What do you think?
Rate this book
Tom Fox #1
Moskva
Seven meets The Lives of Others in this outstanding serial killer thriller for fans of Gorky Park or Child 44 .
Christmas Eve 1985. The shaved, exsanguinated body of a young man is found in Red Square; frozen solid -- like marble to the touch -- missing the little finger from his right hand.
A week later, Alex Marston, the fifteen-year-old daughter of the British Ambassador disappears. Army Intelligence Officer, Tom Fox, posted to Moscow following the death of his own daughter, is asked to help find her.
But as Fox's investigation drags him deeper towards the dark heart of Soviet establishment, his fears for Alex's safety grow as it looks like she could become a sadistic killer's next victim.
Christmas Eve 1985. The shaved, exsanguinated body of a young man is found in Red Square; frozen solid -- like marble to the touch -- missing the little finger from his right hand.
A week later, Alex Marston, the fifteen-year-old daughter of the British Ambassador disappears. Army Intelligence Officer, Tom Fox, posted to Moscow following the death of his own daughter, is asked to help find her.
But as Fox's investigation drags him deeper towards the dark heart of Soviet establishment, his fears for Alex's safety grow as it looks like she could become a sadistic killer's next victim.
400 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2016
250 people are currently reading
979 people want to read
About the author
Jack Grimwood
7 books95 followersJack Grimwood, a.k.a Jon Courtenay Grimwood was born in Malta and christened in the upturned bell of a ship. He grew up in the Far East, Britain and Scandinavia. Apart from novels he writes for national newspapers including the Times, Telegraph, Independent and Guardian. Jon is two-time winner of the BSFA Award for Best Novel, with Felaheen, and End of the World Blues. His literary novel, The Last Banquet, as Jonathan Grimwood, was shortlisted for Le Prix Montesquieu 2015. His work is published in fifteen languages. He is married to the journalist and novelist Sam Baker. Moskva is his first thriller.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
June 4, 2017
It was Churchill who said Russia was “A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” This is a good of description as any for Moskva. It is a complicated story about a complicated time. The few years before the Cold War ended, and no one knew it was coming. Was it the words of Reagan, the continuous efforts of Western Intelligence or the Russians so badly losing the war in Afghanistan that signaled the end of the USSR ?
Moskva is also set in a different time, after the siege of Stalingrad and the terror filled entry of Russia into Germany. This was a time when the political officers allowed three days of rape and pillage, unless of course the men demanded more, which they did demand, always. A group of Russian soldiers are sent into Berlin on special assignment. An English officer soon finds out about their special assignment, but too late to stop them. Those actions from 1945 echo into the eighties, with the children of some of those players now paying for the horrific sins of their fathers.
Major Tom Fox is sent to the British Embassy in Moscow to keep him away from an inquiry launched by some Westminster boffins. He is a near alcoholic, with his marriage barely on life support and his trying to come to terms with the death of his young daughter. When Alex, the step-daughter of the British Ambassador disappears, Major Tom (sorry couldn’t resist) seeks redemption in his quest to find Alex, hopefully still alive. Her disappearance is soon linked to the exsanguination death of a young boy. Soon other bodies of exsanguinated children are showing up. Calling this a serial killer book misses the mark. It is tour of the houses of horrors that were Stalingrad and Berlin at the end of the war and Russia near the end of the Cold War. It is also a tribute the resilient people of Russia who din't want to accept the status quo and worked to upset it.
Tom Fox’s inquiries are both helped and hindered by the also near alcoholic one-legged veteran from Afghanistan, Dennisov, who owns a bar that Fox conveniently stumbles upon. He finds other allies, a Marshal of the Soviet Union, his granddaughter, and a larger than life Mafia boss. Watching over all of this might be the greatest Russian Hero of all, a homeless woman known as the Wax Angel.
In his official Embassy duties and through his investigations Fox makes some powerful friends and powerful enemies. The Heroes of the Great Patriotic War may be the elder lions of Russia, but they are anything but toothless and are still capable of incredible acts of horror or of honor.
Read closely and pay attention to the names. This is not the book to skim a bit now and then. It’s not the easiest to follow, and some of the decade switching took me a minute to catch on to. But the slight extra effort will be worth it. I’m also not sure I understand clearly the full story of the Wax Angel, but that could all be on me.
The last quarter of Moskva gives new life to the overused term thriller, or a new definition. In eighty degree weather I wanted to put on furs and boots. Mostly boots, I don’t ever want to be without boots. The intricate and riveting first three quarters should serve as a reminder to the horrors of today’s Russia because the past really does matter. Fox fights his own demons as he seeks desperately to save Alex, going against the monsters who were created in order to survive the Great Patriotic War and Stalin.
The West eventually won the Cold War, but Russia has won the peace and Grimwood adroitly shows the price both the Russian people and the West paid.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Moskva is also set in a different time, after the siege of Stalingrad and the terror filled entry of Russia into Germany. This was a time when the political officers allowed three days of rape and pillage, unless of course the men demanded more, which they did demand, always. A group of Russian soldiers are sent into Berlin on special assignment. An English officer soon finds out about their special assignment, but too late to stop them. Those actions from 1945 echo into the eighties, with the children of some of those players now paying for the horrific sins of their fathers.
Major Tom Fox is sent to the British Embassy in Moscow to keep him away from an inquiry launched by some Westminster boffins. He is a near alcoholic, with his marriage barely on life support and his trying to come to terms with the death of his young daughter. When Alex, the step-daughter of the British Ambassador disappears, Major Tom (sorry couldn’t resist) seeks redemption in his quest to find Alex, hopefully still alive. Her disappearance is soon linked to the exsanguination death of a young boy. Soon other bodies of exsanguinated children are showing up. Calling this a serial killer book misses the mark. It is tour of the houses of horrors that were Stalingrad and Berlin at the end of the war and Russia near the end of the Cold War. It is also a tribute the resilient people of Russia who din't want to accept the status quo and worked to upset it.
Tom Fox’s inquiries are both helped and hindered by the also near alcoholic one-legged veteran from Afghanistan, Dennisov, who owns a bar that Fox conveniently stumbles upon. He finds other allies, a Marshal of the Soviet Union, his granddaughter, and a larger than life Mafia boss. Watching over all of this might be the greatest Russian Hero of all, a homeless woman known as the Wax Angel.
In his official Embassy duties and through his investigations Fox makes some powerful friends and powerful enemies. The Heroes of the Great Patriotic War may be the elder lions of Russia, but they are anything but toothless and are still capable of incredible acts of horror or of honor.
Read closely and pay attention to the names. This is not the book to skim a bit now and then. It’s not the easiest to follow, and some of the decade switching took me a minute to catch on to. But the slight extra effort will be worth it. I’m also not sure I understand clearly the full story of the Wax Angel, but that could all be on me.
The last quarter of Moskva gives new life to the overused term thriller, or a new definition. In eighty degree weather I wanted to put on furs and boots. Mostly boots, I don’t ever want to be without boots. The intricate and riveting first three quarters should serve as a reminder to the horrors of today’s Russia because the past really does matter. Fox fights his own demons as he seeks desperately to save Alex, going against the monsters who were created in order to survive the Great Patriotic War and Stalin.
The West eventually won the Cold War, but Russia has won the peace and Grimwood adroitly shows the price both the Russian people and the West paid.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
April 23, 2016
This is a bleak, atmospheric and literary thriller set in 1980s Moscow. It begins with the discovery of a young boy's frozen body by the Kremlin wall. Major Tom Fox is temporarily based at the British Embassy when the Ambassador, Sir Edward Masterton's step daughter, Alex, goes missing. With his personal life a mess, Tom is separating from his wife, Caro, and struggling to come to terms with the death of his daughter, Rebecca. He is a haunted man, drinks to keep his demons at bay, and is determined to find Alex. He has no idea of the dark murky web of deceit, horror, and gruesome murders that he is about to encounter. He begins to get an idea of what he is up against when he sees the state a cat is left in at his flat. I wanted to throw up with him, there is a sadistic killer on the loose.
Driven by his failure to save Rebecca, Tom unflinchingly goes where no man should have to go in his search for Alex. Every move he makes is spied upon by a number of influential parties. His investigation comes in contact with the KGB, the Politburo, government ministers, the Mafia and more. The body count is unbearably high and grotesque, tearing Tom apart and me. The history of the second world war, and the actions of a group of young Russian participants in Stalingrad and Berlin, infiltrates the present to visit death on their descendants. This is a story of revenge, betrayal, and the need to keep the darkest of secrets at all costs.
The star is Moscow and Russia, Jack Grimwood has a real feel for the time, conveyed through superb descriptions, and its political and cultural life. You get a picture of Russia doing all it can to protect its dark secrets. It is corrupt, but its humanity is vibrantly alive, captured through the bewitching cast of characters: Dennisov who runs a bar, Yelena, his sister, Beziki, Sveta, the Commissar, and so many others. The character development is astonishingly brilliant. Tom has so much depth to him that he is real, as is his search for absolution. The despair constantly plaguing him mirrors the state of Russia. The author's plotting sustains tension and suspense throughout. This is an intelligent and erudite thriller that I urge others to read. Absolutely brilliant! Thanks to Michael Joseph for an ARC via netgalley.
Driven by his failure to save Rebecca, Tom unflinchingly goes where no man should have to go in his search for Alex. Every move he makes is spied upon by a number of influential parties. His investigation comes in contact with the KGB, the Politburo, government ministers, the Mafia and more. The body count is unbearably high and grotesque, tearing Tom apart and me. The history of the second world war, and the actions of a group of young Russian participants in Stalingrad and Berlin, infiltrates the present to visit death on their descendants. This is a story of revenge, betrayal, and the need to keep the darkest of secrets at all costs.
The star is Moscow and Russia, Jack Grimwood has a real feel for the time, conveyed through superb descriptions, and its political and cultural life. You get a picture of Russia doing all it can to protect its dark secrets. It is corrupt, but its humanity is vibrantly alive, captured through the bewitching cast of characters: Dennisov who runs a bar, Yelena, his sister, Beziki, Sveta, the Commissar, and so many others. The character development is astonishingly brilliant. Tom has so much depth to him that he is real, as is his search for absolution. The despair constantly plaguing him mirrors the state of Russia. The author's plotting sustains tension and suspense throughout. This is an intelligent and erudite thriller that I urge others to read. Absolutely brilliant! Thanks to Michael Joseph for an ARC via netgalley.
May 7, 2016
This Cold War novel begins in 1985, with the discovery of the body of a frozen boy, found in Red Square clutching a wax angel, and goes back to Berlin in 1945. The shadow of WWII looms over this novel and over Russia itself, as our hero finds himself involved in the search for the missing step daughter of the British ambassador, Sir Edward Masterton.
The fact that Tom Fox finds himself caught up in this investigation is almost ironic. After serving in Belfast, Fox has found himself exiled to Russia to be kept out of trouble. His experiences in Northern Ireland are not the only upsetting events in Fox’s life – his daughter died only six months previously, while his marriage to the wealthy Caro is in trouble and he misses his son, Charlie, who is currently in boarding school back in England.
During a party at the British Embassy, a depressed Fox makes a flippant remark to the attention seeking young Anna Masterton, which he is to regret when she disappears. Sir Edward is being uncommunicative, while her mother is frantic. Full of guilt, Fox goes in pursuit. Along the way he is befriended by bar owner, Dennisov; who has his own war stories to brood over, contacted by mafia leader Erekle Gabashville (Beziki) and is aided by the beautiful Major Svetlana Milova.
This is a fast paced, atmospheric novel, which is packed full of action. At times it tries to cover too many different storylines and I felt a little lost, but overall this was an enjoyable and exciting read. I would certainly look forward to reading more novels featuring ex-priest, and ex-soldier, Tom Fox.
The fact that Tom Fox finds himself caught up in this investigation is almost ironic. After serving in Belfast, Fox has found himself exiled to Russia to be kept out of trouble. His experiences in Northern Ireland are not the only upsetting events in Fox’s life – his daughter died only six months previously, while his marriage to the wealthy Caro is in trouble and he misses his son, Charlie, who is currently in boarding school back in England.
During a party at the British Embassy, a depressed Fox makes a flippant remark to the attention seeking young Anna Masterton, which he is to regret when she disappears. Sir Edward is being uncommunicative, while her mother is frantic. Full of guilt, Fox goes in pursuit. Along the way he is befriended by bar owner, Dennisov; who has his own war stories to brood over, contacted by mafia leader Erekle Gabashville (Beziki) and is aided by the beautiful Major Svetlana Milova.
This is a fast paced, atmospheric novel, which is packed full of action. At times it tries to cover too many different storylines and I felt a little lost, but overall this was an enjoyable and exciting read. I would certainly look forward to reading more novels featuring ex-priest, and ex-soldier, Tom Fox.
June 8, 2016
It’s a brave writer indeed who pitches up with an idea for a thriller set in 1980’s Moscow, as we all know and love Gorky Park, and many have failed in its wake. But good news crime buddies, Grimwood has cracked it with the atmospheric and claustrophobic Moskva. With impeccable plotting, research and narrative tension, Grimwood has produced one of the best Soviet set thrillers I have read. Drawing on, and using to great effect, all the inherent and documented fear and suspicion so redolent of Soviet life within this period, Grimwood has crafted a supremely intelligent serial killer thriller, with a depth of characterisation that will draw in admirers of other exponents of this subgenre. As the depth of conspiracy and concealment begins to reveal itself, frustrating Fox’s investigation of Alex’s disappearance, there is a crackling tension to the book throughout, compounded by Grimwood’s unflinching analysis of the weaknesses and dangers of the Soviet state that so consistently thwart Fox, giving him a slippery grasp on truth amongst the smoke and mirrors emanating from the echelons of power in Moscow. I’ll say no more to avoid spoiling your reading of this one, but you must seek this one out. It’s a terrific read, and Grimwood demonstrates again his real flexibility as a writer. Add to your wish list now.
July 23, 2016
Excellent account of a rather complicated plot, which Grimwood masterfully pulls off. What made me love love love this book was the way a flawed protagonist haunted by ghosts of his past finds (a sort of) redemption in the context of a flawed society which is on its own way to (a sort of) redemption, despite the past that haunts it. Moscow at the beginning of Gorbatchev's perestroika is vividly painted and the overall atmosphere is so oppressive and bleak that it makes someone who's lived through those times acutely remember them.
July 20, 2017
4 stars
Moskva begins with the disappearance of the British ambassador's daughter, something that just does not happen to a foreign dignitary's family. Major Tom Fox is stationed in Moscow after his military intelligence work in Northern Ireland. Major Tom (yes, that is referenced in the book) is in a cooling off period from his earlier assignment but cannot help getting caught up in the search for the missing girl. Most believe she has just run away with a boyfriend and is rebelling her father's post in Moscow.
As Major Fox continues to look into the matter, more events, more bodies start to appear and there is definitely more going on than a runaway, rebellious girl. As old secrets and old men behind those secrets start to emerge, Fox finds himself and the missing girl in life-threatening danger.
A very good book. A bit long due to alternating between present day and the past during WWII. Something which needed to be told for the story-line. Excellent if you enjoy some Russian drama, mystery and misery as I do.
Moskva begins with the disappearance of the British ambassador's daughter, something that just does not happen to a foreign dignitary's family. Major Tom Fox is stationed in Moscow after his military intelligence work in Northern Ireland. Major Tom (yes, that is referenced in the book) is in a cooling off period from his earlier assignment but cannot help getting caught up in the search for the missing girl. Most believe she has just run away with a boyfriend and is rebelling her father's post in Moscow.
As Major Fox continues to look into the matter, more events, more bodies start to appear and there is definitely more going on than a runaway, rebellious girl. As old secrets and old men behind those secrets start to emerge, Fox finds himself and the missing girl in life-threatening danger.
A very good book. A bit long due to alternating between present day and the past during WWII. Something which needed to be told for the story-line. Excellent if you enjoy some Russian drama, mystery and misery as I do.
May 12, 2016
Gripping political thriller set towards the end of the Cold War
This serial killer mystery set mainly in Moscow has Major Tom Fox as the main protagonist. Fox is an ex-priest and undercover soldier in Northern Ireland. Separated from his wife and haunted by the death of his daughter Fox is a complex character trying to find redemption by locating the daughter of the British Ambassador who has disappeared in Moscow.
The book tracks from the 1985 to events at the defence of Stalingrad and the capture of Berlin in 1945 alongside the legacy of the 1980s Afghan war. For those of a squeamish nature its worth bearing in mind there a number of quite graphic scenes of violence within the book.
Jack Grimwood has written an exciting, readable thriller with maybe slightly too many plot lines, but overall a very good read.
This serial killer mystery set mainly in Moscow has Major Tom Fox as the main protagonist. Fox is an ex-priest and undercover soldier in Northern Ireland. Separated from his wife and haunted by the death of his daughter Fox is a complex character trying to find redemption by locating the daughter of the British Ambassador who has disappeared in Moscow.
The book tracks from the 1985 to events at the defence of Stalingrad and the capture of Berlin in 1945 alongside the legacy of the 1980s Afghan war. For those of a squeamish nature its worth bearing in mind there a number of quite graphic scenes of violence within the book.
Jack Grimwood has written an exciting, readable thriller with maybe slightly too many plot lines, but overall a very good read.
February 10, 2017
Moskva is a competent thriller set in 1980s Moscow. Along with a time and place, it also shares with Gorky Park, a hero who can take enormous amounts of psychic and physical pain as he strides, limps and finally crawls through a landscape littered by bodies.
Tom Fox sets out to find the step-daughter of the British Ambassador a journey which as journeys like this tend to do takes him to the very center of Russian power, past and present. And of course past incredulity. It was ok but well written enough to make the graphic violence too much for my squeamishness while not written well enough to make me feel like it was worth it.
Tom Fox sets out to find the step-daughter of the British Ambassador a journey which as journeys like this tend to do takes him to the very center of Russian power, past and present. And of course past incredulity. It was ok but well written enough to make the graphic violence too much for my squeamishness while not written well enough to make me feel like it was worth it.
February 5, 2017
This one was an erratic read. What I liked was the atmosphere of pre-Perestroika Soviet Russia that the author has recreated --- the freezing cold, the great union coming apart at the seams (and in spirit), the sense of a promise gone sour. One gets a sense what it must have been like living in the USSR in the mid-80s, when the effects of the Cold War and the bloody campaign in Afghanistan had begun hollowing the Motherland for the insides. It is in this moment in history that the author introduces the kidnapping of the British Ambassador's 15-year-old daughter from Moscow. Our hero, Tom Fox, is tasked with the job of trying to find out what's become of the girl, and from here begins a cat-and-mouse game in which Fox is up against someone powerful inside the Soviet Politburo. He is assisted in his search by Dennisov, a crippled (and drunk) ex-pilot of the Afghan campaign, Sveta Milov (some sort of military officer) and Sveta's grandfather, who is a big shot in the Politburo. As the plot unravels, we learn that the kidnapping of the girl has its roots in the concluding stages of WWII, during the fall of Berlin to the Soviets in 1945. There's also a bit of a hint somewhere about it also connecting to the (suspicious) death of Stalin in 1953...
...and that, to my mind, is the biggest problem with this book. The author sets up the landscape so beautifully, but the twisted sub-plots and side stories rarely make full sense, and it's left to the reader to try and figure out what really happened and how the different plots link to one another and add up. For instance, given the footage it takes, the entire story of the Wax Angel seems hugely pertinent to the book, but when I sit back and think about it, I wonder why it was put in there, and whether it was needed at all. Also, there are things that happen in the book that are seemingly critical (like when a random character tries to kill Fox, and then shouts out "you can never have her" and shoots himself instead), but are then conveniently forgotten in the sweep of the story. Even now I have no clue who this character was, on whose orders was he working, and (most importantly) why did he shoot himself when he could have fired one more bullet into Fox!
The book has some really intriguing characters in Dennisov and Yelena and the commissar, but unfortunately, I felt none of them had fulfilling parts to play. I also read a lot of reviews that said the book is about serial killings, but I don't quite think this was about that either. Yes, there is a serial killer, but not in the classic serial killer sort of way. At the end of the day, this is a political thriller about the power struggles in Moscow, and the atmosphere of fear and suspicion it engenders.
...and that, to my mind, is the biggest problem with this book. The author sets up the landscape so beautifully, but the twisted sub-plots and side stories rarely make full sense, and it's left to the reader to try and figure out what really happened and how the different plots link to one another and add up. For instance, given the footage it takes, the entire story of the Wax Angel seems hugely pertinent to the book, but when I sit back and think about it, I wonder why it was put in there, and whether it was needed at all. Also, there are things that happen in the book that are seemingly critical (like when a random character tries to kill Fox, and then shouts out "you can never have her" and shoots himself instead), but are then conveniently forgotten in the sweep of the story. Even now I have no clue who this character was, on whose orders was he working, and (most importantly) why did he shoot himself when he could have fired one more bullet into Fox!
The book has some really intriguing characters in Dennisov and Yelena and the commissar, but unfortunately, I felt none of them had fulfilling parts to play. I also read a lot of reviews that said the book is about serial killings, but I don't quite think this was about that either. Yes, there is a serial killer, but not in the classic serial killer sort of way. At the end of the day, this is a political thriller about the power struggles in Moscow, and the atmosphere of fear and suspicion it engenders.
January 28, 2019
The suggestion, on Moskva's book cover, that Jack Grimwood is the new John le Carré is what inspired me to read this book.
A somewhat baggy and overlong tale finally builds up a head of steam towards the end. There's plenty to enjoy and appreciate but I think it's far too soon to suggest Jack Grimwood might be the new John le Carré.
Major Tom Fox, grieving at the death of his daughter, and sent to mid 1980s Russia to avoid an awkward political enquiry into something untoward he was involved with in Northern Ireland, gets involved in the disappearance of the British Ambassador's 15 year old daughter.
The brutal tale then flips between World War Two and 1980s Russia. No is quite who they appear to be and gradually Major Tom Fox unravels a complex mystery with its roots in Stalingrad and the fall of Berlin.
Moskva is competent enough, if a little boring and implausible in parts. I'm not sure I'd read another book by Jack Grimwood. John le Carré, on the other hand, remains the undisputed master of the genre.
4/5
A somewhat baggy and overlong tale finally builds up a head of steam towards the end. There's plenty to enjoy and appreciate but I think it's far too soon to suggest Jack Grimwood might be the new John le Carré.
Major Tom Fox, grieving at the death of his daughter, and sent to mid 1980s Russia to avoid an awkward political enquiry into something untoward he was involved with in Northern Ireland, gets involved in the disappearance of the British Ambassador's 15 year old daughter.
The brutal tale then flips between World War Two and 1980s Russia. No is quite who they appear to be and gradually Major Tom Fox unravels a complex mystery with its roots in Stalingrad and the fall of Berlin.
Moskva is competent enough, if a little boring and implausible in parts. I'm not sure I'd read another book by Jack Grimwood. John le Carré, on the other hand, remains the undisputed master of the genre.
4/5
July 18, 2016
After a teens body turns out in Red Square a British Analyst is recruited by the Russians and the British Ambassador because the teenage daughter of the Ambassador has also disappeared. We get to see Moscow that "Gorky Park" only begun to describe. Tom Fox moves around Moscow like a local including going to the bar of the son of an old General. Dennisov an Afghan vet suffers under the shadow of his famous father General Dennisov. As he continues to find clues to who might have the girl. He is contacted by a leader of Bratva, Erekle Gabashvile better known as Beziki.
Their talk eventually reveals that the first teenager found was Beziki's son. He continues to investigate leading us through the real reason of the crimes dating back to World War II. A mystery worth reading and highly recommended. Some very violent parts but we are all grownups tough it out.
Their talk eventually reveals that the first teenager found was Beziki's son. He continues to investigate leading us through the real reason of the crimes dating back to World War II. A mystery worth reading and highly recommended. Some very violent parts but we are all grownups tough it out.
December 1, 2016
Moskva has all the ingredients of a genuinely great thriller. It has cold-war tension, a serial-killer, a genuine historical setting, a troubled hero (akin to Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan). This all sounds great, doesn't it? Well, the problem with this novel is that it struggles from start to finish in the execution of the promises it makes and it leaves the reader feeling flat because of it.
Major Tom Fox, our protagonist and troubled hero, is a weak lead. His commando credentials aren't fleshed out terribly well, he sort of just miraculously finds himself in a situation that he is singularly capable of dealing with, he has an affair with a Russian woman from which there are absolutely zero consequences, and his weird conflation of a kidnap victim with a daughter who he believes committed suicide is stretched to the point of being ridiculous.
I struggled to see this one through, I'll admit. The writing was functional, but it didn't draw me in, the characters were, on the whole, wooden, or cliched, the setting, 1980s Peristroika Russia was worth the price of admission, but it felt as if the author had travelled to the place, intellectually speaking, and once he got there, he just didn't know what to do with himself.
The plot was convoluted. A thriller requires either a fast pace or an almost diabolical level of intrigue and Moskva had neither of those things. What it had in spades was clumsy exposition and a lack of clarity in the narrative that led me to just sort of lose interest in what was going on. I kept reading the book, but every fifteen pages or so had a niggling doubt that I'd missed something, probably due to bad writing. I couldn't be bothered to go back or retrace my steps and just sort of went through a mechanical approach to reading to get to the end and call this one complete.
I finished it, and that's the best I can say, really. I'm giving it a two as I made it that far, I tend to reserve ones for novels that I can't finish due to being utterly abysmal, and I love cold war Soviet era settings, so I feel like I should give it a little bit more than the bare minimum. I can't honestly say that I would recommend it though - there are other better options out there; try Simon Sebag Montefiore's One Night in Winter, it's fantastic. This was just slightly meh.
Major Tom Fox, our protagonist and troubled hero, is a weak lead. His commando credentials aren't fleshed out terribly well, he sort of just miraculously finds himself in a situation that he is singularly capable of dealing with, he has an affair with a Russian woman from which there are absolutely zero consequences, and his weird conflation of a kidnap victim with a daughter who he believes committed suicide is stretched to the point of being ridiculous.
I struggled to see this one through, I'll admit. The writing was functional, but it didn't draw me in, the characters were, on the whole, wooden, or cliched, the setting, 1980s Peristroika Russia was worth the price of admission, but it felt as if the author had travelled to the place, intellectually speaking, and once he got there, he just didn't know what to do with himself.
The plot was convoluted. A thriller requires either a fast pace or an almost diabolical level of intrigue and Moskva had neither of those things. What it had in spades was clumsy exposition and a lack of clarity in the narrative that led me to just sort of lose interest in what was going on. I kept reading the book, but every fifteen pages or so had a niggling doubt that I'd missed something, probably due to bad writing. I couldn't be bothered to go back or retrace my steps and just sort of went through a mechanical approach to reading to get to the end and call this one complete.
I finished it, and that's the best I can say, really. I'm giving it a two as I made it that far, I tend to reserve ones for novels that I can't finish due to being utterly abysmal, and I love cold war Soviet era settings, so I feel like I should give it a little bit more than the bare minimum. I can't honestly say that I would recommend it though - there are other better options out there; try Simon Sebag Montefiore's One Night in Winter, it's fantastic. This was just slightly meh.
September 7, 2018
I really struggled to get through this very long novel about people who did not seem real or sympathetic. I really didn't understand why some children were murdered or why Alex was kidnapped - I was expecting a really clever intrigue, but there was a very far-fetched reasoning behind it all, which made me feel like this read was a waste of time.
July 16, 2018
A complex plot well told with a story weaving between a murder in 1980s Moscow and 1945.
Heartily recommend this thriller to anyone interested in enjoying some action and mystery a little further from home (and isn’t that where all the action is anyway?)
Heartily recommend this thriller to anyone interested in enjoying some action and mystery a little further from home (and isn’t that where all the action is anyway?)
July 7, 2016
As is my usual form it took me a while to get into this story. It is complex and I always struggle with foreign names, but it doesn’t take long for this fast paced thriller to kick into gear. It is set in the old Communist USSR of the eighties. Major Tom Fox has been sent to Moscow, after serving in Belfast, with the aim of keeping him out of trouble. When the British ambassador’s daughter goes missing he is asked to investigate.
Tom has recently lost his own daughter and his marriage is in freefall. Alcohol is a good friend and he finds a bar and a landlord to share his grief.
His investigations into the Ambassadors daughter’s abduction drag him deeper into a dark, frigid clime where a nutter is skinning folk alive. Horrific shadows of the final days of the second world war surface with blackmail, deep conspiracy and depravity in large measures.
Larger than life characters exist in a plot that hums and twists into corners. And an ending that ticks enough boxes to illicit a cheer.
I liked this book a lot.
Tom has recently lost his own daughter and his marriage is in freefall. Alcohol is a good friend and he finds a bar and a landlord to share his grief.
His investigations into the Ambassadors daughter’s abduction drag him deeper into a dark, frigid clime where a nutter is skinning folk alive. Horrific shadows of the final days of the second world war surface with blackmail, deep conspiracy and depravity in large measures.
Larger than life characters exist in a plot that hums and twists into corners. And an ending that ticks enough boxes to illicit a cheer.
I liked this book a lot.
October 8, 2016
The Telegraph hadde Jack Grimwoods "Moskva" på sin foreløpige liste over de beste krimbøkene i 2016. Det har jeg ingen problemer med å skjønne. Jeg har ikke lest en bedre internasjonal thriller siden "I am pilgrim". Dette er en drivende god og smart roman med handlingen lagt til 80-tallets Sovjet. Et Sovjet der man aner tiningen av isen som straks skulle komme, men der gammelt grums og gamle hemmeligheter fortsatt ligger som et grått og klamt teppe over unionen.
Vår mann er den britiske majoren Tom Fox som er tvangsplassert i Moskva etter at datteren hans døde under tragiske omstendigheter. I en tåke av vodka havner han midt i en strøm av barbariske drap og hemmeligheter som strekker seg helt tilbake til Stalingrad og Berlin i krigsårene. Samtidig har ambassadørens datter forsvunnet, og ettersom hun er på samme alder som hans egen datter var blir jakten på henne langt mer personlig enn det som sunt er.
I sum blir dette en opprivende, ytterst velskrevet og ekstremt spennende affære. Jeg håper et norsk forlag snapper den opp ved første anledning.
Vår mann er den britiske majoren Tom Fox som er tvangsplassert i Moskva etter at datteren hans døde under tragiske omstendigheter. I en tåke av vodka havner han midt i en strøm av barbariske drap og hemmeligheter som strekker seg helt tilbake til Stalingrad og Berlin i krigsårene. Samtidig har ambassadørens datter forsvunnet, og ettersom hun er på samme alder som hans egen datter var blir jakten på henne langt mer personlig enn det som sunt er.
I sum blir dette en opprivende, ytterst velskrevet og ekstremt spennende affære. Jeg håper et norsk forlag snapper den opp ved første anledning.
April 6, 2017
I mostly enjoyed this for the vivid portrayal of 80s Russia and, in the flashbacks, of the battles for Stalingrad and Berlin in WW2. I'm afraid however that I found the plot impenetrable. A talented writer but hope the next story is easier to follow.
July 5, 2017
Slow and dragged.
Didnt really enjoy this. Writing was a bit of a mess. Unsympathetic characters in a tale that dragged at times. Am sure the story could have been better told. .
Didnt really enjoy this. Writing was a bit of a mess. Unsympathetic characters in a tale that dragged at times. Am sure the story could have been better told. .
June 6, 2019
Well written, though a little murky at times. What turned me off big time was the animal cruelty--make that repeated animal cruelty. It made me quit halfway through.
October 4, 2022
There is a lot going on in this thriller and to be honest I had difficulty following all the different characters with Russian names, and the abrupt time jumping also made it confusing. It is exciting and fast-paced at times, but it is also quite gruesome in places.
September 20, 2020
There may have been a thin dull plot in there somewhere but it was hard to see with all the other stuff thrown in. This had to be a totally pantsed piece of crapola as the whole thing was confusing and hard to follow with way too many characters that were not interesting enough to care about any of them.
Waaay too many vague pronoun references. We readers do not have ESP so why dont authors identify what they are talking about instead of leaving us confused.
Waay too many continuity errors. Characters pop up from nowhere. And too often they are in one place then suddenly another that is physically impossible.
And there are a goodly number of plot holes to spice this up even more.
Unsafe and illogical gun use, by supposedly experienced military folks.
Dialog was way too confusing. Many times it was totally unclear who was talking to whom and made worse as characters showed up like they used a magic carpet.
There was waay too much extraneous stuff that did not fit and had no real purpose except to make the book longer. Worse there was illogical stuff by stray people who were not needed.
Physically impossible things were done too many times because the author had no other way out of the mess he had created for the characters.
Attempts at flashbacks were confusing and dropped in/out of the situations like quantum physics particles.
The last half of the book things became totally bizarro. Bizarre actions that did not fit and bizarre motivations that were illogical. And there were waaay too many coincidences when characters showed up at oddball places at the very same time. Even the KGB is not that good to know where everybody is at every moment.
SPAG was the least of the problems the book had but there were a few of those errors.
Not counting some strange spellings because the author is British which was confusing as the book was printed in the USA. I guess the UK pub houses passed on this blivet.
The book was slow with too many pointless detours. Worse the ending was very unclear as well as illogical as it appeared to have happened. Somehow a teenaged girl who had been stripped naked drugged and hung upside down could suddenly be able to walk through snow barefoot with just a think coat from the MC to protect her?!
And after that it got even sillier, if you could understand it at all.
Location was described adequately. Characters thin and uninteresting. Plot such as it was was a stretch. Time frame appears to be during the cold war before Kruschev came into power. Setting was mostly Moscow and environs, which was another laugher as somehow the MC slips his KGB tail to take a train into forbidden areas without any papers.
The physical book was manufactured well and did not fall apart like many do.
Overall the book was not believable nor interesting. And it should have had a list of characters like many books do now so we could keep all of them straight.
A solid ZERO stars but GR only lets you rate 1-5 so it got one star officially.
But it was still terrible bad. Not the worst but on the short list.
Waaay too many vague pronoun references. We readers do not have ESP so why dont authors identify what they are talking about instead of leaving us confused.
Waay too many continuity errors. Characters pop up from nowhere. And too often they are in one place then suddenly another that is physically impossible.
And there are a goodly number of plot holes to spice this up even more.
Unsafe and illogical gun use, by supposedly experienced military folks.
Dialog was way too confusing. Many times it was totally unclear who was talking to whom and made worse as characters showed up like they used a magic carpet.
There was waay too much extraneous stuff that did not fit and had no real purpose except to make the book longer. Worse there was illogical stuff by stray people who were not needed.
Physically impossible things were done too many times because the author had no other way out of the mess he had created for the characters.
Attempts at flashbacks were confusing and dropped in/out of the situations like quantum physics particles.
The last half of the book things became totally bizarro. Bizarre actions that did not fit and bizarre motivations that were illogical. And there were waaay too many coincidences when characters showed up at oddball places at the very same time. Even the KGB is not that good to know where everybody is at every moment.
SPAG was the least of the problems the book had but there were a few of those errors.
Not counting some strange spellings because the author is British which was confusing as the book was printed in the USA. I guess the UK pub houses passed on this blivet.
The book was slow with too many pointless detours. Worse the ending was very unclear as well as illogical as it appeared to have happened. Somehow a teenaged girl who had been stripped naked drugged and hung upside down could suddenly be able to walk through snow barefoot with just a think coat from the MC to protect her?!
And after that it got even sillier, if you could understand it at all.
Location was described adequately. Characters thin and uninteresting. Plot such as it was was a stretch. Time frame appears to be during the cold war before Kruschev came into power. Setting was mostly Moscow and environs, which was another laugher as somehow the MC slips his KGB tail to take a train into forbidden areas without any papers.
The physical book was manufactured well and did not fall apart like many do.
Overall the book was not believable nor interesting. And it should have had a list of characters like many books do now so we could keep all of them straight.
A solid ZERO stars but GR only lets you rate 1-5 so it got one star officially.
But it was still terrible bad. Not the worst but on the short list.
March 29, 2022
I think the book started well but got bogged down by being overly ambitious. It would surely benefit from fewer storylines. Some are not necessary and some make the book less realistic.
The basic plot could be a good one, but remains a stretch. It would be far more realistic if Tom Fox were Russian.
In full cold war, a tormented alcoholic, ex wannabe priest and ex special service/forces soldier that gets punished and therefore send to Russia??? A foreigner, although shadowed by KGB, frequents a bar that is run by the grandson of one of the later culprits is stretching it even further. Even more, coöperation with KGB, getting to know the inner circle of power etc... and ultimately Gorbachev gets into the picture.
Until the last 30-40 pages it all still could be saved, but ultimately all storylines were wrapped up in a hurry and leave a lot of open questions.
It leaves me a little disappointed.
The basic plot could be a good one, but remains a stretch. It would be far more realistic if Tom Fox were Russian.
In full cold war, a tormented alcoholic, ex wannabe priest and ex special service/forces soldier that gets punished and therefore send to Russia??? A foreigner, although shadowed by KGB, frequents a bar that is run by the grandson of one of the later culprits is stretching it even further. Even more, coöperation with KGB, getting to know the inner circle of power etc... and ultimately Gorbachev gets into the picture.
Until the last 30-40 pages it all still could be saved, but ultimately all storylines were wrapped up in a hurry and leave a lot of open questions.
It leaves me a little disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2018
Jako...příběh skvělý, ale člověka to netáhne ke knize. A když už se donutíte číst, tak se to čte tak nějak...nedobře. Prostředí je atraktivní, téma a příběh taky, ale celkově tomu chybí šmrnc a drajv. Škoda, potenciál to mělo velký, ale v polovině knihy jsem přestal mít zájem vědět, jak to dopadne.
March 21, 2018
Not the simplest book to read, seemed as though it had been translated from a different language to english or just confusing grammatical areas. Difficult to follow between who is speaking at times and what is actually being said; not just because some of it is in what I can only guess is Russian, because Moskva is categorized as a Russian thriller.
October 18, 2018
Riveting. Crime fiction at. It’s very best
I read Jack Grimwood’s two books in the wrong order, which made the tensions in this one bearable. Only just, though. This is one of the most tightly plotted, beautifully written, desperately haunting thrillers I’ve read in an age. I sincerely hope there will be more of Tom Fox in the future... and more of his past.
I read Jack Grimwood’s two books in the wrong order, which made the tensions in this one bearable. Only just, though. This is one of the most tightly plotted, beautifully written, desperately haunting thrillers I’ve read in an age. I sincerely hope there will be more of Tom Fox in the future... and more of his past.
December 28, 2019
I'm on page 200 of 400 of Moskva: DNF. Too confusing. Too many commissars for me.
July 23, 2020
I should have abandoned this book but I rarely do that but this is abysmal.
There is a total lack of characterisation and the plot is unfathomable.
A really dull book and I really wouldn't bother
There is a total lack of characterisation and the plot is unfathomable.
A really dull book and I really wouldn't bother
May 20, 2023
i did not enjoy this.
this is probably one of the least enjoyable books ive ever read.
the plot was so slow at times, and then would pick up and be super interesting, only to return to being dull.
the main character is abysmally unlikeable, and i could not give two shits about any of the characters.
speaking of characters, i could not tell the difference between them. the main ones? sure. but the minor characters like kyukov? no idea. tbh there were so many characters i couldn't even tell you who was the perpetrator of the crime. or even how the crime played out.
or even really the last 100 pages.
this book was severely missing some editing. some parts were great! like the entire beginning where we get to know sveta, and when fox is first looking for clues. just a lot of this book fell flat.
was originally going to give this 2 stars but tbh the fact i cant even tell you who kidnapped alex, why they did it and how they did it is a bit concerning. also i literally wanted to claw my eyes out reading this.
this is probably one of the least enjoyable books ive ever read.
the plot was so slow at times, and then would pick up and be super interesting, only to return to being dull.
the main character is abysmally unlikeable, and i could not give two shits about any of the characters.
speaking of characters, i could not tell the difference between them. the main ones? sure. but the minor characters like kyukov? no idea. tbh there were so many characters i couldn't even tell you who was the perpetrator of the crime. or even how the crime played out.
or even really the last 100 pages.
this book was severely missing some editing. some parts were great! like the entire beginning where we get to know sveta, and when fox is first looking for clues. just a lot of this book fell flat.
was originally going to give this 2 stars but tbh the fact i cant even tell you who kidnapped alex, why they did it and how they did it is a bit concerning. also i literally wanted to claw my eyes out reading this.
October 6, 2018
Moscow, January 1986. Army intelligence officer Tom Fox has only been in the city for a few days when the British Ambassador's teenage daughter disappears and he is charged with finding her. The last thing the Soviets want is a foreigner sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, especially when there's a sadistic killer on the loose that they'd prefer to pretend doesn't exist.
A gritty, atmospheric thriller that I might have been more into had it not been for that one scene near the beginning that was so thoroughly offputting (the one with the cat, in case you're wondering - I just cannot read shit like that) that I almost put the book down entirely.
A gritty, atmospheric thriller that I might have been more into had it not been for that one scene near the beginning that was so thoroughly offputting (the one with the cat, in case you're wondering - I just cannot read shit like that) that I almost put the book down entirely.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews