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Their Chosen Way
The final episode of the trilogy depicting ‘Sam Mitchell’s war with Russian organised crime’ is again an ambitiously conceived, complex and plausible conspiracy thriller, enmeshed with thought-provoking, geo-political intrigue.
Put forward by the author, Ben Carlyle, in episode two, ‘A Chosen Path’: the Russian has a lasting memory. They’ll keep in mind those who have done them harm. Make them known to those in their family. To their young, even. A propensity that may, years down the line, come to haunt some of those who inhabit a dark and secret world.
Set in 2008 and 2009, fast-paced action in Moscow, London and St Petersburg brings to life real-world street-crafts. The aim is to empty pockets, but before Sam can risk putting his head above the parapet, the minds of many must scheme. Must spy. Must coerce. Must burgle. Must pilfer. Must cajole. Must tease and tempt. Its names and faces they need; and those from the former KGB have mastered the art of living in the shadows.
Walking a fine line, when hoping to keep London on his side, Sam returns to Britain. With the promised documents now tantalisingly close, the London fraternity find they’re walking a tightrope. Sam has earned his stripes, knows how the intelligence community does business, knows how they trade and the Americans won’t be showing Sam the door. After all, he’s no longer a scruffy itinerant. He’s a known; and wanted by both the Russian authorities and the underworld. And, London are hoping for the skinny on those they deem of interest; they’ll want it for free rather than haggle for it with their cousins.
The battle-scarred will ‘even when all looks to be in your favour, you cannot, ever, be assured of success.’ When thin on the ground, when relying on rarely used skills, when most have a day job and when possessing little more than assumptions, even with the best of well-planned escapades, failure is on the cards.
Put forward by the author, Ben Carlyle, in episode two, ‘A Chosen Path’: the Russian has a lasting memory. They’ll keep in mind those who have done them harm. Make them known to those in their family. To their young, even. A propensity that may, years down the line, come to haunt some of those who inhabit a dark and secret world.
Set in 2008 and 2009, fast-paced action in Moscow, London and St Petersburg brings to life real-world street-crafts. The aim is to empty pockets, but before Sam can risk putting his head above the parapet, the minds of many must scheme. Must spy. Must coerce. Must burgle. Must pilfer. Must cajole. Must tease and tempt. Its names and faces they need; and those from the former KGB have mastered the art of living in the shadows.
Walking a fine line, when hoping to keep London on his side, Sam returns to Britain. With the promised documents now tantalisingly close, the London fraternity find they’re walking a tightrope. Sam has earned his stripes, knows how the intelligence community does business, knows how they trade and the Americans won’t be showing Sam the door. After all, he’s no longer a scruffy itinerant. He’s a known; and wanted by both the Russian authorities and the underworld. And, London are hoping for the skinny on those they deem of interest; they’ll want it for free rather than haggle for it with their cousins.
The battle-scarred will ‘even when all looks to be in your favour, you cannot, ever, be assured of success.’ When thin on the ground, when relying on rarely used skills, when most have a day job and when possessing little more than assumptions, even with the best of well-planned escapades, failure is on the cards.
408 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 17, 2024
1 person is currently reading
38 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
October 6, 2024
The difficulty with writing a review for these books is how to say what you want without giving anything away: I had to figure out what was going on, in amongst all the blinds, misdirection, red-herrings, smoke and mirrors: I therefore think it only fair that I keep quiet about what goes on whilst trying to describe what goes on. Before I begin, I’ve done my homework: all of it from the ‘net, completely unreliable, has no merit, but, I’m now in the know:
Intelligence Officer: works directly for the intelligence agency and is highly trained.
Spy: a naughty boy or girl who steals info from the intelligence agency they are with and hands it to another intelligence agency.
Asset: a person who has access to information for whatever reason and hands it on to someone who does not have a legal right to hold that information.
The author (#1 of the trilogy) would have us assume (make an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’), that the scruffy bag of bones that turns up in an oil town in Kazakhstan is an 'asset' and worked as a foreign journo’ in Moscow. If you do decide to venture into this trilogy, be aware, you are entering a world of smoke and mirrors, deceit and trickery. You’ll have to make up your own mind about the scruff: I ain’t saying.
#3 of the trilogy, this yarn, sees the scruff, not so scruffy any longer, up to his eye-balls in gathering information from the assumed (assume: ‘???’ out of ‘?’ and ‘??’) gangsters. Gathering information from a source is what a highly trained intelligence officer does. Bit of a stretch, the asset morphing into an intelligence officer overnight. The author, Mr Keep it Real, gives the scruff the role of tea-maker, office boy. That’s not what many would expect, want, yearn for. The scruff becomes part of a team that sets out to identify the executives of ‘Gangsters R Us’. I’ve no idea, but it seems sensible to me that you can’t do this s... on your own. What they get up to is pretty scary and the girls in this are just fantastic in what they do.
It’s here that I think it best that I again say, “I quite like the scruff.” Dealing with the shards of glass (#1 of the trilogy) had me thinking, he's mindful of others. That is a human trait I admire; as such, I had a sweet eye for the scruff from the outset. What comes from this, for me, is how Harry Collins, a man from an entirely different upbringing and background than that of the scruff, is a protector, a guardian. As is the scruff; he's not just mindful, he has that protective instinct: they're two peas from the same pod.
The plot takes you to and from Britain and Russia and at times reads like ‘Wacky Races’ and then you get a brief amount of time to get your breath back (paint the vehicles, change the number plates) whilst they all sit down and argue about why, when and how (I ain’t saying any more than that).
Then it ends; and, again, the ending leaves the story in the air, without a conclusion, and I get the impression this is not over. Mr Keep it Real, I’d say, has accepted that you’ll never remove ‘Gangsters R Us’ from the face of the earth. It’s an octopus (#1 of the trilogy); you might manage to cut off a tentacle, but that ain’t gonna’ kill the beast.
Again, I’m not for one-minute belittling the theme: the plot is, once more, woven around what is a human tragedy: human weakness; and what the author describes in this is actually happening, has been happening for decades and it is the people from the rural settlements that commonly suffer the outrage (it’s on the ‘net).
It’s a thrilling read and when the races are in full throttle, it is hard to put down and as I’ve said more than once, "I like my sleep."
Also, I now know how to launder millions upon millions of dollars without anyone finding out. I just need to get my hands on the dollars.
And, just so you know, I’ve taken Garry’s advice. I’m not on the train to London. However, once I've got my degree under my hat, I’m gonna’ write them a letter.
Intelligence Officer: works directly for the intelligence agency and is highly trained.
Spy: a naughty boy or girl who steals info from the intelligence agency they are with and hands it to another intelligence agency.
Asset: a person who has access to information for whatever reason and hands it on to someone who does not have a legal right to hold that information.
The author (#1 of the trilogy) would have us assume (make an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’), that the scruffy bag of bones that turns up in an oil town in Kazakhstan is an 'asset' and worked as a foreign journo’ in Moscow. If you do decide to venture into this trilogy, be aware, you are entering a world of smoke and mirrors, deceit and trickery. You’ll have to make up your own mind about the scruff: I ain’t saying.
#3 of the trilogy, this yarn, sees the scruff, not so scruffy any longer, up to his eye-balls in gathering information from the assumed (assume: ‘???’ out of ‘?’ and ‘??’) gangsters. Gathering information from a source is what a highly trained intelligence officer does. Bit of a stretch, the asset morphing into an intelligence officer overnight. The author, Mr Keep it Real, gives the scruff the role of tea-maker, office boy. That’s not what many would expect, want, yearn for. The scruff becomes part of a team that sets out to identify the executives of ‘Gangsters R Us’. I’ve no idea, but it seems sensible to me that you can’t do this s... on your own. What they get up to is pretty scary and the girls in this are just fantastic in what they do.
It’s here that I think it best that I again say, “I quite like the scruff.” Dealing with the shards of glass (#1 of the trilogy) had me thinking, he's mindful of others. That is a human trait I admire; as such, I had a sweet eye for the scruff from the outset. What comes from this, for me, is how Harry Collins, a man from an entirely different upbringing and background than that of the scruff, is a protector, a guardian. As is the scruff; he's not just mindful, he has that protective instinct: they're two peas from the same pod.
The plot takes you to and from Britain and Russia and at times reads like ‘Wacky Races’ and then you get a brief amount of time to get your breath back (paint the vehicles, change the number plates) whilst they all sit down and argue about why, when and how (I ain’t saying any more than that).
Then it ends; and, again, the ending leaves the story in the air, without a conclusion, and I get the impression this is not over. Mr Keep it Real, I’d say, has accepted that you’ll never remove ‘Gangsters R Us’ from the face of the earth. It’s an octopus (#1 of the trilogy); you might manage to cut off a tentacle, but that ain’t gonna’ kill the beast.
Again, I’m not for one-minute belittling the theme: the plot is, once more, woven around what is a human tragedy: human weakness; and what the author describes in this is actually happening, has been happening for decades and it is the people from the rural settlements that commonly suffer the outrage (it’s on the ‘net).
