Volk's Shadow: A Novel

by Brent Ghelfi Narrated by Stephen Hoye

Overview

The headquarters of an American oil company hemorrhages chemical-pink smoke into the Moscow night, the aftermath of an apparent terrorist attack. A Russian army captain carrying a priceless Fabergé egg and digital evidence of horrific wartime atrocities is murdered and relieved of both these prizes. And in the snowy mountains of southern Russia, a terrorist named Abreg-who once held Volk captive in a Chechen mud pit-hatches a plan to lure him back into his grasp.



Volk's Shadow finds Colonel Alexei Volkovoy-covert agent of the Russian army and major player in the Moscow underworld-once again struggling to stay afloat in the swirling currents of Russian political and economic intrigue. This time, however, he is without his sidekick and lover, the ethereal Valya Novaskaya. Aching for the soul mate he pushed away, Volk begins to doubt himself, becoming even more detached from the brutality of his actions. When he takes out his inner pain on the wrong man, he gains a powerful enemy in the highest reaches of the Kremlin, and only after he travels back to Chechnya to eliminate his old nemesis, Abreg, is Volk's debt finally repaid.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

In Ghelfi's mesmerizing second Russian thriller (after Volk's Game), Alexei "Volk" Vokovoy, an ex-army colonel with a prosthetic leg who does the dirty work for a paranoid Kremlin official known as "the General," receives what appears to be a simple assignment: find a missing Fabergé egg. The hunt quickly leads Volk into a raw, uncivilized world in which even the most basic needs of common Russians go unmet. Crime bosses work hand-in-hand with the government. The riches of oil trump all other priorities. Sexual violence surges uncontrollably. While the complicated plot can be hard to follow in places, and the Rambo-like Volk may not engage much reader sympathy, crisp characterization and strong visual prose keep the story moving to its harrowing climax in Chechnya. Those seeking a tour of the dark side of contemporary Russia will be more than satisfied. Author tour. (July)

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Library Journal

Like a bullet, Col. Alexei Volkovoy (Volk's Game) goes where he is pointed and doesn't stop until he hits something. Brutalized by training, war, and captivity, he has criminal tendencies and a capacity for explosive violence that hide a deep loyalty to Russia and to the few people he trusts. When a series of seemingly unconnected crimes begins pointing to a single source, Volk (Russian for wolf) takes on Kremlin power players, the Russian mob, and Chechen rebels to resolve them. Volk is less Arkady Renko than a Russian Jack Reacher, making Volk's Shadow as noir as a winter night in Saint Petersburg. [See Prepub Alert, LJ3/1/08.]

—Andrew Smith

Kirkus Reviews

Vladimir Putin's Russia proves to be as dangerous and terrorized as the former Soviet state in the undeclared war for control of the world's energy and the balance of power. Continuing the adventures of cynical but ultimately very moral Russian army Colonel "Volk" Volkovoy that began in Volk's Game (2007), lawyer-turned-thrillmeister Ghelfi throws his hero immediately into the chaos of what is assumed to be a Chechen terrorist attack on an American oil company's Moscow headquarters. The superbly fit Volk, whose titanium foot replacement contains a hidden knife-cum-survival kit, follows his general's orders to charge in and rescue the hostages still held by the terrorists, letting the chips fall where they may. The terrorists, instead of being surprised by his swift intervention, know exactly where and when to expect him. It's the first instance of treachery in a long string of events that lead Volk through bordellos and basements in Moscow to the rebel-held mountains of Chechnya, juggling two and three crimes at a time and pining for his absent love Valya, a half-Russian half-Chechen beauty-she is not only as tough as Volk, she's also an amputee. The criminal investigations involve the possible reappearance of a long-missing Faberge Easter egg; the kidnapping of a 12-year-old girl; far too many removed eyeballs; and a Russian massacre of Chechens that was caught on camera. Volk is not completely alone in his labors; he has a network of friends who have not bought into the cutthroat new world of state-controlled capitalism. But his enemies are ruthless and inventive, and the money that is flowing into Russia from its sales of gas and oil is beyond the dreams of John D. Rockefeller. Itwould all be too much if Ghelfi weren't such a master at painting a modern Russia so dark and scary that it would give Stalin pause. Confusing and murky but ultimately quite thrilling. Agent: Scott Hoffman/Folio Literary Management

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170692095
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	07/22/2008
Series:	Volk , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged

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