Overview
New York Times bestselling author Brian Haig delivers his a thriller inspired by a true story about one man running between two countries, trying desperately to escape his past.In 1987, Alex Konevitch was thrown out of Moscow University for "indulging his entrepreneurial spirit." But by 1991, he was worth $300 million. On track to become Russia's wealthiest man, he makes one critical mistake: he hires the former deputy director of the KGB to handle his corporate security. And then his world begins to fall apart. Kidnapped, beaten, and forced to relinquish his business and his fortune, Alex and his wife escape to the United States, only to be accused by his own government of stealing millions from his business. With a mob contract out on his life and the FBI hot on his trail, Alex is a desperate man without a country-facing the ultimate sacrifice for the chance to build a new life for himself and his family.
Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author Brian Haig delivers his a thriller inspired by a true story about one man running between two countries, trying desperately to escape his past.
In 1987, Alex Konevitch was thrown out of MoscowUniversity for "indulging his entrepreneurial spirit." But by 1991, he was worth $300 million. On track to become Russia's wealthiest man, he makes one critical mistake: he hires the former deputy director of the KGB to handle his corporate security. And then his world begins to fall apart. Kidnapped, beaten, and forced to relinquish his business and his fortune, Alex and his wife escape to the United States, only to be accused by his own government of stealing millions from his business. With a mob contract out on his life and the FBI hot on his trail, Alex is a desperate man without a country-facing the ultimate sacrifice for the chance to build a new life for himself and his family.
From the Compact Disc edition.
Publishers Weekly
Based on a true story, this absorbing stand-alone thriller from bestseller Haig (Secret Sanction and five other books featuring army JAG lawyer Sean Drummond) charts the incredible rise and fall of a Russian multimillionaire. The brilliant, hard-working Alex Konevitch amasses a fortune in the building trades in the early 1990s only to have it stolen by a cabal of KGB men led by the KGB's deputy director, who not only takes Konevitch's money and control of his company but also frames him for assorted crimes. Pursued by assassins, Konevitch and his wife go on the run. The couple make their way to America, where they begin to prosper, then fall afoul of a venal FBI director out to enhance his own reputation. The reality aspect of the tale will remind readers of the repressive regime that Russia was and may be again-and of the perfidy of individuals in our own government when greed and ambition are put before democracy and justice. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Based on a true story, this absorbing stand-alone thriller from bestseller Haig (Secret Sanction and five other books featuring army JAG lawyer Sean Drummond) charts the incredible rise and fall of a Russian multimillionaire. The brilliant, hard-working Alex Konevitch amasses a fortune in the building trades in the early 1990s only to have it stolen by a cabal of KGB men led by the KGB's deputy director, who not only takes Konevitch's money and control of his company but also frames him for assorted crimes. Pursued by assassins, Konevitch and his wife go on the run. The couple make their way to America, where they begin to prosper, then fall afoul of a venal FBI director out to enhance his own reputation. The reality aspect of the tale will remind readers of the repressive regime that Russia was and may be again-and of the perfidy of individuals in our own government when greed and ambition are put before democracy and justice. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Library Journal
Shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the brilliant young Alex Kanevich has become a mega-millionaire, but he's made a host of enemies along the way. As a result, he is kidnapped, tortured, and forced to sign over his wealth to ex-KGB thugs. The resourceful Alex and his wife escape and flee to the United States, where they find that the long arm of the old KGB stretches far, as Alex is framed for a host of crimes. VERDICT Based on a true story, this is a fast-paced and well-executed thriller. If there are flaws, it's that the Russian bad guys are so stupid and the American FBI director so venal. Whatever, it's great fun, and the many fans of Haig's Sean Drummond series will find this an exciting, entertaining, and well-written stand-alone diversion. [See Prepub Alert, LJ4/15/09.]—Robert Conroy, Warren, MI
—Robert Conroy