It’s a thrilling read and when the races are in full throttle, it is hard to put down and as I’ve said more than once, "I like my sleep."
Also, I now know how to launder millions upon millions of dollars without anyone finding out. I just need to get my hands on the dollars.
And, just so you know, I’ve taken Garry’s advice. I’m not on the train to London. However, once I've got my degree under my hat, I’m gonna’ write them a letter.
August 17, 2024
A Voice for the forgotten...
The final episode of ‘The Roads Chosen’ trilogy is again elaborate, thought-provoking, deserves close attention, involves a huge cast of global players and is difficult to put down.
I’ll not summarise the plot; enough will be said. If you are a reader of this man’s work, you’ll know what to expect. If not, I will take this opportunity to cast a little light...
...the author built this trilogy off the harm being done to those not spoken of: the peasant family. To think this side of an agrarian life is long gone would be wrong. Post the collapse of the failing Soviet system, foreign money saw the emergence of huge industrial farming estates (as portrayed: “The bucks are in the beef,”). Further afield, where farm managers saw the logistical obstacles as too huge, (such as the settlements portrayed: dotted on the foothills of the Urals) by way of land share certificates, farming communities were given a chance to form small collectives. Many failed to stand the test of time, resulting in the return of peasant farming and pasturing, eking a living from the land.
...episode one brushes against the world of espionage and clashes with the world of organised crime. Though in truth, its aim was to table a grave iniquity faced by the proletariat, opening the door to episode two...
...episode two plays upon the iniquity previously laid before us whilst tabling the notion of a dark state that has during the reinvention of Russia kept a firm grasp on the levers of power (Secret Empire - The KGB in Russia Today, J. Michael Waller): continuing the grave deprivation of the people’s rights and opening a door to the final episode, which highlights another and just as much a horrid injustice.
I failed to pick up on that happens and why. After reflecting on the final episode, I did go back and read again the first two. Throughout the author tempts the reader to jump to conclusions: all most clever, but also, at every opportunity, the fate of the rural people is touched upon. When Mitchell is driven from the hotel to the oilfield base. And, when he gets his hair cut, he meets up with the mother of a veterinarian. And, when he goes shopping, he meets up with a shop owner who has the scars of his past rural life. None of which is hoisted up and waved in your face and might be disregarded as attempts add a little interest to an otherwise routine event. It’s all very subtle. All very unimposing and modest: not unlike those one might come across when wandering the wastelands.
Fiction? It is! Yet, it is so much more than a tale of crime lords and spies playing their games in a room full of mirrors, filled with smoke.
The author has, I’m now convinced, spent time as an itinerant: found friends along the way: come to understand the fears they hold for their children: come to accept these heinous crimes are known by Western authorities, and are left in a draw marked ‘NO ACTION NEEDED’, and has chosen to put these atrocities before a wider audience.
Spy thrillers don't do this. I can't think of one that I've read that does.
Hollywood should get their hands on these; three good and meaningful films here.
The final episode of ‘The Roads Chosen’ trilogy is again elaborate, thought-provoking, deserves close attention, involves a huge cast of global players and is difficult to put down.
I’ll not summarise the plot; enough will be said. If you are a reader of this man’s work, you’ll know what to expect. If not, I will take this opportunity to cast a little light...
...the author built this trilogy off the harm being done to those not spoken of: the peasant family. To think this side of an agrarian life is long gone would be wrong. Post the collapse of the failing Soviet system, foreign money saw the emergence of huge industrial farming estates (as portrayed: “The bucks are in the beef,”). Further afield, where farm managers saw the logistical obstacles as too huge, (such as the settlements portrayed: dotted on the foothills of the Urals) by way of land share certificates, farming communities were given a chance to form small collectives. Many failed to stand the test of time, resulting in the return of peasant farming and pasturing, eking a living from the land.
...episode one brushes against the world of espionage and clashes with the world of organised crime. Though in truth, its aim was to table a grave iniquity faced by the proletariat, opening the door to episode two...
...episode two plays upon the iniquity previously laid before us whilst tabling the notion of a dark state that has during the reinvention of Russia kept a firm grasp on the levers of power (Secret Empire - The KGB in Russia Today, J. Michael Waller): continuing the grave deprivation of the people’s rights and opening a door to the final episode, which highlights another and just as much a horrid injustice.
I failed to pick up on that happens and why. After reflecting on the final episode, I did go back and read again the first two. Throughout the author tempts the reader to jump to conclusions: all most clever, but also, at every opportunity, the fate of the rural people is touched upon. When Mitchell is driven from the hotel to the oilfield base. And, when he gets his hair cut, he meets up with the mother of a veterinarian. And, when he goes shopping, he meets up with a shop owner who has the scars of his past rural life. None of which is hoisted up and waved in your face and might be disregarded as attempts add a little interest to an otherwise routine event. It’s all very subtle. All very unimposing and modest: not unlike those one might come across when wandering the wastelands.
Fiction? It is! Yet, it is so much more than a tale of crime lords and spies playing their games in a room full of mirrors, filled with smoke.
The author has, I’m now convinced, spent time as an itinerant: found friends along the way: come to understand the fears they hold for their children: come to accept these heinous crimes are known by Western authorities, and are left in a draw marked ‘NO ACTION NEEDED’, and has chosen to put these atrocities before a wider audience.
Spy thrillers don't do this. I can't think of one that I've read that does.
Hollywood should get their hands on these; three good and meaningful films here.
October 23, 2024
This is a good story, built on strong, real world, foundations and told well. Told differently to most of what is available in the genre. Sometimes a book will stay in my mind for days, weeks even, because it breaks with accepted convention. As this trilogy does. Having finished this, #3 of the trilogy, I took time to go back and flick through the first two books.
I’m in mind of what W. Somerset Maugham said in his preface to the book, Ashenden: “Fact is a poor storyteller. It starts a story at haphazard, generally long before the beginning, rambles on inconsequently and tails off, leaving loose ends hanging about, without a conclusion. It works up to an interesting situation, and then leaves it in the air to follow an issue that has nothing to do with the point; it has no sense of climax and whittles away its dramatic effects in irrelevance. There is a school of novelists that looks upon this as the proper model for fiction.”
I’m of the mind Ben Carlyle sits in this corner.
The Roads Chosen (#1), has a beginning. Yet I feel it leaves the reader with no sense of climax, several loose ends for the reader to consider, and interesting situations are left in the air:
- why did Mitchell’s saviours provide him with an escape from Russia, having insisted it was madness?
- where did Edward Liscombe go?
- what did Miss Liscombe do next?
- what happened with the efforts made by SIS to extract their asset from Kazakhstan?
- what did Mitchell decide upon once the consequences of his actions became clear to him?
Today’s raff of spy-crime-thrillers have a staunch protagonist to counter those wishing harm. A hero able to finish the job off and move on to the next crisis (#2 in the series); begging the reader to believe all is entirely possible.
A Chosen Path (#2) shows the reader Mitchell is not one of those countering those wishing harm. He is more a meddler than a hero of the day. #2 introduces a whole cast of characters into the mix, some of whom come and then go, some whom do stay around. Again, #2 leaves the reader with no sense of climax, a number of loose ends for the reader to consider, and interesting situations are left in the air:
- what happened to the loot stolen from the office in Moscow?
- what is the outcome of all the plans being acted upon in Britain, none of which the reader has any real idea of why they are being progressed? These, for me, are issues which seem to have nothing to do with the point.
Their Chosen Way (#3) ties up some of the loose ends but does leave a few others hanging. We do get to see the outcome of the plans made in Britain, but once more, there is no climax and a most interesting situation is left in the air.
- where have Mitchell’s saviours (the true heroes of the day) gone?
- how have the network used their new wealth?
- has Natasha secured her place?
- where is Mitchell and his bride?
- are Kolenka Investments still up and running?
Is this a story that can have an ending? The real world foundations this trilogy is built upon insist upon the ending remaining in the real world.
W. Somerset Maugham said, “If life, they say, is arbitrary and disconnected, why, fiction should be so too; for fiction should imitate life. In life, things happen at random, and that is how they should happen in a story; they do not lead to a climax, which is an outrage to probability, they just go on. ... [Some authors] give you the materials for a dish and expect you to do the cooking yourself. Now this is one way like another of writing stories, and some very good stories have been written in it. Chekov used it with mastery.” [Anton Pavlovich Chekhov: 1860–1904. A Russian playwright and short-story writer.]
Within this trilogy are all the ingredients found in the books hailed from the rooftops as the greatest of the genre: what can be made from all may be distasteful for some. Mitchell’s place in the trilogy is that of a linchpin and nothing more. There is no one singular hero. The plot line is progressed by the organised effort of many. Much fails to go according to plan. Unforeseen happenings occur randomly. Many of the main characters lead busy lives, focus on the job at hand, without their feelings and thoughts fighting for the reader’s sympathy or hoping to gain an empathy.
Should fiction imitate life?
