder Goes Forth]
The author’s insistence on ensuring his story remains grounded and credible is commendable, and although some events are reliant upon coincidence, the plot is devoid of ‘piano’ moments.
From the outset, plot threads are woven into a journey undertaken by a young Cambridge graduate. These threads are, we’re told, factual, and the author has made it possible for the reader to verify such.
Both the grounding of the plot and these strong threads keep the story afloat and although ‘artistic licence’ is used along the way, I am given to quoting the American poet, James Whitcomb Riley: “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it is most probably a duck.”
I recommend this book to those who are keen on realistic, soundly plotted crime/spy fiction.
The author’s insistence on ensuring his story remains grounded and credible is commendable, and although some events are reliant upon coincidence, the plot is devoid of ‘piano’ moments.
From the outset, plot threads are woven into a journey undertaken by a young Cambridge graduate. These threads are, we’re told, factual, and the author has made it possible for the reader to verify such.
Both the grounding of the plot and these strong threads keep the story afloat and although ‘artistic licence’ is used along the way, I am given to quoting the American poet, James Whitcomb Riley: “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it is most probably a duck.”
I recommend this book to those who are keen on realistic, soundly plotted crime/spy fiction.
January 3, 2025
Mandy said:
"Want Goose Bumps? Read It!"
"Want Goose Bumps? Read It!"
November 15, 2025
First, I wish I had read this back when I
purchased it~to say it is compelling is
a bit weak. It’s life altering, provocative
& powerful.
A must read from an Author from whom
I look forward to reading again.
I thank Goodreads for the buzz
that fueled my interest & curiosity
for this 2 February 2024.
purchased it~to say it is compelling is
a bit weak. It’s life altering, provocative
& powerful.
A must read from an Author from whom
I look forward to reading again.
I thank Goodreads for the buzz
that fueled my interest & curiosity
for this 2 February 2024.
November 14, 2024
On the very first page it says: 'This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents etc, etc,etc.' And the book blurb on Amazon says: 'the author spent a decade in that part of the world.'
It smacks of being true: throughout my reading I suffered from a serious case of 'squeaky-bum-time' and at no point did I think the story was outlandish.
It smacks of being true: throughout my reading I suffered from a serious case of 'squeaky-bum-time' and at no point did I think the story was outlandish.
October 15, 2024
I had to stay up late to write this. I like my sleep.
There’s so much that could be said about the scruffy, interloper but, it would give away what I want other readers to find, trip on, fall over, stumble upon, themselves.
There's an occurrence in Kazakhstan that leads to some spooks in London putting a devious plan in place: it's a trap, don't get caught in it. I'm happy to announce that; you'll have to figure out what type of trap for yourself.
After the spooks decide on what to do, the scrawny, scruffy, vagabond, shows up in the same place of the aforementioned occurrence.
For me, just now, both the scruff and the author are walking a tightrope; in the gambit the scruff is at, and the author in convincing the reader to keep after his protagonist. There is quite a way to go before the scruff gets to the end of his journey.
He tells lies and admits to the telling: not very nice, how can I like him?
He hasn't eaten for days, hasn't slept much, he has nothing but a tent for shelter, it's about to pour down, he's penniless, yet he goes out of his way, risking his lies will be found out because he's worried for the safety and wellbeing of a bunch of children: that's nice, can't but like him.
I like people that remain mindful of others, it's a good way to be; that's when the swooning began, so I stuck with the scruff.
He gets a job: not plain sailing but luck is with him. The more I watched the scruff in his attempts to help others, the more I liked him. Then, he treads where he shouldn't, again from being mindful of others. It all goes pear-shaped.
He survives: I knew he would. It's how every story ends (not dead in a ditch in Mogadishu: I've seen the film) but, it is one heck of a catch-me-if-you-can.
———
The cordial tone in Sam’s voice faded as his disposition hardened. “And, if I had strayed into Afghanistan, Boris. If I had. How many decent people would have offered me shelter and shared food with me?”
Boris replied with a nod, his face conveying acceptance.
“I’ve thought about what’s happening in Afghanistan a thousand times. I’ve thought about what I’ve done a thousand times. How guilty will I feel each time I hear more news of more killing, Boris? The death of Afghan civilians. Good people. Honest people. That’s why I hacked those accounts, Boris. Because it will help to put an end to what is happening there and help save lives.”
“Because you want to help?”
“Yes, if I can.”
“Well, you can’t help.”
———
He might be a scruff but, his heart is in the right place: I swooned.
What I haven't mentioned, and I shan't, is all the clues, all the signs, tempting me to veer off the path I was on: I did a few times before realising I'd been duped and got back on track. It is, as another reviewer has said, 'a good idea to read the facts at the beginning.' I did, by the way. It's also a good idea to keep those facts in mind.
There's a girl: when I first met her she was suicidal, trying hard to get killed every time she crossed the road; turned out to be a recluse and lacking any self-esteem. I kept with her, I needed to know what would happen to her.
So, and I thought long and hard about this before I made the decision to venture it, 'when up the creek without a paddle, you might do well from phoning a friend.'
If this was a film, I'd definitely pay to go watch it.
Ohh, and,
He's fluent in several languages: good spies tend to be.
He's a good memory: good spies tend to own one.
I'm such a tease: hehehe!
There’s so much that could be said about the scruffy, interloper but, it would give away what I want other readers to find, trip on, fall over, stumble upon, themselves.
There's an occurrence in Kazakhstan that leads to some spooks in London putting a devious plan in place: it's a trap, don't get caught in it. I'm happy to announce that; you'll have to figure out what type of trap for yourself.
After the spooks decide on what to do, the scrawny, scruffy, vagabond, shows up in the same place of the aforementioned occurrence.
For me, just now, both the scruff and the author are walking a tightrope; in the gambit the scruff is at, and the author in convincing the reader to keep after his protagonist. There is quite a way to go before the scruff gets to the end of his journey.
He tells lies and admits to the telling: not very nice, how can I like him?
He hasn't eaten for days, hasn't slept much, he has nothing but a tent for shelter, it's about to pour down, he's penniless, yet he goes out of his way, risking his lies will be found out because he's worried for the safety and wellbeing of a bunch of children: that's nice, can't but like him.
I like people that remain mindful of others, it's a good way to be; that's when the swooning began, so I stuck with the scruff.
He gets a job: not plain sailing but luck is with him. The more I watched the scruff in his attempts to help others, the more I liked him. Then, he treads where he shouldn't, again from being mindful of others. It all goes pear-shaped.
He survives: I knew he would. It's how every story ends (not dead in a ditch in Mogadishu: I've seen the film) but, it is one heck of a catch-me-if-you-can.
———
The cordial tone in Sam’s voice faded as his disposition hardened. “And, if I had strayed into Afghanistan, Boris. If I had. How many decent people would have offered me shelter and shared food with me?”
Boris replied with a nod, his face conveying acceptance.
“I’ve thought about what’s happening in Afghanistan a thousand times. I’ve thought about what I’ve done a thousand times. How guilty will I feel each time I hear more news of more killing, Boris? The death of Afghan civilians. Good people. Honest people. That’s why I hacked those accounts, Boris. Because it will help to put an end to what is happening there and help save lives.”
“Because you want to help?”
“Yes, if I can.”
“Well, you can’t help.”
———
He might be a scruff but, his heart is in the right place: I swooned.
What I haven't mentioned, and I shan't, is all the clues, all the signs, tempting me to veer off the path I was on: I did a few times before realising I'd been duped and got back on track. It is, as another reviewer has said, 'a good idea to read the facts at the beginning.' I did, by the way. It's also a good idea to keep those facts in mind.
There's a girl: when I first met her she was suicidal, trying hard to get killed every time she crossed the road; turned out to be a recluse and lacking any self-esteem. I kept with her, I needed to know what would happen to her.
So, and I thought long and hard about this before I made the decision to venture it, 'when up the creek without a paddle, you might do well from phoning a friend.'
If this was a film, I'd definitely pay to go watch it.
Ohh, and,
He's fluent in several languages: good spies tend to be.
He's a good memory: good spies tend to own one.
I'm such a tease: hehehe!
October 12, 2022
This is an ingenious conspiracy thriller and centres on the adventures of a young, Cambridge graduate, who since has become an itinerant working his way across Central Asia and Russia; and is written with a degree of assurance that smacks of a professional.
The tale, above all else, has genuine authenticity; underpining the plot, the author has provided a 'Fact Section', as a forward: a series of statements from news agencies, such as Reuters, and quotes from testimony given by such bodies as, 'The Drug Enforcement Agency'.
With locations as far apart as London and Kazakhstan, it describes the link between organised crime, the Central Asian counter-terrorism agencies, government corruption and the trafficking of opium from Afghanistan.
There is a sense, in the author's writing, of him having a first-hand and knowledgeable background in such collusions. Where that might come from, I can only postulate: D.O.E? A counter-terrorism agency? Foriegn Affairs? An intelligence agency? There is, throughout, weight given to the methods and practice adopted by those who live and work 'in-the-shadows'; which does, in my book, lend toward how things must be done, in the real-world of espionage.
Within, you'll find an array of characters: the ordinary, everyday, working folk of the former Soviet states, the time-served spies behind desks in London, ex-KGB operatives plying their trade from within what are respectable business fronts, and a family, in Russia, working to rescue abused conscripts: all strong characters, cleverly developed and prominent in the part they play. Alongside of this, the scene-setting is palpable.
The first chapters draw you in, providing relevant geo-political observation and meaty biographies of the main characters: during this opening gambit, we see how the protagonist uses his knowledge and skills to build a believable 'yarn' to support his arrival in Kazakhstan (a history that few know of, or contemplate). From there, the author ratchets the tension up, and with the conspiracy unfolding, you are taken, once more, into a world that few know of, or contemplate.
This is a self-published work, and, it would seem, has not been picked up by one of the more 'well-known' publishing houses, then touted to their friends in mainstream media: one has to wonder why? The quality of writing and plotting far exceeds that which, today, the publishing industry snatch at and flaunt to us as, 'the best thriller this year, etc, etc, etc ...' Is it that the author's own biography is not something he wishes to boast?
You will, often, hear of those that live in the shadows, and have taken to a quiet life, somewhere rural. They shy from the camera. They live a 'grey life'. I note that the author is yet to put his face on display!
Personally, I've not read a better 'crime-suspence-spy' novel for many a year. The Amazon blurb, which at first I thought of copying into this review, DOES NOT claim to be from: 'the next true master of the spy novel' or, 'the best spy novelist since ...'
Those works, many of which I have read, can't hold-a-candle to this.
The tale, above all else, has genuine authenticity; underpining the plot, the author has provided a 'Fact Section', as a forward: a series of statements from news agencies, such as Reuters, and quotes from testimony given by such bodies as, 'The Drug Enforcement Agency'.
With locations as far apart as London and Kazakhstan, it describes the link between organised crime, the Central Asian counter-terrorism agencies, government corruption and the trafficking of opium from Afghanistan.
There is a sense, in the author's writing, of him having a first-hand and knowledgeable background in such collusions. Where that might come from, I can only postulate: D.O.E? A counter-terrorism agency? Foriegn Affairs? An intelligence agency? There is, throughout, weight given to the methods and practice adopted by those who live and work 'in-the-shadows'; which does, in my book, lend toward how things must be done, in the real-world of espionage.
Within, you'll find an array of characters: the ordinary, everyday, working folk of the former Soviet states, the time-served spies behind desks in London, ex-KGB operatives plying their trade from within what are respectable business fronts, and a family, in Russia, working to rescue abused conscripts: all strong characters, cleverly developed and prominent in the part they play. Alongside of this, the scene-setting is palpable.
The first chapters draw you in, providing relevant geo-political observation and meaty biographies of the main characters: during this opening gambit, we see how the protagonist uses his knowledge and skills to build a believable 'yarn' to support his arrival in Kazakhstan (a history that few know of, or contemplate). From there, the author ratchets the tension up, and with the conspiracy unfolding, you are taken, once more, into a world that few know of, or contemplate.
This is a self-published work, and, it would seem, has not been picked up by one of the more 'well-known' publishing houses, then touted to their friends in mainstream media: one has to wonder why? The quality of writing and plotting far exceeds that which, today, the publishing industry snatch at and flaunt to us as, 'the best thriller this year, etc, etc, etc ...' Is it that the author's own biography is not something he wishes to boast?
You will, often, hear of those that live in the shadows, and have taken to a quiet life, somewhere rural. They shy from the camera. They live a 'grey life'. I note that the author is yet to put his face on display!
Personally, I've not read a better 'crime-suspence-spy' novel for many a year. The Amazon blurb, which at first I thought of copying into this review, DOES NOT claim to be from: 'the next true master of the spy novel' or, 'the best spy novelist since ...'
Those works, many of which I have read, can't hold-a-candle to this.
May 4, 2025
With my thinking settled comfortably within the conventional norms, I thence allowed myself to jump to the conclusions the author knew I would.
We are handed all that spiel about what’s required of those who join the ranks of…… and then immediately after, the interloper ‘walks into a roadside eatery, sits next to a complete stranger, rattles out a whole pack of lies, and in doing so gains the absolute trust of his new friend’.
I’m young. I’m innocent (I promise). I’m unknowing of the world shrouded in mystery, deception and trickery. I was hoodwinked.
The author sneaks many different characters into his plot: one is Sam’s long-lost-love. Some twenty-pages on from ‘a whole pack of lies’, she says, ‘A quagmire, full of trickery and deceit. Set foot here. You’ll never be free. You won’t escape.’ How right she was.
To be fair, there are clues. Though, once Sam had ‘rattled out his whole pack of lies’, I was up to my proverbials and failed for a good part to spot the signposts.
The plot is full of trickery and deceit. Having set foot here, I doubt I’ll ever be free. I won’t escape. I’ve part-two of the story in my hot and sticky little mitt as I write this. Hmmmmm, I think the author knew I would.
We are handed all that spiel about what’s required of those who join the ranks of…… and then immediately after, the interloper ‘walks into a roadside eatery, sits next to a complete stranger, rattles out a whole pack of lies, and in doing so gains the absolute trust of his new friend’.
I’m young. I’m innocent (I promise). I’m unknowing of the world shrouded in mystery, deception and trickery. I was hoodwinked.
The author sneaks many different characters into his plot: one is Sam’s long-lost-love. Some twenty-pages on from ‘a whole pack of lies’, she says, ‘A quagmire, full of trickery and deceit. Set foot here. You’ll never be free. You won’t escape.’ How right she was.
To be fair, there are clues. Though, once Sam had ‘rattled out his whole pack of lies’, I was up to my proverbials and failed for a good part to spot the signposts.
The plot is full of trickery and deceit. Having set foot here, I doubt I’ll ever be free. I won’t escape. I’ve part-two of the story in my hot and sticky little mitt as I write this. Hmmmmm, I think the author knew I would.
November 10, 2024
The preface tells the reader all that they need to know. Therefore, I shan’t shy from mentioning a tiddy of the skinny.
This tale is about a boy and a girl, neither of them too happy about the parting of their ways. But, it’s not a tale focusing on that parting. The parting, like many other lines the reader is invited to follow in this exposé, is an aside, until it becomes something more.
The girl works for a company where her father is a senior officer. A while back, her aunt and uncle worked for the same company. The family might easily have, at some point, referred to the company as ‘the family business’. The uncle was afforded his education at the same school, some years before, as the boy. I know how easy it would have been for the author to draw a line between the boy and an old school friend that happens to work at said company. He didn’t; he drew the line between the boy and the girl, thus insisting the story is continued.
The tale follows another line, which is an aside until it becomes something more, when the boy becomes embroiled in a world (the world of ‘the octopus’) he has little idea of: rather silly of him. That line is stretched tight, but I will accept that one might know rather a lot about many things (the boy does) and not much at all about certain topics in our world because it’s not something you’ve had cause to consider as anything more than a passing thought.
On another line, which is an aside until it becomes something more, the boy has spent six-years walking the old trading routes (The Silk Road) in Asia and become rather versed in the lives of the unwashed. He’s seen why the centuries old agrarian existence for those surviving on a small holding is dwindling away.
These lines, when they become more than an aside, all meet up.
The story cannot end; a story such as this cannot, in all reality, end. And, the story is awfully real. It can’t end because the octopus is huge and to suggest the boy is able to kill the beast is preposterous; and it can’t end because the parting with girl becomes something more.
This tale is about a boy and a girl, neither of them too happy about the parting of their ways. But, it’s not a tale focusing on that parting. The parting, like many other lines the reader is invited to follow in this exposé, is an aside, until it becomes something more.
The girl works for a company where her father is a senior officer. A while back, her aunt and uncle worked for the same company. The family might easily have, at some point, referred to the company as ‘the family business’. The uncle was afforded his education at the same school, some years before, as the boy. I know how easy it would have been for the author to draw a line between the boy and an old school friend that happens to work at said company. He didn’t; he drew the line between the boy and the girl, thus insisting the story is continued.
The tale follows another line, which is an aside until it becomes something more, when the boy becomes embroiled in a world (the world of ‘the octopus’) he has little idea of: rather silly of him. That line is stretched tight, but I will accept that one might know rather a lot about many things (the boy does) and not much at all about certain topics in our world because it’s not something you’ve had cause to consider as anything more than a passing thought.
On another line, which is an aside until it becomes something more, the boy has spent six-years walking the old trading routes (The Silk Road) in Asia and become rather versed in the lives of the unwashed. He’s seen why the centuries old agrarian existence for those surviving on a small holding is dwindling away.
These lines, when they become more than an aside, all meet up.
The story cannot end; a story such as this cannot, in all reality, end. And, the story is awfully real. It can’t end because the octopus is huge and to suggest the boy is able to kill the beast is preposterous; and it can’t end because the parting with girl becomes something more.
April 6, 2025
Ooh Aah, Cantona: (Eric Cantona - Footballing Legend - According to my dad). When Eric did something magical with the ball, the crowd would sing out, ‘Ooh Aah Cantona’. This story is full-on, Ooh Aah.
Me, as of today, I’m a fan and I thank all the girls out there who reviewed this: it’s why I decided to give it a go. He’s self-published. I tend to think, ‘Why? Is that because the publishing houses decided against it?’ I’m now thinking, ‘Are there other goodies sat waiting to be acknowledged?’
Until now, I’ve not read a modern day thriller/adventure/fiction (all from one of the publishing houses) where at some point, I’ve yawned and thought, ’Please, be real.’ Once the unreasonable gets stretched to the point of snapping, I’m left with a kinda empty feeling for what remains. This story is so rooted in the authentic it makes me shudder. Being led up the garden path by yours truly, given every indication of what will happen next and then it doesn’t just pulled me further in to the fate of young Mister Helpful. When, at the end of the waterfall chapter, the next chapter is in London, I was mad. Madder than mad. I was livid. How could he even think of doing that? By then, I was completely wrapped up in what might next happen to the man I had deep feelings for: he has a heart of gold. He makes a few decisions, which with hindsight might not have been the best of decisions, but heck, that’s the way the world turns and if you ain’t made a poor decision in your life, you ain’t made anything. The man I want isn’t afraid of making a decision and if it ain’t the best of decisions, he’s able to admit to it and try to put it right: not duck and run. If you’re attracted to stories of musclebound bad men, this ain’t for you. If you want to snuggle up with someone who genuinely cares about the world we live in, this is a story worth its weight.
Ooh Aah, Samir Mozhar: (aka, Sam Mitchell)-(aka, The Man For Me)
Me, as of today, I’m a fan and I thank all the girls out there who reviewed this: it’s why I decided to give it a go. He’s self-published. I tend to think, ‘Why? Is that because the publishing houses decided against it?’ I’m now thinking, ‘Are there other goodies sat waiting to be acknowledged?’
Until now, I’ve not read a modern day thriller/adventure/fiction (all from one of the publishing houses) where at some point, I’ve yawned and thought, ’Please, be real.’ Once the unreasonable gets stretched to the point of snapping, I’m left with a kinda empty feeling for what remains. This story is so rooted in the authentic it makes me shudder. Being led up the garden path by yours truly, given every indication of what will happen next and then it doesn’t just pulled me further in to the fate of young Mister Helpful. When, at the end of the waterfall chapter, the next chapter is in London, I was mad. Madder than mad. I was livid. How could he even think of doing that? By then, I was completely wrapped up in what might next happen to the man I had deep feelings for: he has a heart of gold. He makes a few decisions, which with hindsight might not have been the best of decisions, but heck, that’s the way the world turns and if you ain’t made a poor decision in your life, you ain’t made anything. The man I want isn’t afraid of making a decision and if it ain’t the best of decisions, he’s able to admit to it and try to put it right: not duck and run. If you’re attracted to stories of musclebound bad men, this ain’t for you. If you want to snuggle up with someone who genuinely cares about the world we live in, this is a story worth its weight.
Ooh Aah, Samir Mozhar: (aka, Sam Mitchell)-(aka, The Man For Me)
October 3, 2025
I loved this. I had to tear myself away from it. It's a finely researched crime-thriller.
The geo-political backdrop and the escape lines for the unfortunate make it some yarn. And ... this is just my opinion, but ... some may consider the protagonist to be an MI6 asset ... some may consider the protagonist to be a half-starved, down on his luck, innocent. Well, the clues are drip-fed to the reader, and may be seen by some as a touch unfair. However, it’s about time someone working in this genre asked a little more of the reader.
I’m impressed with the author: unknown, debut novel, and treading new ground. At one point, the protagonist explains how he acquired an extended visa; his new boss opts for a bit of his own detective work regarding that visa: a clever and well-worked clue. There are several more, but they need to be found because we’re not slapped in the face by them. I applaud the author for that. We do get to see exactly who the protagonist is at the very end. It’s important to consider how the protagonist finds an escape route from Russia.
The author did not leave us all to wonder, which he could have done, and I would have commended him more for that, because there is a sequel on the shelf. Within there are maybe a half-a-dozen paragraphs that some, with a more critical eye, may consider a little clunky in places — but so what — this is his first novel. And I’ve read some pretty clunky stuff written by authors with years behind their craft.
This is an incredible read, and again I applaud the author for what is a great, fact-based story. Also, and what is more important: he, the protagonist, is the man for me:
he's not afraid of getting wet,
he's able in a boat,
he has a heart,
he cares.
The geo-political backdrop and the escape lines for the unfortunate make it some yarn. And ... this is just my opinion, but ... some may consider the protagonist to be an MI6 asset ... some may consider the protagonist to be a half-starved, down on his luck, innocent. Well, the clues are drip-fed to the reader, and may be seen by some as a touch unfair. However, it’s about time someone working in this genre asked a little more of the reader.
I’m impressed with the author: unknown, debut novel, and treading new ground. At one point, the protagonist explains how he acquired an extended visa; his new boss opts for a bit of his own detective work regarding that visa: a clever and well-worked clue. There are several more, but they need to be found because we’re not slapped in the face by them. I applaud the author for that. We do get to see exactly who the protagonist is at the very end. It’s important to consider how the protagonist finds an escape route from Russia.
The author did not leave us all to wonder, which he could have done, and I would have commended him more for that, because there is a sequel on the shelf. Within there are maybe a half-a-dozen paragraphs that some, with a more critical eye, may consider a little clunky in places — but so what — this is his first novel. And I’ve read some pretty clunky stuff written by authors with years behind their craft.
This is an incredible read, and again I applaud the author for what is a great, fact-based story. Also, and what is more important: he, the protagonist, is the man for me:
he's not afraid of getting wet,
he's able in a boat,
he has a heart,
he cares.
July 6, 2025
I love the way the story is based on the unintended consequences of Rebecca and Sam’s failed relationship; hiding their time together because of Rebecca’s fear of family attitudes and the paparazzi is such a British way. Then the Christmas card and Rebecca’s assumption; ‘her father must have been complicit’.
What happened to them both and the decisions they made are intertwined with the adventure Sam becomes embroiled in. Throughout I thought, when are Rebecca and Sam going to get back together? Then, Sam’s phone call is answered by a faint and distant female voice...
What struck me is how the author used MI6 to launch the plot and then brought MI5 into the story; from what I know, which is not too much, the two, still to this day, grudgingly abide each other and are both more territorial than a clan of badgers. It’s very neatly done; the position held by Rebecca on the non-operational side of life allows her little understanding, but as we sometimes find: ‘a little can go a long way’. Far enough for Rebecca to figure out the truth of things and thus give the girl a newfound faith in her abilities.
Then, of course, there’s Sam’s position within the cloak and dagger brigade; I think the author, of whom I’m now a fan, was keen on his readers pondering, or should I say assessing and analysing, the events that are put before us. Of course, the differing views of the whys and wherefores give readers a whole heap of discussion points.
I enjoy a story that makes you think. This is a top-notch bookclub-book.
It’s a great story; and it should be a film.
What happened to them both and the decisions they made are intertwined with the adventure Sam becomes embroiled in. Throughout I thought, when are Rebecca and Sam going to get back together? Then, Sam’s phone call is answered by a faint and distant female voice...
What struck me is how the author used MI6 to launch the plot and then brought MI5 into the story; from what I know, which is not too much, the two, still to this day, grudgingly abide each other and are both more territorial than a clan of badgers. It’s very neatly done; the position held by Rebecca on the non-operational side of life allows her little understanding, but as we sometimes find: ‘a little can go a long way’. Far enough for Rebecca to figure out the truth of things and thus give the girl a newfound faith in her abilities.
Then, of course, there’s Sam’s position within the cloak and dagger brigade; I think the author, of whom I’m now a fan, was keen on his readers pondering, or should I say assessing and analysing, the events that are put before us. Of course, the differing views of the whys and wherefores give readers a whole heap of discussion points.
I enjoy a story that makes you think. This is a top-notch bookclub-book.
It’s a great story; and it should be a film.
August 7, 2025
One word describes the story: tantalising (rousing an expectation)! It's purposeful and it begins early in the story (Georgina - there is an expectation of her playful flirtations going somewhere). The story then flits off to some point on the compass leaving me to wonder what has/will/might happen between the two.
Along comes a waif: where did he come from? what's he about? He muses over the forgotten routes: I wouldn't know if there is written evidence of these routes and I would be most keen if there is someone on this platform who can enlighten me. There are routes here that cross the border with Russia that are similarly described as forgotten; they are not forgotten (they remain known by a few) - that has been an accepted fact in Finland for years. People here, the forest hunters mostly, go in and out of Russia all the time, no one talks of who they are, but everyone accepts it. Should the subject come up and someone dare say, ‘Myth’, it will cause bouts and bouts of laughter. Why I ask, would he muse over these forgotten routes? Tantalising! Is that a seed planted for later in the story (I thought it was): tantalising!
I'll not bother you with the way this continues; if you've not read this, you should. If you have, you know.
I was captured by the fate of the waif from the minute he drew a parallel with himself and the seagulls aloft.
The waif becomes involved in a tussle; a lost love experiences his discomfort: tantalising. Should you want to know more of the recognised-unexplained-by-science-phenomenon referred to by some in the medical world as, 'simulpathity', please spend a few minutes on: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I knew later in the story this, unexplained-by-science-phenomenon, was going to take me somewhere, but where I could only guess: tantalising!
This needs to be a film.
Along comes a waif: where did he come from? what's he about? He muses over the forgotten routes: I wouldn't know if there is written evidence of these routes and I would be most keen if there is someone on this platform who can enlighten me. There are routes here that cross the border with Russia that are similarly described as forgotten; they are not forgotten (they remain known by a few) - that has been an accepted fact in Finland for years. People here, the forest hunters mostly, go in and out of Russia all the time, no one talks of who they are, but everyone accepts it. Should the subject come up and someone dare say, ‘Myth’, it will cause bouts and bouts of laughter. Why I ask, would he muse over these forgotten routes? Tantalising! Is that a seed planted for later in the story (I thought it was): tantalising!
I'll not bother you with the way this continues; if you've not read this, you should. If you have, you know.
I was captured by the fate of the waif from the minute he drew a parallel with himself and the seagulls aloft.
The waif becomes involved in a tussle; a lost love experiences his discomfort: tantalising. Should you want to know more of the recognised-unexplained-by-science-phenomenon referred to by some in the medical world as, 'simulpathity', please spend a few minutes on: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I knew later in the story this, unexplained-by-science-phenomenon, was going to take me somewhere, but where I could only guess: tantalising!
This needs to be a film.
April 8, 2025
'Want goosebumps? Read This!'
September 20, 2025
The format has that, breaking ground feel - sense of uniqueness; and flies in the face of conventional thriller-telling.
The chapter headings are: location, date, time. Within some chapters little happens, but the reader does need to know it has happened, and so they are but half a page; and cannot in reality be included within another chapter, as the event happens in a different location and the main protagonist does not conduct the orchestra - he is but one of the principal players.
There is a considerable investment in the history of life in the Former Soviet Union. There are, as a previous reviewer has said, 'hand-outs', which the author could have quite easily spent a great deal more time with: one of which is, 'the ribbon worn by the protagonist's, fictitious grandfather', that's used as a crutch to summon a little empathy from a cafe owner. There is enough said to give the reader an understanding that the fate of the grandfather was not a one-off and did in fact befall thousands upon thousands and if not, then millions.
Enough has already been said by previous reviewers, so I'll not venture to summarise the plot and its telling.
I've not read a spy/crime/thriller that I can compare it with. I would put this on the shelf between, 'The Riddle of the Sands' and 'Red Dusk and the Morrow': the lead character's of both being muddled into a fraught circumstance, whilst mostly unaware of how to play the game. I do feel sure that author has read both; and the foundations of his story were found in books of this kind.
It deserves four stars for the story, how it's told and the characters the author brings into what is a complex tale. It deserves another for the shear courage of an unknown to self-publish a work, that I doubt the current crop of 'stellar' thriller writers would dare to take on.
I will not dare to say this equals, but I do feel it can be seen as comparable in its undertaking to a rather well-known novel. I quote: "Among the great novels of the world, 'War and Peace' has long held pride of place because it fulfills, in its seamless interweaving of the historical and the personal, and its genius in registering the entire scale of human life, all the promise latent in the art of fiction itself."
The Roads Chosen is a huge undertaking and it does not fail in its 'interweaving of the historical and the personal, and in registering the scale of consequence the Soviet system had on human life'.
It's professionally written and offered, I would suggest, to provoke the reader to look past the 'mainstream take' on the glitz and glamour of the modern day, 'much-talked-of', criminal state that the ordinary 'citizen' continues to endure.
The chapter headings are: location, date, time. Within some chapters little happens, but the reader does need to know it has happened, and so they are but half a page; and cannot in reality be included within another chapter, as the event happens in a different location and the main protagonist does not conduct the orchestra - he is but one of the principal players.
There is a considerable investment in the history of life in the Former Soviet Union. There are, as a previous reviewer has said, 'hand-outs', which the author could have quite easily spent a great deal more time with: one of which is, 'the ribbon worn by the protagonist's, fictitious grandfather', that's used as a crutch to summon a little empathy from a cafe owner. There is enough said to give the reader an understanding that the fate of the grandfather was not a one-off and did in fact befall thousands upon thousands and if not, then millions.
Enough has already been said by previous reviewers, so I'll not venture to summarise the plot and its telling.
I've not read a spy/crime/thriller that I can compare it with. I would put this on the shelf between, 'The Riddle of the Sands' and 'Red Dusk and the Morrow': the lead character's of both being muddled into a fraught circumstance, whilst mostly unaware of how to play the game. I do feel sure that author has read both; and the foundations of his story were found in books of this kind.
It deserves four stars for the story, how it's told and the characters the author brings into what is a complex tale. It deserves another for the shear courage of an unknown to self-publish a work, that I doubt the current crop of 'stellar' thriller writers would dare to take on.
I will not dare to say this equals, but I do feel it can be seen as comparable in its undertaking to a rather well-known novel. I quote: "Among the great novels of the world, 'War and Peace' has long held pride of place because it fulfills, in its seamless interweaving of the historical and the personal, and its genius in registering the entire scale of human life, all the promise latent in the art of fiction itself."
The Roads Chosen is a huge undertaking and it does not fail in its 'interweaving of the historical and the personal, and in registering the scale of consequence the Soviet system had on human life'.
It's professionally written and offered, I would suggest, to provoke the reader to look past the 'mainstream take' on the glitz and glamour of the modern day, 'much-talked-of', criminal state that the ordinary 'citizen' continues to endure.
December 26, 2024
An incredible story. Eww, sends shivers down my spine.
April 1, 2025
I’VE SLEPT WITH SAM:
for eleven-nights and enjoyed each minute. It was fantastic!
On our first night together, I fell for him. It was not just his insistence on collecting the shards from the broken vodka bottle; it was also the thought that it would be a mother that would deal with the problem. Refreshing! He knew he could rely on a mother. I just knew if I was out walking with Sam, he’d stop and do the same. Not to impress me: he’d do it, because he cares. Although I had only met Sam that evening, I can assure you, after just a few hours, I knew I could sleep peacefully with Sam beside me.
Psychologists say, “Your character is your identity and your character is measured by what you do when no one is looking.” And, I can remember my mother reading The Chronicles of Narnia with me at bedtime: I found those stories wonderful and, C.S. Lewis said, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”
In summary, ‘Sam is just too easy to fall for.’
A few nights later, he got himself in a right ol’ mess. Again, because he cares. I must admit, I was more than a little concerned. Then, everything he’d spoken of, all that he’d told me, from the very first night fell into place and I realised I needn’t have worried.
I’ve learnt so much about what has happened and is happening in Eastern Europe, much of which is terrible, much of which is ignored by the media.
It is a fantastic story and allows a thoroughly interesting view of people:
“I loved Siberia, even in the winter. The nightlife,” Graham said, sniggering. “Those girls. They love Westerners.”
“Friendly people.”
“A bunch of rogues.”
“A few rogues,” Sam replied, trying but failing to suppress a chuckle. “But in the main, canny folk.”
Graham took a long swig from his bottle. “Yeah, I suppose they’ve always needed to be.”
“They have.”
for eleven-nights and enjoyed each minute. It was fantastic!
On our first night together, I fell for him. It was not just his insistence on collecting the shards from the broken vodka bottle; it was also the thought that it would be a mother that would deal with the problem. Refreshing! He knew he could rely on a mother. I just knew if I was out walking with Sam, he’d stop and do the same. Not to impress me: he’d do it, because he cares. Although I had only met Sam that evening, I can assure you, after just a few hours, I knew I could sleep peacefully with Sam beside me.
Psychologists say, “Your character is your identity and your character is measured by what you do when no one is looking.” And, I can remember my mother reading The Chronicles of Narnia with me at bedtime: I found those stories wonderful and, C.S. Lewis said, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”
In summary, ‘Sam is just too easy to fall for.’
A few nights later, he got himself in a right ol’ mess. Again, because he cares. I must admit, I was more than a little concerned. Then, everything he’d spoken of, all that he’d told me, from the very first night fell into place and I realised I needn’t have worried.
I’ve learnt so much about what has happened and is happening in Eastern Europe, much of which is terrible, much of which is ignored by the media.
It is a fantastic story and allows a thoroughly interesting view of people:
“I loved Siberia, even in the winter. The nightlife,” Graham said, sniggering. “Those girls. They love Westerners.”
“Friendly people.”
“A bunch of rogues.”
“A few rogues,” Sam replied, trying but failing to suppress a chuckle. “But in the main, canny folk.”
Graham took a long swig from his bottle. “Yeah, I suppose they’ve always needed to be.”
“They have.”
September 8, 2024
In January 2024, I wrote, “A good story. It does lack the silky pen of others who I’ve been reading from of late.” I was fresh from works by Peter Hopkirk, et al. After discussing my recent reads (summer 2024) with my wife and I must admit at her urging, I shall explain myself.
Compared to those hailed as ‘top notch’ that I’ve just read: this is a good, solid and strong story, firmly positioned by the history and the societal framework cemented by former Soviet control of Eastern-European states. I stand by my view of a ‘lack of silky pen’ as the writing is direct, remains tight with the plot, allows for no digression, contains no padding and is shaped to push the plots development. The grammar and the usage is accomplished and contains no obvious errors.
The author has chosen to self-publish: I do wonder if that is because the publishing industry bends to the will of its friends in MSM. This story is about good people doing good things and bad people doing bad things. The author avoids beating the political drum whilst turning the spotlight on the geo-political issues and the ever-increasing conflict we all face. I’m certain this is a purposeful line; the plot is hinged upon the wrongs done the unwashed and not the lofty ideals of the few. The writing is raw, real, unwashed and I would say the read is better for it.
Compared to those hailed as ‘top notch’ that I’ve just read: this is a good, solid and strong story, firmly positioned by the history and the societal framework cemented by former Soviet control of Eastern-European states. I stand by my view of a ‘lack of silky pen’ as the writing is direct, remains tight with the plot, allows for no digression, contains no padding and is shaped to push the plots development. The grammar and the usage is accomplished and contains no obvious errors.
The author has chosen to self-publish: I do wonder if that is because the publishing industry bends to the will of its friends in MSM. This story is about good people doing good things and bad people doing bad things. The author avoids beating the political drum whilst turning the spotlight on the geo-political issues and the ever-increasing conflict we all face. I’m certain this is a purposeful line; the plot is hinged upon the wrongs done the unwashed and not the lofty ideals of the few. The writing is raw, real, unwashed and I would say the read is better for it.
September 20, 2025
I chose this by way of the reviews; and it is far beyond any of the novels from other, said to be, 'well-informed spy novelists' that I've previously read.
The scenes are so full of atmosphere: the neatly placed props, the subtle body language, the dialogue.
The banker in the Internet cafe leaks sweat, as a result of the fear engulfing him and so notices all around while trying to send his message: 'the two girls [sat at a computer in the row to the banker's front] sent a half second of scorn his way, before huddling closer in and muttering something' - that is so real.
The atmosphere created when Mitchell enters the 'two hundred metre rat run of peeling and cracked mustard yellow walls interspersed with communal doorways and deep inset gun turret windows that overlook a forsaken street', is electric. In walking this street, he collects and safely disposes of the shards of a broken vodka bottle: brilliant - it tells us all we need to know about him - why place the safety of others above yourself, when by carrying out this simple act it may threaten your cover?
This is a great story and you can see the characters, they are so well drawn: bitter and twisted, pot-bellied Kevin, who was 'let-go' when things became tight and then rehired when the seismic company took on work, but lost all his pension rights as a result. All of the characters have solid back-stories. And; there are few wasted words in the development of these characters - a senior manager of this company is spoken of by his side-kick: "I’ve known it, more than once, for Dave to go to Dubai and bang a table instead of going straight home at the start of his days off. He won’t see those who work for him dealt an unfair hand.” At this point in the story, it means nothing - [the writer is just filling up the page with 'a bit of history' on one of the characters] - yet as we learn towards the end of the book, the fact that this manager is willing to do such puts an important 'part of the jigsaw' in place for British Intelligence. This is quality and I would suggest this is up there with the best of the crime thrillers.
Whilst on the run, Mitchell ends up trapped in Marshland and surrounded by troops [search teams with dogs] looking for him. There is not one point in this entire odyssey where the writer lets you step back from the cliff-edge.
I'll stop there, as I don't want to spoil it for anyone; but the above, ladies and gentlemen is just the tip-of-the iceberg. Once young Mitchell 'does a runner', I couldn't put the book down. You spend a short time on a train heading for Russia; this alone takes your breath.
And, the women in this story are not side-lined and treated as window dressing: they play a part.
This story brushes up against MI-6 and MI-5, but there is far more to it [there has to be] and I, like a fellow reviewer, wonder why!
The scenes are so full of atmosphere: the neatly placed props, the subtle body language, the dialogue.
The banker in the Internet cafe leaks sweat, as a result of the fear engulfing him and so notices all around while trying to send his message: 'the two girls [sat at a computer in the row to the banker's front] sent a half second of scorn his way, before huddling closer in and muttering something' - that is so real.
The atmosphere created when Mitchell enters the 'two hundred metre rat run of peeling and cracked mustard yellow walls interspersed with communal doorways and deep inset gun turret windows that overlook a forsaken street', is electric. In walking this street, he collects and safely disposes of the shards of a broken vodka bottle: brilliant - it tells us all we need to know about him - why place the safety of others above yourself, when by carrying out this simple act it may threaten your cover?
This is a great story and you can see the characters, they are so well drawn: bitter and twisted, pot-bellied Kevin, who was 'let-go' when things became tight and then rehired when the seismic company took on work, but lost all his pension rights as a result. All of the characters have solid back-stories. And; there are few wasted words in the development of these characters - a senior manager of this company is spoken of by his side-kick: "I’ve known it, more than once, for Dave to go to Dubai and bang a table instead of going straight home at the start of his days off. He won’t see those who work for him dealt an unfair hand.” At this point in the story, it means nothing - [the writer is just filling up the page with 'a bit of history' on one of the characters] - yet as we learn towards the end of the book, the fact that this manager is willing to do such puts an important 'part of the jigsaw' in place for British Intelligence. This is quality and I would suggest this is up there with the best of the crime thrillers.
Whilst on the run, Mitchell ends up trapped in Marshland and surrounded by troops [search teams with dogs] looking for him. There is not one point in this entire odyssey where the writer lets you step back from the cliff-edge.
I'll stop there, as I don't want to spoil it for anyone; but the above, ladies and gentlemen is just the tip-of-the iceberg. Once young Mitchell 'does a runner', I couldn't put the book down. You spend a short time on a train heading for Russia; this alone takes your breath.
And, the women in this story are not side-lined and treated as window dressing: they play a part.
This story brushes up against MI-6 and MI-5, but there is far more to it [there has to be] and I, like a fellow reviewer, wonder why!
October 1, 2025
Within the covers, you won’t find a literary masterpiece. It is though a book of significant importance.
Nothing is missed: there is good character building, with good scene-setting and plenty of atmosphere built into the scenes. The format, though, just might surprise you: the story involves people in different parts of the world and flits back and forth.
The suspense is built over a period of months, pulling on past injustices, whilst reflecting that which we find in the real world: uncommon events over time can have consequences in the future.
Nothing is missed: there is good character building, with good scene-setting and plenty of atmosphere built into the scenes. The format, though, just might surprise you: the story involves people in different parts of the world and flits back and forth.
The suspense is built over a period of months, pulling on past injustices, whilst reflecting that which we find in the real world: uncommon events over time can have consequences in the future.
March 31, 2025
It should be a film. It probably won’t. The tale is based upon far too many decent, ordinary, rational-thinking people wanting to do right by their neighbour. It’s a deeply original story telling of the breakdown in social norms, whilst still full of adventure and intrigue.
I’m taken by how the plot line nets such a range of class behaviours and uses those to propel the story.
Without doubt, this is an ingenious tale and yet feels so grounded in reality. I do wonder how much of this the author has personal experience of.
I’m taken by how the plot line nets such a range of class behaviours and uses those to propel the story.
Without doubt, this is an ingenious tale and yet feels so grounded in reality. I do wonder how much of this the author has personal experience of.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews