Ussa

by David Madsen

In una Russia occupata dagli americani, dopo un conflitto lampo, ex agenti del servizio segreto si affannano per trovare una sistemazione all'interno della nuova struttura spionistica e le multinazionali lottano per conquistare una fetta del nuovo ricco e promettente mercato. L 'investigatore privato Dean Joplin, ex CIA, si trova a dover risolvere un un brutale delitto commesso al Kosmos Hotel, uno dei migliori alberghi della capitale. Le alte sfere politiche esigono una rapida soluzione. E un detective della Squadra Omicidi, Richard Gardner, deve ricorrere a un uomo speciale, come Dean, nella speranza che possa fornirgli qualche indizio. Naturalmente il cadavere è anche il primo di una serie e il dipanarsi dell'indagine conduce Dean all'interno del cuore corrotto della Russia, dove scopre un'isola nascosta di cupa miseria e bagliori di terribili visioni future. Un romanzo apocalittico, dal respiro epico, pervaso di angoscia, temperata a volte da una vena di sottile ironia.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller

Paperback

First published June 1, 1989

About the author

David Madsen is the pseudonym of a philosopher, theologian, therapist and author who has always had a special interest in the esoteric, the oblique and the heterodox byways of the human psyche.

His first novel, Memoirs of a Gnostic Dwarf, partially sprang from Madsen’s enthusiasm for Gnosticism, which he had the opportunity of studying in Rome for several years; Memoirs won great critical acclaim and has been translated into eleven languages. It was followed by Confessions of a Flesh-Eater, Confessions of a Flesh-Eater Cookbook and, most recently, A Box of Dreams, all published by Dedalus Books. He has also collaborated on film scripts.

Reviews

[DoctorM · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd novel from the late 1980s--- one that flips the usual "Red Dawn" scenario into a noir tale that brings the sensibility of "Chinatown" to American-occupied Moscow after a brief Third World War. Occupied Moscow in "USSA" looks remarkably like...well...Moscow in the early 2000s: a city of gangsters and gunmen, a city with a spectacularly corrupt local government, a city of neon and arrogant new billionaires and their supermodel accessories, a city of American fast food locations and homeless veterans... The first half of the tale is bleakly funny just for the way it turns all the usual Cold War clichés around. The second half, though, where the American private eye hero visits the regions where the "limited" nuclear exchange struck...those scenes are grim and scary. In any case, though...check out your local library for this. Worth reading.