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Shelby Alexander #11
The Balkan Cipher
Ruthless operatives... a haunting Russian lullaby... a chilling secret...
When retired tough guy Shelby Alexander's peaceful day at the range is shattered by a cryptic text from his fiancée Katherine, he knows something is terribly wrong. Racing back to their remote cabin, he arrives just in time to witness her abduction by masked men wielding automatic weapons. With no time to spare, Shelby embarks on a desperate chase to save the love of his life.
But what starts as a local kidnapping quickly spirals into a high-stakes international thriller as Shelby uncovers a deadly, fifty-year-old secret buried in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. As he delves deeper into the shadowy past of Katherine's late father—a Korean War vet with ties to Russian intelligence—Shelby discovers a cryptic cipher that could be the key to her rescue... or the end of millions.
As the clock ticks down and the body count rises, Shelby must confront a chilling some secrets are worth killing for, and others are worth dying to protect.
For fans of fast-paced thrills, The Balkan Cipher delivers non-stop action, heart-pounding suspense, and a hero who will do whatever it takes to protect the ones he loves.
When retired tough guy Shelby Alexander's peaceful day at the range is shattered by a cryptic text from his fiancée Katherine, he knows something is terribly wrong. Racing back to their remote cabin, he arrives just in time to witness her abduction by masked men wielding automatic weapons. With no time to spare, Shelby embarks on a desperate chase to save the love of his life.
But what starts as a local kidnapping quickly spirals into a high-stakes international thriller as Shelby uncovers a deadly, fifty-year-old secret buried in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. As he delves deeper into the shadowy past of Katherine's late father—a Korean War vet with ties to Russian intelligence—Shelby discovers a cryptic cipher that could be the key to her rescue... or the end of millions.
As the clock ticks down and the body count rises, Shelby must confront a chilling some secrets are worth killing for, and others are worth dying to protect.
For fans of fast-paced thrills, The Balkan Cipher delivers non-stop action, heart-pounding suspense, and a hero who will do whatever it takes to protect the ones he loves.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 27, 2025
33 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Craig A. Hart
126 books330 followersCraig A. Hart is a writer of thrillers. In a past life, he was also director for Northern Illinois Radio Information Service, a broadcast outreach that brought daily news and information to the visually impaired.
In 2015, Kindle Press published his literary novel BECOMING MOON. NPR affiliate Northern Public Radio featured BECOMING MOON in their Winter Book Series, and it won Best Novel of Summer 2015 from Pinnacle Awards. He is also the author of the historical mystery NIGHT AT KEY WEST, which is based on true events.
In 2016, he publishing SERENITY, the first book in the popular Shelby Alexander Thriller Series. Serenity alone has been downloaded over 400,000 times by eager readers.
In 2022, he launched the Maxwell Barnes Adventure Thriller Series, co-written with S.J. Varengo. The award-winning first book in that series, MAYAN SHADOWS, was published on May 11, 2022. Two more books follow in that series: MAYAN THUNDER and MAYAN TEMPEST.
A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Craig lives in Iowa City, Iowa with his wife, sons, insane dog, and anti-social cat.
In 2015, Kindle Press published his literary novel BECOMING MOON. NPR affiliate Northern Public Radio featured BECOMING MOON in their Winter Book Series, and it won Best Novel of Summer 2015 from Pinnacle Awards. He is also the author of the historical mystery NIGHT AT KEY WEST, which is based on true events.
In 2016, he publishing SERENITY, the first book in the popular Shelby Alexander Thriller Series. Serenity alone has been downloaded over 400,000 times by eager readers.
In 2022, he launched the Maxwell Barnes Adventure Thriller Series, co-written with S.J. Varengo. The award-winning first book in that series, MAYAN SHADOWS, was published on May 11, 2022. Two more books follow in that series: MAYAN THUNDER and MAYAN TEMPEST.
