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The Serbian Solution
Will a King on the Throne bring an end to war?
1991 The Berlin Wall has fallen, and wars have broken out across the Balkans as former Soviet states struggle to reclaim their national identities. A radical political idea is slowly emerging from the chaos. Where are the kings and princes who once ruled these countries before the coming of the Nazis and then the Russians? Is it possible that they will be welcomed if they seize power? Will a king on a throne bring an end to war?The former kings and queens are scattered throughout Europe, but fifty years have passed since one of the Serbian princes fled from the Nazis and now his son Prince Grigori cannot be found. Where is he hiding and why? Who was the last person to see him alive?
In an anesthesia induced dream, Lizbeth Price, a British born real estate agent in Pittsburgh USA, retrieves a suppressed childhood memory and dials a phone number. Powerful men have waited years for this phone call but none of them are prepared for the violence that follows. Despite shooting one of the wild-eyed men who immediately invade her hospital room, Lizbeth is dragged from her bed and bundled into an ambulance along with a reluctant surgeon who is caught up in the kidnapping and charged with keeping her alive after major surgery.During a nightmare journey back to her home country Lizbeth struggles to grasp the meaning of her elusive memories while the kidnapped young surgeon is torn between his duty to keep his attractive patient alive and his need to escape from their captors.
1991 The Berlin Wall has fallen, and wars have broken out across the Balkans as former Soviet states struggle to reclaim their national identities. A radical political idea is slowly emerging from the chaos. Where are the kings and princes who once ruled these countries before the coming of the Nazis and then the Russians? Is it possible that they will be welcomed if they seize power? Will a king on a throne bring an end to war?The former kings and queens are scattered throughout Europe, but fifty years have passed since one of the Serbian princes fled from the Nazis and now his son Prince Grigori cannot be found. Where is he hiding and why? Who was the last person to see him alive?
In an anesthesia induced dream, Lizbeth Price, a British born real estate agent in Pittsburgh USA, retrieves a suppressed childhood memory and dials a phone number. Powerful men have waited years for this phone call but none of them are prepared for the violence that follows. Despite shooting one of the wild-eyed men who immediately invade her hospital room, Lizbeth is dragged from her bed and bundled into an ambulance along with a reluctant surgeon who is caught up in the kidnapping and charged with keeping her alive after major surgery.During a nightmare journey back to her home country Lizbeth struggles to grasp the meaning of her elusive memories while the kidnapped young surgeon is torn between his duty to keep his attractive patient alive and his need to escape from their captors.
295 pages, ebook
Published October 14, 2016
5 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Eileen Enwright Hodgetts
37 books119 followersEileen Enwright Hodgetts is a much traveled writer. Brought up in England and Wales, she has also lived and worked in South Africa and Uganda. Eileen and her husband, Graham, now make their home in Baden, PA. Eileen’s life experiences allow her to use exotic backgrounds for her novels and to understand how an adventure can begin with just one small incident. For ten years she directed a humanitarian mission in East Africa as an employee of Christ Church at Grove Farm in Sewickley, PA. and her whole family continues to be involved in Uganda through the Ugandan Gold Coffee project bringing coffee to the United States and returning the profits to Uganda to be used for drilling water wells. She writes historical fiction from Arthurian sagas to World War Two murder mysteries. The major movie "Unsinkable", currently in production, is based on her national award-winning stage play "Titanic to all Ships". Her latest work "The Girl on the Carpathia - A novel of the Titanic" reflects over twenty years of research into both the US senate hearings and the British inquiry into the sinking.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 29, 2017
Read this review and more on my blog at [Roxie Writes].
'The Serbian Solution' by Eileen Enwright Hodgetts
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
Finished on January 25, 2017
$1.99 on Kindle | $12.99 in Paperback
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
While hospitalized, Lizbeth has drug-induced dreams that unlock lifelong memories she has kept locked away. She's currently living in the United States, but these memories bring her back to her European childhood, and the turbulent truth about her mother's death and the whereabouts of her long-lost brother. The secrets she's held in her memory lead to her and an American doctor's kidnapping because her brother has been the target of several groups for decades, and she's the only one who knows where he is. Set amidst the turmoil at the end of the Cold War, The Serbian Solution is a tale of adventure and romance, culminating in a desperate final voyage into the Atlantic as a group of old soldiers try to fulfill a promise they made in World War II; to restore a king to his throne.
MY REVIEW:
I read this book as part of my #yearofindiewomen.
COVER: ⭐️⭐️
The cover isn't terrible, but it isn't great either. I'm not the sort to turn down a book because it has a "homemade" looking cover, but there are certainly readers out there who are. I know how hard it is to make a nice, professional cover, though, so I think Hodgetts' done pretty well. It's easy to read and plays well with the story. I've definitely seen worse.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There are quite a few characters in this book. This is a complicated story with a lot to tell, so I feel like she did well rounding out everyone's stories and making each of these characters into real people we can connect to and empathize with as readers. I think she did a good job with the main characters, Lizette and Alex, but I wish there had been more of a focus on Grigori. He was the most interesting character to me. I wanted to know more about his psyche, about who he was and how he thought. His chapters were my favorite and held my attention the most, and they felt so few and far between.
WRITING STYLE: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hodgetts' style is easy to read and get absorbed in. I had little-to-no knowledge of the history of Yugoslavia, but I could still enjoy this story because she made it easy to piece together the history with context clues and her own explanations. There were a couple of times I got a bit tripped up in the plot, wondering if I had accidentally skipped over something or had missed something entirely (when her father buys the sweatsuit for example) because they felt like they had come out of nowhere only to be cleared up much later in the plot. I felt like those bits could have been written more clearly. I was confused enough to go back and reread several times wondering what I missed. Also, there were several typographical errors in the manuscript, so it could stand to be sent through another round of edits, but I'm not one to hold that against an author. I only mention that here so the author can take note and perhaps do another round.
OVERALL PLOT: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
As I mentioned above, I had almost no knowledge of the history of Yugoslavia before I read this novel (and I still have only a cursory one as I write this), so I went into this book almost completely blind. I decided to continue the book as an ignorant reader, without going online and educating myself about the history of Yugoslavia (making the reading of this book a lot more difficult) because I figured I'm not much different than a lot of folks in America, unfortunately. Our educational system isn't always the best. We aren't taught world history as well as we should be. I'm a pretty intelligent person, but I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge of world history is severely lacking. So, there are probably a lot of things I missed out on because I choose to read this book from an ignorant standpoint. The ending, for one. I didn't completely understand it. I mean, I get it, peripherally, because I'm not dumb, but I'm sure there was some nuanced meaning there that went over my head because I don't know the history I should have. In short, if you want to read this, I'd recommend understanding the history of Yugoslavia and the surrounding countries before you do.
Despite this, I still overall enjoyed this story. Hodgett mixes history with mystery without bogging the reader down as in some historical fiction. 'The Serbian Solution' has got most everything one could want from a mystery, and Hodgetts' writing is descriptive and compelling.
'The Serbian Solution' by Eileen Enwright Hodgetts
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
Finished on January 25, 2017
$1.99 on Kindle | $12.99 in Paperback
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
While hospitalized, Lizbeth has drug-induced dreams that unlock lifelong memories she has kept locked away. She's currently living in the United States, but these memories bring her back to her European childhood, and the turbulent truth about her mother's death and the whereabouts of her long-lost brother. The secrets she's held in her memory lead to her and an American doctor's kidnapping because her brother has been the target of several groups for decades, and she's the only one who knows where he is. Set amidst the turmoil at the end of the Cold War, The Serbian Solution is a tale of adventure and romance, culminating in a desperate final voyage into the Atlantic as a group of old soldiers try to fulfill a promise they made in World War II; to restore a king to his throne.
MY REVIEW:
I read this book as part of my #yearofindiewomen.
COVER: ⭐️⭐️
The cover isn't terrible, but it isn't great either. I'm not the sort to turn down a book because it has a "homemade" looking cover, but there are certainly readers out there who are. I know how hard it is to make a nice, professional cover, though, so I think Hodgetts' done pretty well. It's easy to read and plays well with the story. I've definitely seen worse.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There are quite a few characters in this book. This is a complicated story with a lot to tell, so I feel like she did well rounding out everyone's stories and making each of these characters into real people we can connect to and empathize with as readers. I think she did a good job with the main characters, Lizette and Alex, but I wish there had been more of a focus on Grigori. He was the most interesting character to me. I wanted to know more about his psyche, about who he was and how he thought. His chapters were my favorite and held my attention the most, and they felt so few and far between.
WRITING STYLE: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hodgetts' style is easy to read and get absorbed in. I had little-to-no knowledge of the history of Yugoslavia, but I could still enjoy this story because she made it easy to piece together the history with context clues and her own explanations. There were a couple of times I got a bit tripped up in the plot, wondering if I had accidentally skipped over something or had missed something entirely (when her father buys the sweatsuit for example) because they felt like they had come out of nowhere only to be cleared up much later in the plot. I felt like those bits could have been written more clearly. I was confused enough to go back and reread several times wondering what I missed. Also, there were several typographical errors in the manuscript, so it could stand to be sent through another round of edits, but I'm not one to hold that against an author. I only mention that here so the author can take note and perhaps do another round.
OVERALL PLOT: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
As I mentioned above, I had almost no knowledge of the history of Yugoslavia before I read this novel (and I still have only a cursory one as I write this), so I went into this book almost completely blind. I decided to continue the book as an ignorant reader, without going online and educating myself about the history of Yugoslavia (making the reading of this book a lot more difficult) because I figured I'm not much different than a lot of folks in America, unfortunately. Our educational system isn't always the best. We aren't taught world history as well as we should be. I'm a pretty intelligent person, but I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge of world history is severely lacking. So, there are probably a lot of things I missed out on because I choose to read this book from an ignorant standpoint. The ending, for one. I didn't completely understand it. I mean, I get it, peripherally, because I'm not dumb, but I'm sure there was some nuanced meaning there that went over my head because I don't know the history I should have. In short, if you want to read this, I'd recommend understanding the history of Yugoslavia and the surrounding countries before you do.
Despite this, I still overall enjoyed this story. Hodgett mixes history with mystery without bogging the reader down as in some historical fiction. 'The Serbian Solution' has got most everything one could want from a mystery, and Hodgetts' writing is descriptive and compelling.
November 13, 2017
Wow!! I got this book free on audio ! I was hooked from the beginning! It’s a mystery and adventure all the way thru! I was pulled in and absorbed from the beginning. Totally threw me for a loop all the way until the end. LOVED IT
June 12, 2019
My first read from author Eileen Enwright Hodgetts was thoroughly entertaining & enjoyable & I already have more of her books on my TBR list.
July 7, 2019
Wow, what a story. Lizbeth while in the hospital has dreams about her suppressed childhood. Totally intriguing.
June 26, 2023
This is not the cover of my book . Mine shows a much more appealing picture of a woman, a doctor, and a crown. I've also seen this same book with another cover, with the title "Dragon's Green."
After eastern European monarchs were deposed or murdered during the communist takeovers, the surviving royals found refuge in western Europe while awaiting the possibility of one day returning to their home lands.
It is 1991, there are wars in the Balkans, and that possibility begins to emerge, and yet some royals remain in hiding while assassins search for them. One well-hidden Serbian prince in particular has remained undetected for fifty years, and under the protection of his sole companion. The reason for his situation is a deep dark mystery.
Still, he is being hunted. A key figure is Lizbeth Price, whose memory holds the key to his whereabouts. Unfortunately, a childhood tragedy caused her mind to seal away her most painful memory. Now, years later, while in a hospital in the US, recovering from a surgical procedure, she remembers something. When she sends a message to a contact in Europe, the wheels are set in motion, some of which are deadly.
Her surgeon, Dr. Alex Perenyi, in the wrong place when those deadly wheels begin to turn, is immediately engulfed by the assassination plot, and his survival along with that if his patient, depends on moment to moment decisions.
Not knowing where to place their trust, Lizbeth and Alex find themselves in one hopeless situation after another. The plot has twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very end of their story.
After eastern European monarchs were deposed or murdered during the communist takeovers, the surviving royals found refuge in western Europe while awaiting the possibility of one day returning to their home lands.
It is 1991, there are wars in the Balkans, and that possibility begins to emerge, and yet some royals remain in hiding while assassins search for them. One well-hidden Serbian prince in particular has remained undetected for fifty years, and under the protection of his sole companion. The reason for his situation is a deep dark mystery.
Still, he is being hunted. A key figure is Lizbeth Price, whose memory holds the key to his whereabouts. Unfortunately, a childhood tragedy caused her mind to seal away her most painful memory. Now, years later, while in a hospital in the US, recovering from a surgical procedure, she remembers something. When she sends a message to a contact in Europe, the wheels are set in motion, some of which are deadly.
Her surgeon, Dr. Alex Perenyi, in the wrong place when those deadly wheels begin to turn, is immediately engulfed by the assassination plot, and his survival along with that if his patient, depends on moment to moment decisions.
Not knowing where to place their trust, Lizbeth and Alex find themselves in one hopeless situation after another. The plot has twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very end of their story.
April 11, 2022
The teaser : “ A drug-induced dream in a US hospital, Lizbeth retrieves a suppressed memory from her European childhood. It leads to her own kidnapping and a wild chase across England and Wales in the company of a reluctant American doctor. In a tiny village in western England, a deluded old man dreams of becoming a king.”
The beginning opens with Lizbeth’s dream and the prose continues to match her state of reality and dream. The story gathers pace and mystery. There are snippets of the hopes of Yugoslav refugees interspersed which add to the mystery. The descriptions of the landscape is realistic. Eileen’s descriptions of the characters are so lifelike and colourful.
I really enjoyed reading this book, but unfortunately had to put it down to get some sleep :-) Highly recommend this. This review is left voluntarily.
November 20, 2017
I found this book to be just what the doctor ordered: A top-notch suspense-thriller, served with a side order of cold war hijinks... This is the modern-day story of Lizbeth's barely remembered childhood, of family, and of kidnapping culminating in a high seas adventure...
I happened upon the audio version of this book, and the voice talent of Nancy Batko matches with the story perfectly! This is definitely an author that you'll want to keep an eye on!
I happened upon the audio version of this book, and the voice talent of Nancy Batko matches with the story perfectly! This is definitely an author that you'll want to keep an eye on!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews