Ready to discover another great book for this 2023? Take a look…
Black Wolf By Kathleen Kent
Genre: Historical Thriller, Mystery
Publisher: Aries Book
Rating: 5/5
Amazon, Waterstones, Hive
About The Book
A dazzling new spy thriller about a female CIA agent whose extraordinary powers of facial recognition lead her into the dangerous heart of the Soviet Union–and the path of a killer that shouldn’t exist.
It is 1990 when Melvina Donleavy arrives in Soviet Belarus on her first undercover mission with the CIA, alongside three fellow agents–none of whom know she is playing two roles. To the prying eyes of the KGB, she is merely a secretary; to her CIA minders, she is the only one who can stop the flow of nuclear weapons from the crumbling Soviet Union into the Middle East. For Mel has a secret; she is a super recognizer, someone who never forgets a face. But no training could prepare her for the reality of life undercover, and for the streets of Minsk, where women have been disappearing. Soviet law enforcement is firm: murder is a capitalist disease. But could a serial killer be at work? Especially if he knew no one was watching? As Mel searches for answers, she catches the eye of an entirely different kind of threat: the elusive and petrifying Black Wolf, head of the KGB. Filled with insider details from the author’s own time working under the direction of the U.S. Department of Defense, Black Wolf is a riveting new spy thriller from an Edgar-nominated crime writer, and a biting exploration of the divide between two nations, two masterminds, and two roles played by a woman pushed to her breaking point, where she’ll learn that you can only ever trust one person: yourself.
My Thoughts
First of all; I loved this book! It was frenetic, intriguing and with so many different plots to follow that it was impossible to put down.
It’s 1990 and a group of CIA members travel to Soviet Belarus to check if they have any secret agenda in the nuclear power race. But within this group of agents, there’s Melvina (Mel for her friends) who has a secret mission that no one knows, to check if she can see any of the faces her CIA handler showed her before leaving.
I know that the plot can seem a little bit complicated, but once you start reading it’s super easy to enter the story and follow the plot. The story is told within 30 days, the days the CIA group has to check all the paperwork, but in a quite hostile environment. They are Americans, so everyone hates them, they are followed and spied on every minute of their lives; the rooms have microphones and whenever they move they are always followed. As you can imagine, being a woman will not make things easy for Mel, and sadly she will catch the fascination of a serial killer. A killer that has been active for years, but that no one seems interested to catch. Everything will get much darker when a victim appears connected to Mel and the KGB starts questioning her; to uncover the serial killer or to discover her real secret mission?
I have to say that since I read the plot I was intrigued with this book, and it didn’t disappoint me at all. I only hope that we’ll see more of Melvina’s missions, she is really good! Are you ready to meet the “Black Wolf”?
About The Author
Kathleen Kent’s fifth book titled The Burn, sequel to the Edgar-nominated The Dime, is a contemporary crime novel set in Dallas. Kirkus gave The Burn a starred review, and The Washington Post writes, “Raymond Chandler praised Dashiell Hammett for taking crime fiction out of the drawing room and into the streets. With Betty Rhyzyk, Kathleen Kent brings those mean streets to life as excitingly as anybody has in years.” Ms. Kent is also the author of three bestselling, award-winning historical novels, The Heretic’s Daughter, The Traitor’s Wife, and The Outcasts. She has written short stories and essays for D Magazine, Texas Monthly and LitHub, and has been published in the crime/horror anthology Dallas Noir. In March 2020 she will be inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for her contribution to Texas literature.
Varietats 