A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Craig lives in Iowa City, Iowa with his wife, sons, insane dog, and anti-social cat.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 7, 2025
THE BALKAN CIPHER - This book combines two of my favorites, the world of Robert Ludlum and Shelby Alexander. I found the story entertaining and believable and in many ways reminiscent of Ludlum's books. Nothing hokey, no hollywood tripe, just plain adventure and intrigue along with plenty of cans of WA being opened. I'm looking forward to reading the next 'new' Shelby book of this fun, immersing and interesting series. Source: The author. 10*
The Shelby Alexander Thriller Series:
SERENITY, #1 - A great read. A well written, action packed suspense story that draws you in and doesn't let go until you've finished the book. The characters range from likable to despicable, all believable and make you respond to them. 5*
SERENITY STALKED, #2 - Fast paced but a cliffhanger. A well written suspense, darker than Serenity, heavy with vulgar language. The plot and characters keep you reading until the end. Rather short in length and a cliffhanger ending, although this subject of this story is complete. In the Serenity series, the author has some real doozies for villains for the main characters to fight. 5*
SERENITY AVENGED, #3 - Dark but complete. A well written, but dark, suspense that grabs you and doesn't let go. Surprisingly light with the vulgar language, Serenity Stalked had too much, but contained the darkness found in the short stories of The Girl Who Read Hemingway. If you like one of these books, you'll like the other. The darkness was not graphic. Although picks up where S. Stalked ended, this novel has closure. 5*
SERENITY SUBMERGED, #4 - Fast paced story. Another well written, action packed suspense story that keeps you reading until the story ends, which was all too soon. The characters are believable and real, and the twisting plot is riveting. I haven't been disappointed with any of the author's books that I've read so far. 5*
SERENITY ENGULFED, #5 – Another dynamic addition to the Serenity Family. Another well written, fast paced, suspense filled novel with our favorite characters Shelby and Mack and some not so favorite; but without them there’s no intriguing book to read. There’s a new sheriff in town and she and Shelby are learning to play nice together, with Mack’s help. The ending makes me wonder what kind of trouble Shel and Mack will face in the future. I contacted the author to review his books and have enjoyed them all. 5*
SERENITY TRAPPED - A quickly read short that is intriguing and difficult to put down. While dark, there is still humor and minimum violence. No matter how well you plan, there is still a detail missed. Good coffee break read. One of my favorite authors and series with well written story lines and believable, likeable characters, and no silly hollywood drama. Source: The author, ARC. 5*
SERENITY DIVIDED, #10 - It felt good to be able to read another Serenity book by Mr. Hart. Another well written story with intrigue and suspense filled story lines. Interesting characters, some humor along with plenty of action, all set at a good pace. 5*
I contacted the author to review his books after reading the first two books of the Serenity Series.
The Shelby Alexander Thriller Series end.
The Shelby Alexander Thriller Series:
SERENITY, #1 - A great read. A well written, action packed suspense story that draws you in and doesn't let go until you've finished the book. The characters range from likable to despicable, all believable and make you respond to them. 5*
SERENITY STALKED, #2 - Fast paced but a cliffhanger. A well written suspense, darker than Serenity, heavy with vulgar language. The plot and characters keep you reading until the end. Rather short in length and a cliffhanger ending, although this subject of this story is complete. In the Serenity series, the author has some real doozies for villains for the main characters to fight. 5*
SERENITY AVENGED, #3 - Dark but complete. A well written, but dark, suspense that grabs you and doesn't let go. Surprisingly light with the vulgar language, Serenity Stalked had too much, but contained the darkness found in the short stories of The Girl Who Read Hemingway. If you like one of these books, you'll like the other. The darkness was not graphic. Although picks up where S. Stalked ended, this novel has closure. 5*
SERENITY SUBMERGED, #4 - Fast paced story. Another well written, action packed suspense story that keeps you reading until the story ends, which was all too soon. The characters are believable and real, and the twisting plot is riveting. I haven't been disappointed with any of the author's books that I've read so far. 5*
SERENITY ENGULFED, #5 – Another dynamic addition to the Serenity Family. Another well written, fast paced, suspense filled novel with our favorite characters Shelby and Mack and some not so favorite; but without them there’s no intriguing book to read. There’s a new sheriff in town and she and Shelby are learning to play nice together, with Mack’s help. The ending makes me wonder what kind of trouble Shel and Mack will face in the future. I contacted the author to review his books and have enjoyed them all. 5*
SERENITY TRAPPED - A quickly read short that is intriguing and difficult to put down. While dark, there is still humor and minimum violence. No matter how well you plan, there is still a detail missed. Good coffee break read. One of my favorite authors and series with well written story lines and believable, likeable characters, and no silly hollywood drama. Source: The author, ARC. 5*
SERENITY DIVIDED, #10 - It felt good to be able to read another Serenity book by Mr. Hart. Another well written story with intrigue and suspense filled story lines. Interesting characters, some humor along with plenty of action, all set at a good pace. 5*
I contacted the author to review his books after reading the first two books of the Serenity Series.
The Shelby Alexander Thriller Series end.
April 11, 2025
‘You’re jumping right to the worst-case scenario, Shel’ – And so begins a thriller!
Iowa author Craig A. Hart is both a writer and an editor: he has served as editor-in-chief for The Rusty Nail literary magazine, as manager for Sweatshoppe Media, and director of Northern Illinois Radio Information Service, an outreach that brought daily news and information to the visually impaired. His works have been published in The Orange Room Review, Voices, The Stray Branch, Red Poppy Review, The Mindful Word, Inclement, Right Hand Pointing, 7x20 Magazine, among others. In addition to writing fiction Craig has published self-help manuals on writing and critiques of other writers’ works. Now he continues his celebrated The Shelby Alexander series with a new take – the Covert Action Thriller, of which THE BALKAN CIPHER is volume 1.
Moving the action from Michigan to Europe is explained as follows: ‘When retired tough guy Shelby Alexander's peaceful day at the range is shattered by a cryptic text from his fiancée Katherine, he knows something is terribly wrong. Racing back to their remote cabin, he arrives just in time to witness her abduction by masked men wielding automatic weapons. With no time to spare, Shelby embarks on a desperate chase to save the love of his life. But what starts as a local kidnapping quickly spirals into a high-stakes international thriller as Shelby uncovers a deadly, fifty-year-old secret buried in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania.’ And so begins the intrigue
Craig has a fine grasp on character development, a talent he expands with this new cast from the interstices of Europe. All the ingredients are there, but it is the chef’s hand at mixing them that makes this novel so successful. The book is relatively short – making for a fine evening’s read. Highly Recommended.
Iowa author Craig A. Hart is both a writer and an editor: he has served as editor-in-chief for The Rusty Nail literary magazine, as manager for Sweatshoppe Media, and director of Northern Illinois Radio Information Service, an outreach that brought daily news and information to the visually impaired. His works have been published in The Orange Room Review, Voices, The Stray Branch, Red Poppy Review, The Mindful Word, Inclement, Right Hand Pointing, 7x20 Magazine, among others. In addition to writing fiction Craig has published self-help manuals on writing and critiques of other writers’ works. Now he continues his celebrated The Shelby Alexander series with a new take – the Covert Action Thriller, of which THE BALKAN CIPHER is volume 1.
Moving the action from Michigan to Europe is explained as follows: ‘When retired tough guy Shelby Alexander's peaceful day at the range is shattered by a cryptic text from his fiancée Katherine, he knows something is terribly wrong. Racing back to their remote cabin, he arrives just in time to witness her abduction by masked men wielding automatic weapons. With no time to spare, Shelby embarks on a desperate chase to save the love of his life. But what starts as a local kidnapping quickly spirals into a high-stakes international thriller as Shelby uncovers a deadly, fifty-year-old secret buried in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania.’ And so begins the intrigue
Craig has a fine grasp on character development, a talent he expands with this new cast from the interstices of Europe. All the ingredients are there, but it is the chef’s hand at mixing them that makes this novel so successful. The book is relatively short – making for a fine evening’s read. Highly Recommended.
March 7, 2025
The Balkan Cipher (A Shelby Alexander Novel Book 1), my eighth read from author Craig A. Hart. This may be Hart's best work so far, though I'm ubsure how it fits into the Serentity series. Reminiscient of the work of Steve Hamilton, another author who writes set in Michigan. Being a Michigander I'm attracted to all books Michigan and this one just whet my appetite for more in this series & by this author, since I own thirty books by him that won't be a problem. I was given a Kindle copy of this & now I'm voluntarily reading & reviewing it. The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I look forward to my next read from this author, Serenity Engulfed: The Shelby Alexander Thriller Series, Book 5 . (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
March 3, 2025
On kobo epub; 254 pages (9798312539592 pb)
Taking Shelby out of Serenity might seem a long shot - but when Katherine is kidnapped (by Russians) he has no choice but to follow. There ensues a complex plot that has been developing for decades... Some surprises alomg the way, not all entirely welcome and certainly unexpected!
The narrative sweeps one along which helps to mask the possibly unlikely events!
Taking Shelby out of Serenity might seem a long shot - but when Katherine is kidnapped (by Russians) he has no choice but to follow. There ensues a complex plot that has been developing for decades... Some surprises alomg the way, not all entirely welcome and certainly unexpected!
The narrative sweeps one along which helps to mask the possibly unlikely events!
September 1, 2025
Five decades after WW2 is still not enough to escape the lingering secrets of that war. That is what Shelby Alexander discovers when his betrothed, Katherine Graham, got abducted by Russians.
And a very knowledgable Russian, called Sokolov, enters the picture.
Phew! What follows is something no one could have guessed.
It sure nailed me down reading The Balkan Cipher by author Craig A Hart feverishly.
Enjoy
And a very knowledgable Russian, called Sokolov, enters the picture.
Phew! What follows is something no one could have guessed.
It sure nailed me down reading The Balkan Cipher by author Craig A Hart feverishly.
Enjoy
March 6, 2025
New author for me and i am hooked! My first Shelby Alexander book, definitely not my last! This book grabs your attention right away, fast paced with action, adventure, intrigue and great characters. Well written could not put it down, now at the top of my must read authors, have already purchased the other series Shelby is in and will definitely read Craig A Harts’s other books.
May 2, 2025
Fast moving thriller, involving murder spy’s kidnapping and old world vengeance don’t blink or you might miss the clues who’s fighting whom and who’s side are you on those are the questions Alexander is asking himself after the kidnapping of Katherine his fiancé a chase that takes him all over the USA and Russia too. Good book well written story well worth the read
March 5, 2025
An excellent read. Filled with fast-paced action, the story unfolds with a devastating revelation, as Shelby is drawn into a world which is out of his comfort zone. Plenty of danger, deceit, unexpected twists and a good storyline. Highly recommended.
March 6, 2025
Packing a wallop of mystery, intrigue, and cold-war era fright, this novel relives a time when no one felt safe because no one was safe. Yes, the first to push the button wins, but what would be the reward? An absolute must read. Highly Recommended.
March 11, 2025
Wow. Super intense! I can’t imagine the anguish Shelby feels watching Katherine being taken. Also, not knowing who to trust must have had him on edge. This was an action packed book. Action. Packed. I loved it! Definitely going to be an awesome series!
September 13, 2025
Hiding Under School Desks
A very frightening and realistic first strike scenario! Shelby is is usual capable self rushing to save his beloved Katharine and millions of US citizens who thought the threat was long in the past. Very exciting read!
A very frightening and realistic first strike scenario! Shelby is is usual capable self rushing to save his beloved Katharine and millions of US citizens who thought the threat was long in the past. Very exciting read!
March 3, 2025
What an amazing story as always. Shelby’s fiancé is kidnapped, why and who would do such a thing. Will he find her in time. Full of suspense, danger and questions. Don’t miss out.
March 3, 2025
Same great characters, and lots of action, but a surprising plot direction to liven things up. Shelby doesn’t have the ‘hometown advantage’ in most of this story. I really enjoyed this one.
April 9, 2025
Good read!
Somebody's undercover past, comes back to haunt them.
Secrets, lies, betrayal and death, all in a day's work for Shelby Alexander.
Good book, I highly recommend it!
Somebody's undercover past, comes back to haunt them.
Secrets, lies, betrayal and death, all in a day's work for Shelby Alexander.
Good book, I highly recommend it!
August 27, 2025
very readable
April 21, 2025
A very different Shelby Alexander book, but very captivating
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews