I’ve read several of Gerard de Villiers’ spy novels featuring Malko Linge, an Austrian spy. In Revenge of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin orders the assassination of one of his former oligarchs, Boris Berezovsky. But, the assassination needs to look like an “accident” so that British and Russian relations don’t get disturbed.
Soon afterward, Berezovsky is found dead in the bathroom of his London home, an apparent suicide. MI5 opens an investigation, but Prime Minister David Cameron orders the case closed. The CIA, suspicious of Russian operations in the UK, sends Malko to investigate Berezovsky’s death and the British cover-up.
Malko uncovers leads to the Russian plot, but almost dies of a deadly poison attack. After he recovers, Malko vows to get to the bottom of the Berezovsky case. Trips to Israel and Moscow uncover links in Russian involvement to several deaths.
If you’re a fan of spy novels, you’ll find Revenge of the Kremlin compelling and involving. De Villiers has sources that supply him with accurate information about Russian methods of poisoning which gives the whole Russian operation credibility and realism. Do you like spy novels? GRADE: B+
I no longer read spy novels but this seems to be based on real cases.
The poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter (both survived) by Novichok – you find a very detailed description here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Sergei_and_Yulia_Skripal
Another (in)famous example happened already in 2006 – poisoning by radioactive Polonium:
Wiki als has a n article on this: Alexander Litvinenko
Wolf, clearly Gerard de Villiers had the real poisonings you reference in mind when he wrote REVENGE OF THE KREMLIN. I did not know that Putin preferred poison as the assassination method of choice.
De Villiers is one of those many authors I intended to read but have not gotten to, alas. Maybe it’s time. Your review is tipping the scales in favor, George.
Jerry, de Villiers includes a couple sex scenes in each of these Malko spy novels so be prepared!
Spy novels were a major part of my reading for 30 years, from the time John le Carre broke out in the early sixties till the end of the cold war in the early nineties, and then I slowly lost interest in them. I’ve heard of De Villiers but haven’t read him. I do know lots of people who love the Gabriel Allon novels by Daniel Silva and I’ve been tempted to try those.
Michael, I’ve read the early Daniel Silva/Gabriel Allon novels and enjoyed them. The later ones, not so much as they grew in size. De Villiers has written over a hundred of these Malko spy novels, but only a few have been translated into English.
I read le Carre for a long time but realized at some point, I wasn’t a close enough reader for spy novels. Phil loved them.
Patti, the really good spy novels have plots that resemble a bowl of spaghetti with all the twisty subplots and red herrings. Phil and I talked about spy novels at one of the BOUCHERCONs. Maybe Toronto…
I bought a few De Villiers books in England, but sold them without reading one. I do like spy novels – Len Deighton, Brian Freemantle, Anthony Price, Charles McCarry, Olen Steinhauer, Joseph Finder.
Jeff, I bought the Malko paperbacks published by PINNACLE Books whenever I ran across them. Vintage published a group of Malko trade paperbacks around 2015 (REVENGE OF THE KREMLIN is one of them) but stopped the project probably because of poor sales.
Spy, horror, vampire, medical mystery…all not for me. There’s lots of other tings to read.
Rick, I find my reading is like eating at a Buffett: a little bit of this, a little bit of that…