I’m in mind of what W. Somerset Maugham said in his preface to the book, Ashenden: “Fact is a poor storyteller. It starts a story at haphazard, generally long before the beginning, rambles on inconsequently and tails off, leaving loose ends hanging about, without a conclusion. It works up to an interesting situation, and then leaves it in the air to follow an issue that has nothing to do with the point; it has no sense of climax and whittles away its dramatic effects in irrelevance. There is a school of novelists that looks upon this as the proper model for fiction.”
I’m of the mind Ben Carlyle sits in this corner.
The Roads Chosen (#1), has a beginning. Yet I feel it leaves the reader with no sense of climax, several loose ends for the reader to consider, and interesting situations are left in the air:
- why did Mitchell’s saviours provide him with an escape from Russia, having insisted it was madness?
- where did Edward Liscombe go?
- what did Miss Liscombe do next?
- what happened with the efforts made by SIS to extract their asset from Kazakhstan?
- what did Mitchell decide upon once the consequences of his actions became clear to him?
Today’s raff of spy-crime-thrillers have a staunch protagonist to counter those wishing harm. A hero able to finish the job off and move on to the next crisis (#2 in the series); begging the reader to believe all is entirely possible.
A Chosen Path (#2) shows the reader Mitchell is not one of those countering those wishing harm. He is more a meddler than a hero of the day. #2 introduces a whole cast of characters into the mix, some of whom come and then go, some whom do stay around. Again, #2 leaves the reader with no sense of climax, a number of loose ends for the reader to consider, and interesting situations are left in the air:
- what happened to the loot stolen from the office in Moscow?
- what is the outcome of all the plans being acted upon in Britain, none of which the reader has any real idea of why they are being progressed? These, for me, are issues which seem to have nothing to do with the point.
Their Chosen Way (#3) ties up some of the loose ends but does leave a few others hanging. We do get to see the outcome of the plans made in Britain, but once more, there is no climax and a most interesting situation is left in the air.
- where have Mitchell’s saviours (the true heroes of the day) gone?
- how have the network used their new wealth?
- has Natasha secured her place?
- where is Mitchell and his bride?
- are Kolenka Investments still up and running?
Is this a story that can have an ending? The real world foundations this trilogy is built upon insist upon the ending remaining in the real world.
W. Somerset Maugham said, “If life, they say, is arbitrary and disconnected, why, fiction should be so too; for fiction should imitate life. In life, things happen at random, and that is how they should happen in a story; they do not lead to a climax, which is an outrage to probability, they just go on. ... [Some authors] give you the materials for a dish and expect you to do the cooking yourself. Now this is one way like another of writing stories, and some very good stories have been written in it. Chekov used it with mastery.” [Anton Pavlovich Chekhov: 1860–1904. A Russian playwright and short-story writer.]
Within this trilogy are all the ingredients found in the books hailed from the rooftops as the greatest of the genre: what can be made from all may be distasteful for some. Mitchell’s place in the trilogy is that of a linchpin and nothing more. There is no one singular hero. The plot line is progressed by the organised effort of many. Much fails to go according to plan. Unforeseen happenings occur randomly. Many of the main characters lead busy lives, focus on the job at hand, without their feelings and thoughts fighting for the reader’s sympathy or hoping to gain an empathy.
Should fiction imitate life?
April 9, 2025
This trilogy is some ride. Part-one does, as Mandy said, 'Give you goose-bumps'. I'd say, 'it plants the tree'. I'm not that versed in writing a review, I doubt my two-cents is worth too much. That is more so with this as I know nothing of life in the former Soviet States, however my sense and what I have gained from the 'www' suggest the story is entirely plausible: I've found that ordinarily thrillers of this genre stretch my imagination too much.
What sets this apart, I feel, is that main theme is not the protagonists and the feats, the struggles they are faced with: it's that the story is tied to the dire straits the ordinary everyday people of Russia face.
Enough members have already said what I'm saying, but... what I must ask is, where does the author's knowledge come from? As a bye-the-way, in part-one a young man stops by the river and takes a notebook and pen from his pocket. In part two, as a bye-the way, the note-taker is named as Stuart Donaldson, an MI6 asset. Does Mr Donaldson play a cameo role in this story?
What sets this apart, I feel, is that main theme is not the protagonists and the feats, the struggles they are faced with: it's that the story is tied to the dire straits the ordinary everyday people of Russia face.
Enough members have already said what I'm saying, but... what I must ask is, where does the author's knowledge come from? As a bye-the-way, in part-one a young man stops by the river and takes a notebook and pen from his pocket. In part two, as a bye-the way, the note-taker is named as Stuart Donaldson, an MI6 asset. Does Mr Donaldson play a cameo role in this story?
July 24, 2024
I want to give 5 stars. I won’t, I’ll give 4 stars. The reason for this is that Ben asked me if I would want to edit the first draft and publish the book. He’s still working away, in the sticks, so hasn’t too much free time.
I leapt at the chance, banged the door of my friend’s (my brother’s former girlfriend - they remain pals), she’s a journalist.
She read the first two books: wanted to measure the development of characters from book 1 and book 2; and get an understanding of the ‘voice’. Voice? I learn something new every day.
I had no actual part in the edit, but I, all on my own, published the book on Amazon.
I shouldn’t say too much, but.... it starts, as the first two books do, with the back stories of folk from a few generations back and how suffering at the hand of the merciless has unintended consequences for those of today. Then,.... the story itself begins .... a few months before the point where book 2 finishes: in book 2, the burglary of the offices in Moscow takes place on, 04th October, 2008. Sam departs Russia on, 21st December, 2008. Much happens between those dates, not disclosed in book 2. Lots of it is ‘hairy-scary’ mobile surveillance, burglary and deception (some of which happens when wearing nothing more than a kimono).
When Sam gets home, lots happen in the UK, some of which is also ‘hairy-scary’: they stage a fight on a train, for reasons I’ll not mention here.
By the end of this three volume story, Sam and Rebecca have made a big decision on their future; they’ve chosen a different path.
I leapt at the chance, banged the door of my friend’s (my brother’s former girlfriend - they remain pals), she’s a journalist.
She read the first two books: wanted to measure the development of characters from book 1 and book 2; and get an understanding of the ‘voice’. Voice? I learn something new every day.
I had no actual part in the edit, but I, all on my own, published the book on Amazon.
I shouldn’t say too much, but.... it starts, as the first two books do, with the back stories of folk from a few generations back and how suffering at the hand of the merciless has unintended consequences for those of today. Then,.... the story itself begins .... a few months before the point where book 2 finishes: in book 2, the burglary of the offices in Moscow takes place on, 04th October, 2008. Sam departs Russia on, 21st December, 2008. Much happens between those dates, not disclosed in book 2. Lots of it is ‘hairy-scary’ mobile surveillance, burglary and deception (some of which happens when wearing nothing more than a kimono).
When Sam gets home, lots happen in the UK, some of which is also ‘hairy-scary’: they stage a fight on a train, for reasons I’ll not mention here.
By the end of this three volume story, Sam and Rebecca have made a big decision on their future; they’ve chosen a different path.
November 28, 2024
The cover clues you in to where the story is heading. Book 1 opens our eyes to the abuse of young military conscripts. 2 + 2 = 4: people with their hands on the levers of power are in the sights of the faceless crime lords: those who want influence.
The stakes are higher. The risks are greater. Mishap happens. Outcomes cannot be measured.
I was kept awake by it.
The stakes are higher. The risks are greater. Mishap happens. Outcomes cannot be measured.
I was kept awake by it.
February 13, 2025
From the get-go it's riveting. There is so much happening at an incredible pace within a mixing pot of spies and resistance fighters. The 'White Knights' alluded to in book 1 show themselves and although the ending remains an open question, it puts Sam and company in the ascendancy. The story is not yet over.
December 2, 2024
I've said this before: 'Off the back of episode 2, I can only describe this episode as explosive.'
Semyon is a young officer: his grandfather was a general, he's church going, he's honourable, he's courageous, he's everything a girl would want. Natasha is, well, just perfect. Semyon kicks her in the head when he's trying to get from the back of the car into the front passenger seat (you've a dirty mind and you should be ashamed of yourself: they are in mobile surveillance of a badman). They spend a fair amount of time together and he talks very highly of her capabilities (one of the reasons why I like him so much). It was obvious to me that they would end up together. There's talk of Semyon wanting a wife. They don't. Mr Carlyle you are a tease. Then, little in episode 3 went as I expected it would.
Now that I've vented my exasperation, I'll talk about the book. It's high-stakes drama and action from start to finish. Lots goes wrong. There's loads of robust debriefing/briefing/ debates/planning/replanning/arguments about what to do and how to do it. Then, when they're doing what they've agreed on, there's hiccups.
Sam gets caught up in the action when things go sideways and they've not enough 'boots on the ground'. He remains lovely, I know he's caught between a rock and a hard place and is still trying to do the right thing, but I'm not smitten with him any longer. Semyon is the boy for me: I know, he'd never let me down, tell me a lie, or give up on me. He's a keeper.
It's nerve-wracking and, and, it might be the end of the story. It might not. I hope it's not. Natasha is the future: that becomes obvious. It ends with Natasha talking about her military career, marriage and babies. Why would that be?
Natasha has such an impact on this story and is added to the mix in the last episode. The author could have introduced Natasha in episode 2. It can't end because they (Sam and friends) are only part way to achieving their goal.
This is another issue I have with the author: he doesn't ever clearly state what the end goal is. He allows the reader to decide that from their reading. Sam chooses a path (a road, a way) that I never expected of him.
I'm not saying what road and where it might lead. This is no longer all about Sam. He is just a small part of a big organisation. Maybe...
Semyon is a young officer: his grandfather was a general, he's church going, he's honourable, he's courageous, he's everything a girl would want. Natasha is, well, just perfect. Semyon kicks her in the head when he's trying to get from the back of the car into the front passenger seat (you've a dirty mind and you should be ashamed of yourself: they are in mobile surveillance of a badman). They spend a fair amount of time together and he talks very highly of her capabilities (one of the reasons why I like him so much). It was obvious to me that they would end up together. There's talk of Semyon wanting a wife. They don't. Mr Carlyle you are a tease. Then, little in episode 3 went as I expected it would.
Now that I've vented my exasperation, I'll talk about the book. It's high-stakes drama and action from start to finish. Lots goes wrong. There's loads of robust debriefing/briefing/ debates/planning/replanning/arguments about what to do and how to do it. Then, when they're doing what they've agreed on, there's hiccups.
Sam gets caught up in the action when things go sideways and they've not enough 'boots on the ground'. He remains lovely, I know he's caught between a rock and a hard place and is still trying to do the right thing, but I'm not smitten with him any longer. Semyon is the boy for me: I know, he'd never let me down, tell me a lie, or give up on me. He's a keeper.
It's nerve-wracking and, and, it might be the end of the story. It might not. I hope it's not. Natasha is the future: that becomes obvious. It ends with Natasha talking about her military career, marriage and babies. Why would that be?
Natasha has such an impact on this story and is added to the mix in the last episode. The author could have introduced Natasha in episode 2. It can't end because they (Sam and friends) are only part way to achieving their goal.
This is another issue I have with the author: he doesn't ever clearly state what the end goal is. He allows the reader to decide that from their reading. Sam chooses a path (a road, a way) that I never expected of him.
I'm not saying what road and where it might lead. This is no longer all about Sam. He is just a small part of a big organisation. Maybe...
March 26, 2025
Again, I’m amazed. More so than before. In this episode, Sam finds himself in the driving seat. We met him when he was just a vagabond and your average, everyday, itinerant cannot become a trained and hardened intelligence officer overnight. Even with Harry as chum, it’s not feasible. However, and this is important, at times, needs must. Everything is happening at such a pace and Naidya did say (episode two), ‘We’ve too few boots on the ground.’
This is an electric story. I revelled in witnessing how things don’t go according to plan. How ideas and plans fizzle out, surveillance comes to nothing and unforeseen spanners are thrown into the works. Something I’m sure does happen when operating in the world of smoke and mirrors. It’s great to read.
Time and effort is put into nabbing a phone: it goes wrong. They finally grab it: it comes to nothing. The excitement is in how they go about it.
Characters we met in episode two come to the fore. New arrivals take turns at the helm: Natasha is just wonderful.
In all the pace and breathless efforts, there’s an underlying and heart-wrenching theme. This is a great story.
This is an electric story. I revelled in witnessing how things don’t go according to plan. How ideas and plans fizzle out, surveillance comes to nothing and unforeseen spanners are thrown into the works. Something I’m sure does happen when operating in the world of smoke and mirrors. It’s great to read.
Time and effort is put into nabbing a phone: it goes wrong. They finally grab it: it comes to nothing. The excitement is in how they go about it.
Characters we met in episode two come to the fore. New arrivals take turns at the helm: Natasha is just wonderful.
In all the pace and breathless efforts, there’s an underlying and heart-wrenching theme. This is a great story.
June 24, 2025
It's as riveting as the previous instalments; and faster and more furious.
In the final chapter, Natasha says what she says, whilst luring Luka into her nest, because we needed to know this not the end of the story.
I'm breathless.
In the final chapter, Natasha says what she says, whilst luring Luka into her nest, because we needed to know this not the end of the story.
I'm breathless.
August 11, 2025
I'm of the mind, it still ain't over. I really think the author is out there on his own when taking on the social injustice he did in book one and going a step further with yet another social injustice in book three.
An immense amount happens in both the UK and Russia: there's fisticuffs and guns, some of which goes well and some of which does not. The fight on the train is just brilliant; I can imagine how when trying to pull off a scam like that you might get an unintended black-eye. Even though we are talking of serious measures I did have to laugh.
I enjoyed how the girls came even more to the front. Martha in book two is truly fantastic and then we meet Stephanie, ("...She picks me out in an instant, lands in front of me and with coal-black-eyes, which would make Mike Tyson wither, she says, ‘You Bubbles?’ I’m trying to look bewildered, and she says, ‘Your circus, is it? Get a real job and stop wasting our time.’ She could bring the fear of Zeus down on the best of 'em, Geoff. I kid you not."
Then there's Natasha, Georgina and Rebecca, all involved in the scheming.
A fantastic story and it should be told.
An immense amount happens in both the UK and Russia: there's fisticuffs and guns, some of which goes well and some of which does not. The fight on the train is just brilliant; I can imagine how when trying to pull off a scam like that you might get an unintended black-eye. Even though we are talking of serious measures I did have to laugh.
I enjoyed how the girls came even more to the front. Martha in book two is truly fantastic and then we meet Stephanie, ("...She picks me out in an instant, lands in front of me and with coal-black-eyes, which would make Mike Tyson wither, she says, ‘You Bubbles?’ I’m trying to look bewildered, and she says, ‘Your circus, is it? Get a real job and stop wasting our time.’ She could bring the fear of Zeus down on the best of 'em, Geoff. I kid you not."
Then there's Natasha, Georgina and Rebecca, all involved in the scheming.
A fantastic story and it should be told.
January 8, 2025
I said about #1: “Want Goose Bumps? Read This!” I said that because the story is fictionalised true-life and addresses appalling wrong-doings that are happening in the real-world right now.
I said about #2: “This is fiction.”
What I will say about #3 is: “Read This. IT WILL GIVE YOU GOOSE BUMPS.”
I said about #2: “This is fiction.”
What I will say about #3 is: “Read This. IT WILL GIVE YOU GOOSE BUMPS.”
September 20, 2025
I was a little (a little too much, maybe) light-hearted with my review of book-two, A Chosen Path. My sense told me that unlike book-one, book-two is fiction and not tied to the author’s experiences. I remain of that mind but now, whilst accepting book-two is a gateway to a far more dark and odious world (the central theme of book-three) that must be spoken of with a grave voice: these heinous crimes are real, are happening as I write this, and are happening on a global scale.
In book-three there’s lots of action, lots of spy craft, lots of fast cars and a hefty chunk of murder (extrajudicial killing). It is all very thrilling. It all makes sense. It all for me remains credible, and it ends in the same manner as book-one and book-two: on a cliff-edge.
In book-three there’s lots of action, lots of spy craft, lots of fast cars and a hefty chunk of murder (extrajudicial killing). It is all very thrilling. It all makes sense. It all for me remains credible, and it ends in the same manner as book-one and book-two: on a cliff-edge.
September 7, 2024
In the hunt for the names and faces of those who control the organised-crime network, the pace goes up several gears. So much needs to happen and within a short time frame. Most of which happens off-the-books and outside of the office. It’s all rather thrilling. I enjoyed seeing how the women-folk took on huge chunks of the workload and not just used for making the tea.
Natasha is a statement of intent and I can imagine her story of early-life in a mining town is too close to the truth of things…
“I gave away my virginity when I was fourteen. To a nineteen-year-old boy. The baker’s son. He promised me a loaf of bread, every day for a week.”
Naidya looked up.
“I had sex every day for a week with a married warrant-officer, on the promise he would find a place for me on the forthcoming driving course. I knew that being registered as a qualified driver with my regiment would advance my position. I knew within minutes of being in the company of that warrant-officer what he wanted and what he would do to get what he wanted. I know men. You don’t.”
You’ll need some strength, in both mind and body, when making that decision. If you want a fly on the wall, have a chat with Natasha…
“I’m soon to be the poster girl. The girl from humble stock. Who better to tour the villages? There’s more like me. Prettier than me. Brighter than me. I can find you a horde of girls willing to be filmed performing sex acts and then have the footage uploaded to a porn channel. I would be on show today, if I’d not enlisted. Many of those girls who have shown courage and determination shy from enlistment for fear of being sexually abused. Happy though they are when using their charms to provide the family with a little money, they’ll not stomach being abused and then being thrown to the wolves. With robust vetting, we’ll find the gems. Those willing to use their assets for the cause.” Her demeanour grave, she said, “How many girls, Naidya? How many pretty young girls do they, your enemy, steal away from their family with promises of a better life? Never to be seen again. And just as you, Naidya, those parents, those siblings, will never forget the crime, the injustice, done the family.”
Russia, we are told, is the birthplace of the elephant; and the Russian, we are told, has a long memory.
This ain’t over yet!
Natasha is a statement of intent and I can imagine her story of early-life in a mining town is too close to the truth of things…
“I gave away my virginity when I was fourteen. To a nineteen-year-old boy. The baker’s son. He promised me a loaf of bread, every day for a week.”
Naidya looked up.
“I had sex every day for a week with a married warrant-officer, on the promise he would find a place for me on the forthcoming driving course. I knew that being registered as a qualified driver with my regiment would advance my position. I knew within minutes of being in the company of that warrant-officer what he wanted and what he would do to get what he wanted. I know men. You don’t.”
You’ll need some strength, in both mind and body, when making that decision. If you want a fly on the wall, have a chat with Natasha…
“I’m soon to be the poster girl. The girl from humble stock. Who better to tour the villages? There’s more like me. Prettier than me. Brighter than me. I can find you a horde of girls willing to be filmed performing sex acts and then have the footage uploaded to a porn channel. I would be on show today, if I’d not enlisted. Many of those girls who have shown courage and determination shy from enlistment for fear of being sexually abused. Happy though they are when using their charms to provide the family with a little money, they’ll not stomach being abused and then being thrown to the wolves. With robust vetting, we’ll find the gems. Those willing to use their assets for the cause.” Her demeanour grave, she said, “How many girls, Naidya? How many pretty young girls do they, your enemy, steal away from their family with promises of a better life? Never to be seen again. And just as you, Naidya, those parents, those siblings, will never forget the crime, the injustice, done the family.”
Russia, we are told, is the birthplace of the elephant; and the Russian, we are told, has a long memory.
This ain’t over yet!
October 31, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy. It is, as I said, in my review of #1, a modern day thriller with a soul.
In the final episode the story becomes incredibly fast paced compared to the previous episodes. I’m sold on how the story unfolds. Things don’t come off in the way wanted: that’s life. It’s been said a million times: the best laid plans of mice and men.
I did a few years ago read a number of espionage orientated novels. This stands out in its ability to show how planning and implementation of surveillance operations rolls out. The dialogue goes a long way in explaining how such operations are fraught with difficulties. The heated debates are fascinating.
The character development over the trilogy is done well: how the changing dynamics within families, work, and personal relationships can have an influence on such things is good to read.
The ending is left open and I do believe that is how it should be.
In the final episode the story becomes incredibly fast paced compared to the previous episodes. I’m sold on how the story unfolds. Things don’t come off in the way wanted: that’s life. It’s been said a million times: the best laid plans of mice and men.
I did a few years ago read a number of espionage orientated novels. This stands out in its ability to show how planning and implementation of surveillance operations rolls out. The dialogue goes a long way in explaining how such operations are fraught with difficulties. The heated debates are fascinating.
The character development over the trilogy is done well: how the changing dynamics within families, work, and personal relationships can have an influence on such things is good to read.
The ending is left open and I do believe that is how it should be.
January 6, 2025
I have tried adding a sprinkling of amusement into my reviews and was torn over continuing with book-three of this trilogy. Sam remains a heart-throb and again spends little time occupying centre-stage. Book-one introduced the construct, the author’s chosen way, (he, he, he - applause please or at least a brownie-point) when Sam steps to the side and allows the spotlight to shine more on Boris. I was never ruffled by this, more surprised. I’d not come across ‘his chosen way’ before now.
I’ll quote Iain, once more, ‘It takes courage to break from the accepted format of this genre and the author has kept book #2 rooted in reality. The subject deserves as much.’
The principal theme for book-three is even more deserving of being kept on solid ground and shown the necessary respect. I have spent some time on the internet. What is more easily available are the key themes of book-one and book-two: the preface of facts in book-one does give a line to follow: not for book-three. The book’s cover gives a premise upon which an assumption of book-three’s theme can be drawn. It is happening, and the internet provides the facts: and, any fiction written should not flirt with the subject. And why, I feel, the author’s chosen way of presenting the heart-wrenching picture is kept sober. The author avoids graphic detail, of which there is no need and provides an argument to suggest this ‘way of things’ not only irreversibly damages those directly affected, it damages all of society.
Sam shines in book-three and we are allowed to witness the road he chooses to take. I, like other readers, see this as allowing the author to keep the main characters alive: this is not over. I’ll wager, we’ll not be offered: Sam Mitchell, #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, but a story that continues, bouncing off characters from the previous episodes: the theme being, ‘This is the real-world, recognise it.’
I’ll quote Iain, once more, ‘It takes courage to break from the accepted format of this genre and the author has kept book #2 rooted in reality. The subject deserves as much.’
The principal theme for book-three is even more deserving of being kept on solid ground and shown the necessary respect. I have spent some time on the internet. What is more easily available are the key themes of book-one and book-two: the preface of facts in book-one does give a line to follow: not for book-three. The book’s cover gives a premise upon which an assumption of book-three’s theme can be drawn. It is happening, and the internet provides the facts: and, any fiction written should not flirt with the subject. And why, I feel, the author’s chosen way of presenting the heart-wrenching picture is kept sober. The author avoids graphic detail, of which there is no need and provides an argument to suggest this ‘way of things’ not only irreversibly damages those directly affected, it damages all of society.
Sam shines in book-three and we are allowed to witness the road he chooses to take. I, like other readers, see this as allowing the author to keep the main characters alive: this is not over. I’ll wager, we’ll not be offered: Sam Mitchell, #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, but a story that continues, bouncing off characters from the previous episodes: the theme being, ‘This is the real-world, recognise it.’
July 28, 2025
It's taken an age to get this finished; not the books fault, mine. I have been working more hours than God made. There's a comedy sketch (Monty Python) where someone says, "I used to wake up half an hour before I went to bed." I don't know much more about it, I'm told it was bunch of old-timers bragging about how hard life was when they were nippers. I can relate to it. I've been kipping in an armchair in the unit, saying, "Wake me if you need help."
And now, the medics are on strike.
Anyhow, this is full of thrills, spills and lots of zesty arguments among the troops. The subject matter is something I get bugged about as I have seen the consequences of that level of abuse. How we got to this point (the three books), I admire the author for his work. It should be talked about. It is happening. It is awful.
And now, the medics are on strike.
Anyhow, this is full of thrills, spills and lots of zesty arguments among the troops. The subject matter is something I get bugged about as I have seen the consequences of that level of abuse. How we got to this point (the three books), I admire the author for his work. It should be talked about. It is happening. It is awful.
December 23, 2024
This review captures all three books:
I'm now a huge fan of the author and his books (the trilogy). I'm a nurse, it's all I have ever wanted to be, and because it enables me to help people that need more than a kind word. Which is all I have ever wanted to do. I do it in a warm, safe space, it's all I've ever done. Anything I write you need to weigh against how much I admire this man.
There are hundreds of souls living in a cold, life-threatening hell-hole and they go largely unnoticed by us the plebeians until someone cares enough to tell us in a format that we may find accommodating: the authorities and their media friends won't be shouting about it: that I know.
I'm guilty of reading all of the reviews on offer:
"Where are the bodies?"
"Do the maths."
I'm convinced this is happening. This is not fiction and why the books are written with such gravitas: I would give up what I'm doing tomorrow if I could be part of this.
It's a story of hope: hope for the unfortunate souls held, by no fault of their own, in a place where there is no hope.
Those that do: do. I admire this man so much.
I'm now a huge fan of the author and his books (the trilogy). I'm a nurse, it's all I have ever wanted to be, and because it enables me to help people that need more than a kind word. Which is all I have ever wanted to do. I do it in a warm, safe space, it's all I've ever done. Anything I write you need to weigh against how much I admire this man.
There are hundreds of souls living in a cold, life-threatening hell-hole and they go largely unnoticed by us the plebeians until someone cares enough to tell us in a format that we may find accommodating: the authorities and their media friends won't be shouting about it: that I know.
I'm guilty of reading all of the reviews on offer:
"Where are the bodies?"
"Do the maths."
I'm convinced this is happening. This is not fiction and why the books are written with such gravitas: I would give up what I'm doing tomorrow if I could be part of this.
It's a story of hope: hope for the unfortunate souls held, by no fault of their own, in a place where there is no hope.
Those that do: do. I admire this man so much.
August 7, 2024
From page-one of book-one, we have been led from the plight of military conscripts into the world of the faceless people who control organised crime and from there to the abuse of ‘the underage’. That road can only lead to the trafficking of these most unfortunate souls. A subject lightly touched upon in this episode. These are complex novels; and I believe have to be. They tie the desperate social straits tearing at the very fabric of family life into a fictional tale focused on those who want better for their nation but are forced to work under-the-radar. The social issues discussed are borne out by academic studies, some of which the author has referenced. Book-two, like book-one, has an open ending that provides the opportunity for the author to focus upon the gathering of information on persons believed to be ‘of interest’ when hoping to root out the enemy. The rooting is based upon some quite risky, fast-moving ventures and, more than what was first expected, comes to light giving the rooters greater options. At the conclusion, the enemy, hiding in parts distant from the action, although wounded, still lives. A fourth book, methinks, is on the way.
August 8, 2024
I’m most especially pleased with this the final episode of what was always going to be labelled a trilogy. The focus of the tale has shifted from the plight of young conscripts to the grip organised crime has on life in Russia. The abuse some conscripts are subjected to will not change anytime soon, and the author took the subject on knowing just that. I see the conscript issue, although most horrid and in need of open debate, as a vehicle used to direct our attention toward further horrendous injustices the young are forced to endure. Within the first episode, the conscript issue is most admirably depicted, and we are given an understanding of how vile, current, and worsening the incidence of this is. Maybe it is because not too much is within the public domain. After all, this is a far darker secret, but in this instance we are left to our own imagination when it comes to how prevalent the systemic abuse of these youngsters is. I must therefore, once again, commend the author for taking the subject on, whilst again knowing he cannot suggest things will change anytime soon.
I speak with Beth regularly. She is a charming young lady and a delight to talk with. So again I commend the author, as I know how busy the chap is, for handing his work, which I am sure he must be most proud of, to Beth in order to bring this to publication. I commend Beth for the courage she has shown when taking Mr Carlyle’s latest work by the horns and running with it. I know from speaking with Beth that the author is too humble by far and I am sure that once he is back from his work, he will acknowledge Beth’s efforts.
I speak with Beth regularly. She is a charming young lady and a delight to talk with. So again I commend the author, as I know how busy the chap is, for handing his work, which I am sure he must be most proud of, to Beth in order to bring this to publication. I commend Beth for the courage she has shown when taking Mr Carlyle’s latest work by the horns and running with it. I know from speaking with Beth that the author is too humble by far and I am sure that once he is back from his work, he will acknowledge Beth’s efforts.
December 19, 2024
As with episode one and two, Their Chosen Way (episode three) avoids focusing on a central character. Why would an unknown indie-author break with current convention?
The Roads Chosen (episode one) opens with the focus on Harry Collins (001, Collins, Harry Collins.) A glamourous secretary (Georgina) plays the part of Miss Moneypenny. All this told me Collins, Harry Collins, is about to venture overseas and outsmart the evil doer. Then, the focus shifts to a traveller (Sam Mitchell) and I’m asked to show a little empathy. It worked for me: Sam shows us his caring heart. When things got a little risky for Sam, I was plugging for him: “Sucked in by a story constructed with the hope I’ll get behind Sam.”
I’m thinking, Sam will head for hills, use his survival skills and take to the old and forgotten roads (ancient trading routes): I can’t be blamed for the reasoning, he did (the author) early-on feed me the fodder. Then the focus shifts from Sam to Boris and family. Episode one is a heck of a story and I wonder if the author toyed with the central character concept, knowing that in episode two and episode three, he was going to throw the practice off the cliff.
Episode two and three is about a multi-national team striving to achieve what, in reality, is unachievable. And, the author (Mr Keep-It-Real) is not one to disappoint. The story ends with the aim only part-way accomplished. I’m of the mind the story has a long way to go yet.
The story is a cracker and I’m reminded of what William (Billy) Somerset Maugham informs us of:
‘There is a school of novelists that shy from giving you a story: they give you the material on which you can invent your own. Sometimes it consists of an incident presented, you might think, at haphazard, and you are invited to divine its significance. Sometimes they give you a character and leave it at that. They give you the materials for a dish and expect you to do the cooking yourself.’
Is Mr Keep-It-Real in the kitchen with a bunch of ingredients on the chopping block? I’m wondering what he’s cooking up in episode four.
The Roads Chosen (episode one) opens with the focus on Harry Collins (001, Collins, Harry Collins.) A glamourous secretary (Georgina) plays the part of Miss Moneypenny. All this told me Collins, Harry Collins, is about to venture overseas and outsmart the evil doer. Then, the focus shifts to a traveller (Sam Mitchell) and I’m asked to show a little empathy. It worked for me: Sam shows us his caring heart. When things got a little risky for Sam, I was plugging for him: “Sucked in by a story constructed with the hope I’ll get behind Sam.”
I’m thinking, Sam will head for hills, use his survival skills and take to the old and forgotten roads (ancient trading routes): I can’t be blamed for the reasoning, he did (the author) early-on feed me the fodder. Then the focus shifts from Sam to Boris and family. Episode one is a heck of a story and I wonder if the author toyed with the central character concept, knowing that in episode two and episode three, he was going to throw the practice off the cliff.
Episode two and three is about a multi-national team striving to achieve what, in reality, is unachievable. And, the author (Mr Keep-It-Real) is not one to disappoint. The story ends with the aim only part-way accomplished. I’m of the mind the story has a long way to go yet.
The story is a cracker and I’m reminded of what William (Billy) Somerset Maugham informs us of:
‘There is a school of novelists that shy from giving you a story: they give you the material on which you can invent your own. Sometimes it consists of an incident presented, you might think, at haphazard, and you are invited to divine its significance. Sometimes they give you a character and leave it at that. They give you the materials for a dish and expect you to do the cooking yourself.’
Is Mr Keep-It-Real in the kitchen with a bunch of ingredients on the chopping block? I’m wondering what he’s cooking up in episode four.
August 18, 2024
I'm thinking about it. - I wrote it, read Iain's review, and thought I'd better think about it some more.
I've thought about it:
In my reviews of the previous two episodes, I focused on portraying the storyline. I’ve taken note from other reviews (Iain's as an example) of this episode and realise, I also failed to pick-up on the theme.
I read little fiction, with most I become bored by the storyline early on: most, nowadays, is far too outlandish and tends to have spades of padding. This author’s work engaged me: is not and does not.
I do, however, accuse myself of being dull: not the brightest of the bunch. In reflection, after reading the reviews, and then lying awake in the wee-small-hours, I see why, in episode one, on page one, the author opted for providing the backstory on the early years of Valery Vestin: “Blessed,” his mother claimed in wonderment, and smiled in her kindly way. “Spared from the military.” Helen made mention of this in her review, and yet it still sailed on by without me noticing.
These are good stories, involving great characters, steeped in the history of the nation states, wrapped around ordinary life, depicting what we all now know are incredibly damaging societal issues.
The author ratchets up the tension, the action and the threat in episode three whilst keeping his focus on the theme: the criminality destroying young lives.
I've thought about it:
In my reviews of the previous two episodes, I focused on portraying the storyline. I’ve taken note from other reviews (Iain's as an example) of this episode and realise, I also failed to pick-up on the theme.
I read little fiction, with most I become bored by the storyline early on: most, nowadays, is far too outlandish and tends to have spades of padding. This author’s work engaged me: is not and does not.
I do, however, accuse myself of being dull: not the brightest of the bunch. In reflection, after reading the reviews, and then lying awake in the wee-small-hours, I see why, in episode one, on page one, the author opted for providing the backstory on the early years of Valery Vestin: “Blessed,” his mother claimed in wonderment, and smiled in her kindly way. “Spared from the military.” Helen made mention of this in her review, and yet it still sailed on by without me noticing.
These are good stories, involving great characters, steeped in the history of the nation states, wrapped around ordinary life, depicting what we all now know are incredibly damaging societal issues.
The author ratchets up the tension, the action and the threat in episode three whilst keeping his focus on the theme: the criminality destroying young lives.
August 4, 2024
I doubt any reader of book-one and book-two of this trilogy would have guessed where book-three would take them.
In book-one, the main plot-line of uncovering a drug-trafficking scheme controlled by Russian mafia opens a door to the life of ordinary people in the former soviet-union and the horrors some young men face when conscripted into the military. The family of smugglers from Samara, in book-one, using the guise of smuggling goods as a cover for their more admirable deeds, is clever; and we’re allowed to understand ‘the barge-people’ are but a small part of a much bigger network.
By continuing the same-line in book-two, I was sure the author was making an effort to further depict how it was these unfortunate conscripts are disappeared by the ‘underground-network’. I accepted this was the author putting more meat-on-the-bones. After all, the author went to great lengths to give strong reasoning and justification for all other aspects of his plot. In book-two, the author gave the reader an explanation of how a mafia boss has the option of using a go-between open to him when seeking favour from military figures that may not be too sympathetic to the criminal fraternity: all very reasonable. But other reasons we now find from book-three, are why we were allowed to see that.
Book-three sees two groups in unfamiliar territory, one group far more than the other. Whilst both groups are intent on gathering information, the two groups, situated hundreds of miles apart, do not - and the author justifies why - trust each other, yet have agreed to work together. All avenues - the ways of espionage agencies - are pursued. The action is fast-paced; the characters put their shoulders to the wheel and luck, like chance, can be a fickle thing. I’m convinced this is the way of things in the world of espionage. It’s refreshing to see an author delve deep into the minefield of assessing and deciding on options on-the-fly. There’s some great and sometimes fiery debates between colleagues when time is of the essence and no one is too sure of how the land lies; again this, I’m convinced, is the way of things in real-life. There's heaps of professional pilfering. Heaps of winging it. Heaps of deception. Heaps of helter-skelter. And it all makes for great reading. How it all ends? Well...
In book-one, the main plot-line of uncovering a drug-trafficking scheme controlled by Russian mafia opens a door to the life of ordinary people in the former soviet-union and the horrors some young men face when conscripted into the military. The family of smugglers from Samara, in book-one, using the guise of smuggling goods as a cover for their more admirable deeds, is clever; and we’re allowed to understand ‘the barge-people’ are but a small part of a much bigger network.
By continuing the same-line in book-two, I was sure the author was making an effort to further depict how it was these unfortunate conscripts are disappeared by the ‘underground-network’. I accepted this was the author putting more meat-on-the-bones. After all, the author went to great lengths to give strong reasoning and justification for all other aspects of his plot. In book-two, the author gave the reader an explanation of how a mafia boss has the option of using a go-between open to him when seeking favour from military figures that may not be too sympathetic to the criminal fraternity: all very reasonable. But other reasons we now find from book-three, are why we were allowed to see that.
Book-three sees two groups in unfamiliar territory, one group far more than the other. Whilst both groups are intent on gathering information, the two groups, situated hundreds of miles apart, do not - and the author justifies why - trust each other, yet have agreed to work together. All avenues - the ways of espionage agencies - are pursued. The action is fast-paced; the characters put their shoulders to the wheel and luck, like chance, can be a fickle thing. I’m convinced this is the way of things in the world of espionage. It’s refreshing to see an author delve deep into the minefield of assessing and deciding on options on-the-fly. There’s some great and sometimes fiery debates between colleagues when time is of the essence and no one is too sure of how the land lies; again this, I’m convinced, is the way of things in real-life. There's heaps of professional pilfering. Heaps of winging it. Heaps of deception. Heaps of helter-skelter. And it all makes for great reading. How it all ends? Well...
August 18, 2024
In the first book, Georgina is a flirt, Rebecca is a shrinking violet, Dana is full of mischief and Alisa is a wise mother.
In the second book, Georgina stakes her claim, Rebecca comes out of her shell, along comes Martha - a woman of merit, with ‘mud-on-her-boots’ and Naidya, trying hard to hide long-held anger, shows her face.
Then, in the third book, Natasha grabs the limelight.
I think it’s wonderful that the women in this trilogy are developed: the author is willing to use these characters and not just for decoration.
I so much enjoyed this. So much is asked of the characters, and the women step-up and take a stint at the wheel.
At no point could I sit back and take in the scenery. There is too much going on in both Russia and Britain and happening in the planning phases and on sneaky operations when following people, bugging their phones and stealing stuff.
The character development is magnificent. Without resorting to backstory padding, the author allows us to learn of them in what they do to progress the plot.
Geoff Orbutton, we know, is a wily craftsman and we’ve had a glimpse of his soft side.
From book two:
“Reception tell me, Georgina, bless her cotton, spent the weekend in Registry. Vicky was there for most of Saturday and Harry signed in early on Sunday, and both he and his gofer signed out close to midnight.”
ALP strode to the coffeepot. “And?”
“And, Andrew. I can’t give her orders, but you can. This is not the ‘50s. We should not be sleeping under desks.”
“You overnight here as much as anyone.”
“I book a room.”
“I’ll have a word.”
“You need to. Facilities get to hear about it. And they will. They review reception’s log sheets, you know that. Are you going to explain it by saying we’re all working off the books?”
“I’ll have a word.”
“I can justify my overnights more easily. You can’t expect George to string facilities along.”
“Geoff. I’ll have a word.”
Pointing a finger in the general direction of the glassed building, on St George Wharf, and but a hundred-metres from ALP’s window, Geoff said, “Book her a room in the Aquarius. If your family don’t own it, I’m sure they’re on first names terms with who does.”
It seems Geoff is more than just a little wily, kind, and caring.
From book three:
“For decades, my associates have wanted a safe means by which they can pass these files to the British.”
“How do you know that?” Geoff asked.
“They told me as much.”
“Why not the Americans?”
“I’ve no idea. I never thought to ask.”
“How much of their money have you stolen?”
“Geoff,” Phil stated.
“No, Phil. No. You’re asking me to go out on a limb with this. Being kept in the dark by those I’m asked to accept as associates does not sit well with me.”
“We are a need-to-know community. And you’ll not get caned,” ALP declared. “If this goes south, both Phil and I will take the heat.”
“Oh, yeah. As if the top table will believe, I blindly followed your instructions. Mister Mitchell’s ‘friends’ want this as much as we want it, so why not put the cards on the table?”
Within book three, and why I think there is more to come, the main characters throughout this trilogy are prodded, pushed and pulled, providing great insight into their personality.
There is a grave message within this trilogy. I’ve read the reviews and am far less able than others to portray that. I knew nothing of these tragedies before reading Mr Carlyle’s books. In truth, I knew almost nothing about most things before becoming a book reader. It is heart-wrenching to think this goes on today.
In the second book, Georgina stakes her claim, Rebecca comes out of her shell, along comes Martha - a woman of merit, with ‘mud-on-her-boots’ and Naidya, trying hard to hide long-held anger, shows her face.
Then, in the third book, Natasha grabs the limelight.
I think it’s wonderful that the women in this trilogy are developed: the author is willing to use these characters and not just for decoration.
I so much enjoyed this. So much is asked of the characters, and the women step-up and take a stint at the wheel.
At no point could I sit back and take in the scenery. There is too much going on in both Russia and Britain and happening in the planning phases and on sneaky operations when following people, bugging their phones and stealing stuff.
The character development is magnificent. Without resorting to backstory padding, the author allows us to learn of them in what they do to progress the plot.
Geoff Orbutton, we know, is a wily craftsman and we’ve had a glimpse of his soft side.
From book two:
“Reception tell me, Georgina, bless her cotton, spent the weekend in Registry. Vicky was there for most of Saturday and Harry signed in early on Sunday, and both he and his gofer signed out close to midnight.”
ALP strode to the coffeepot. “And?”
“And, Andrew. I can’t give her orders, but you can. This is not the ‘50s. We should not be sleeping under desks.”
“You overnight here as much as anyone.”
“I book a room.”
“I’ll have a word.”
“You need to. Facilities get to hear about it. And they will. They review reception’s log sheets, you know that. Are you going to explain it by saying we’re all working off the books?”
“I’ll have a word.”
“I can justify my overnights more easily. You can’t expect George to string facilities along.”
“Geoff. I’ll have a word.”
Pointing a finger in the general direction of the glassed building, on St George Wharf, and but a hundred-metres from ALP’s window, Geoff said, “Book her a room in the Aquarius. If your family don’t own it, I’m sure they’re on first names terms with who does.”
It seems Geoff is more than just a little wily, kind, and caring.
From book three:
“For decades, my associates have wanted a safe means by which they can pass these files to the British.”
“How do you know that?” Geoff asked.
“They told me as much.”
“Why not the Americans?”
“I’ve no idea. I never thought to ask.”
“How much of their money have you stolen?”
“Geoff,” Phil stated.
“No, Phil. No. You’re asking me to go out on a limb with this. Being kept in the dark by those I’m asked to accept as associates does not sit well with me.”
“We are a need-to-know community. And you’ll not get caned,” ALP declared. “If this goes south, both Phil and I will take the heat.”
“Oh, yeah. As if the top table will believe, I blindly followed your instructions. Mister Mitchell’s ‘friends’ want this as much as we want it, so why not put the cards on the table?”
Within book three, and why I think there is more to come, the main characters throughout this trilogy are prodded, pushed and pulled, providing great insight into their personality.
There is a grave message within this trilogy. I’ve read the reviews and am far less able than others to portray that. I knew nothing of these tragedies before reading Mr Carlyle’s books. In truth, I knew almost nothing about most things before becoming a book reader. It is heart-wrenching to think this goes on today.
August 5, 2024
...If the rug under your feet is given a hefty tug, I'd agree, you'll do what you can to steady yourself and stay on your feet. Keep calm, think rationally, look to see if anything has tipped over. The question you have to ask is, “Is everything as it should be?” If all looks to be in order, the next question to ask is, “Is it?” You might never get to know, but do keep your feet on the ground and don’t make hasty decisions.
In chapter one, Boris said, “You will not catch an octopus when you go fishing with only enough bait to tempt a slippery eel.”
When you have your enemy on the rack, I'd again agree, you'll try not to make too many damaging mistakes. Assumption is the mother of all... and all too often things are not as they first seem.
Organised crime is a dangerous game that lives by the law of the jungle. If seen as lamed, you are seen as weakened.
Rudyard Kipling, of Law of the Jungle fame, said, “The Lair of the Wolf is his refuge, but if where he has digged is too plain,...” Should a lair be found, it may be seized and its inhabitants ridded. The result of which might see the raiders occupy the ground now bare. Should they show haste, who can say what might happen?
In the third chapter, Sam Mitchell says, “Would you be at all interested in opening a line of communication with my head of operations here in Russia?”
In chapter one, Boris said, “You will not catch an octopus when you go fishing with only enough bait to tempt a slippery eel.”
When you have your enemy on the rack, I'd again agree, you'll try not to make too many damaging mistakes. Assumption is the mother of all... and all too often things are not as they first seem.
Organised crime is a dangerous game that lives by the law of the jungle. If seen as lamed, you are seen as weakened.
Rudyard Kipling, of Law of the Jungle fame, said, “The Lair of the Wolf is his refuge, but if where he has digged is too plain,...” Should a lair be found, it may be seized and its inhabitants ridded. The result of which might see the raiders occupy the ground now bare. Should they show haste, who can say what might happen?
In the third chapter, Sam Mitchell says, “Would you be at all interested in opening a line of communication with my head of operations here in Russia?”
August 22, 2024
I know the author. He and a few friends he's working with stayed over at John's for a few days. They had meetings in London with folk willing to put a little financial aid into their project. Beth came over and spent the night at John's mums with me. We think it is best you all know this. He's quietly spoken, reserved and most respectful. That said:
‘The Underground Network’ found the wolf’s den. They crept in, but found little to go on. Still, they know not who the faceless are.
Again, in the third book, on numerous occasions, the story zips from Britain to Moscow and back again. And again, Sam is just one player in amongst a team of people who have far more experience of what is to come than he. Even so, he finds himself at the sharp-end when things don’t go as planned. It’s all very exciting.
Those in Russia need more information and put every iron they have on the fire. Those in Britain try to help out, but in return they want information. Difficult, as you might imagine, when there is no trust: things can get tetchy. In order to gather the intelligence they crave, some of those in Britain put their tried and tested irons in the fire: ‘Spies spy, it’s in their DNA.’ They spy on their enemy. They spy on their allies. Their partners. And their new friends.
The phones taken from the wolves in the forest are seen as the key to unlocking the information needed and both camps become a merry-go-round of ideas, possibilities, plans and action: some of which pays off and some of which falls flat. Most of the characters from the second book are kept in play. And in both camps, when agendas and opinions are tested, it makes for tensions that have to be calmed: Rebecca and George do their bit.
With each of the actions taken, the sense of urgency ratchets up and up. Compromat, not the phones, provides the key they are looking for.
The characters are sound and believable. The ground they tread is solid. The actions they take are high risk, but plausible. It’s a great story.
‘The Underground Network’ found the wolf’s den. They crept in, but found little to go on. Still, they know not who the faceless are.
Again, in the third book, on numerous occasions, the story zips from Britain to Moscow and back again. And again, Sam is just one player in amongst a team of people who have far more experience of what is to come than he. Even so, he finds himself at the sharp-end when things don’t go as planned. It’s all very exciting.
Those in Russia need more information and put every iron they have on the fire. Those in Britain try to help out, but in return they want information. Difficult, as you might imagine, when there is no trust: things can get tetchy. In order to gather the intelligence they crave, some of those in Britain put their tried and tested irons in the fire: ‘Spies spy, it’s in their DNA.’ They spy on their enemy. They spy on their allies. Their partners. And their new friends.
The phones taken from the wolves in the forest are seen as the key to unlocking the information needed and both camps become a merry-go-round of ideas, possibilities, plans and action: some of which pays off and some of which falls flat. Most of the characters from the second book are kept in play. And in both camps, when agendas and opinions are tested, it makes for tensions that have to be calmed: Rebecca and George do their bit.
With each of the actions taken, the sense of urgency ratchets up and up. Compromat, not the phones, provides the key they are looking for.
The characters are sound and believable. The ground they tread is solid. The actions they take are high risk, but plausible. It’s a great story.
May 27, 2025
Part-one and part-two expose a social injustice that I had no idea of. This, the final part of the trilogy [I doubt it is the last we’ve heard of these characters] highlights an even more grave social injustice: one that I was very aware of. My young man with the heart of gold, along with a multitude of wonderful characters, stand to be counted. This is a story that should be told.
December 6, 2024
I’m a fan of the author. I was a fan before I read book 3. If, like me, you’ve read book 1 and book 2, then please bear with me.
The road I chose to start on (book 1) has signs posted at regular intervals. Some of those signs, I’ll agree, are not so easy to spot; those I did pickup on gave me an insight into the life of the ordinary people and I’ll argue, also, where the road was heading: although that is easy to say once you’ve arrived at the destination.
Books, fiction books more so, have padding thrown in at opportune moments. In book 1, whilst Sam is jumping through the hoops, he explains how he worked for a plumbing supply business and his thoughts go back to working for the company. With his thoughts comes a little spice to keep the reader engaged when Sam accepts the business owners might not be as squeaky-clean as one might want them to be. Padding slipped in at the time Sam is sat for a job interview. No. No. No. The very last thing that is, is padding. It’s a huge sign post pointing us to where the author wants us to go and I’d say it’s key to the reader more fully understanding how/why later down the line we get to see where the road is leading.
I’m a fan because the author chose to give us a protagonist who is just an ordinary guy wanting the best for his fellow and offering a helping hand when he can. No flash or fancy. Just an ordinary guy.
I’m a fan because I was spared any padding.
I’m a fan because the author asked me to think about the lives of the ordinary people and spent time putting the ordinary people in the story.
Book 3, goes where I never expected it to go. What does it do? It puts ordinary people, again, in the spotlight. This time around, I was given more than a signpost; Natasha slaps me in the face and screams, “Wake-up! Smell the coffee!”
If we accept the outrages, the author draws our attention to in book 1, and I do, then sense tells me the horrors in book 3 are also true.
I’ve no wish to try to summarise the story. All I will say is, my uncle knows things. Having told him, I’ve become a cheerleader. He said, “You should listen to what the author is telling you.”
The road I chose to start on (book 1) has signs posted at regular intervals. Some of those signs, I’ll agree, are not so easy to spot; those I did pickup on gave me an insight into the life of the ordinary people and I’ll argue, also, where the road was heading: although that is easy to say once you’ve arrived at the destination.
Books, fiction books more so, have padding thrown in at opportune moments. In book 1, whilst Sam is jumping through the hoops, he explains how he worked for a plumbing supply business and his thoughts go back to working for the company. With his thoughts comes a little spice to keep the reader engaged when Sam accepts the business owners might not be as squeaky-clean as one might want them to be. Padding slipped in at the time Sam is sat for a job interview. No. No. No. The very last thing that is, is padding. It’s a huge sign post pointing us to where the author wants us to go and I’d say it’s key to the reader more fully understanding how/why later down the line we get to see where the road is leading.
I’m a fan because the author chose to give us a protagonist who is just an ordinary guy wanting the best for his fellow and offering a helping hand when he can. No flash or fancy. Just an ordinary guy.
I’m a fan because I was spared any padding.
I’m a fan because the author asked me to think about the lives of the ordinary people and spent time putting the ordinary people in the story.
Book 3, goes where I never expected it to go. What does it do? It puts ordinary people, again, in the spotlight. This time around, I was given more than a signpost; Natasha slaps me in the face and screams, “Wake-up! Smell the coffee!”
If we accept the outrages, the author draws our attention to in book 1, and I do, then sense tells me the horrors in book 3 are also true.
I’ve no wish to try to summarise the story. All I will say is, my uncle knows things. Having told him, I’ve become a cheerleader. He said, “You should listen to what the author is telling you.”
May 13, 2025
Ooh Aah, buckle up. It's fast and furious. The fifth column have their hands on lots of loot and have plans to up the ante. It's great: loads of opinions on what to do next, loads of misgiving, misjudgement, and mishap.
The spooks in London are intent on snatching a phone copying the data and slipping it back in a pocket without the target knowing: good luck with that!
The best laid plans of mice and men. I'd suggest this is how things really are when you're trying to steal the skinny.
It's a great story and at times it's hectic.
The spooks in London are intent on snatching a phone copying the data and slipping it back in a pocket without the target knowing: good luck with that!
The best laid plans of mice and men. I'd suggest this is how things really are when you're trying to steal the skinny.
It's a great story and at times it's hectic.
September 6, 2024
A fast-paced chase for information, riddled with misgiving, argument, debate, mistakes, failures and surprise.
The first part of the story, where we are taken back to a time before Sam leaves for the UK (where book two ends) works for me, as it allows book three to take off in the way it does. The spotlight on how things do happen 'on the street' was both intriguing and informative.
The end is great: acorns are laid beforehand, giving an insight into the networks future work. In fact, the storyline in its entirety works: nothing is beyond the realm and luck plays a big part in the play.
The first part of the story, where we are taken back to a time before Sam leaves for the UK (where book two ends) works for me, as it allows book three to take off in the way it does. The spotlight on how things do happen 'on the street' was both intriguing and informative.
The end is great: acorns are laid beforehand, giving an insight into the networks future work. In fact, the storyline in its entirety works: nothing is beyond the realm and luck plays a big part in the play.
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