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Black Wolf
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.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published February 14, 2023
About the author
Kathleen Kent
11 books774 followersKathleen Kent is a New York Times bestselling author and an Edgar Award Nominee for her contemporary crime trilogy, The Dime, The Burn and The Pledge. Ms. Kent is also the author of three award-winning historical novels, The Heretic’s Daughter, The Traitor’s Wife, and The Outcasts. Her newest novel, BLACK WOLF, an international spy thriller, was published February 2023 and has received glowing reviews in both the US and the UK. She has written short stories and essays for D Magazine, Texas Monthly and LitHub, and has been published in the crime anthology Dallas Noir. In March 2020 she was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for her contribution to Texas literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
October 19, 2022
4+ stars
Kathleen Kent has all the necessary credentials to write a convincing spy thriller in which she weaves fact with fiction. It’s August 1990 and the last dying embers of the Soviet Union as Mikhail Gorbachev hangs on by his fingernails. In this novel Minsk in the Byelorussian Soviet Empire takes centre stage as CIA spy Melvina Donleavy, codename Medusa, arrives with a US trade mission on her first undercover role. Her task, secret kept from her fellow agents, is to prevent weapons grade uranium or any nuclear weaponry from leaving the Soviet Union and falling into the wrong hands, specifically those of Iran. There is danger all around not least from the Spy Hunter, the chairman of the BSSR’s KGB so stealthy you never hear his approach. This is the Black Wolf a.k.a. Martin Kavalchuk. . In fact Kavalchuk he’s not the only wolf as a serial killer hunts in the streets of Minsk who strangles his female victims. Indeed, the Wolves are gathering and this pack represents the ultimate danger.
This is an exciting, tense and well written spy thriller which feels extremely authentic as you’d expect. It has a vivid, cinematic quality to it and you feel as if you are in Minsk experiencing the political push and pull to say nothing of the perils of the street. This is not just from the serial killer but there’s also a growing presence of the Russian Mafia, the Bratva, The Brotherhood, who are growing bolder and bolder and are now in plain sight.
The timescale of the novel in 1990 is an excellent choice with the upheaval to come which makes it especially fascinating. I thoroughly enjoy the descriptions and tour in and around Minsk and it’s clear to see how the Chernobyl fallout badly affects Byelorussia.
The central character of Mel is an intriguing one, she is one clever and brave young woman and she needs to be in the fight of her life. You definitely feel the chill in this cold war thriller where deadly games are played. It’s mostly fast paced with plenty of good twists and unexpected turns.
My only reservation is it’s a bit over detailed in some places although by the same token it’s the depth that gives the book its credibility.
If you like spy thrillers this one is well worth reading.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Aria and Aries, Head of Zeus for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Kathleen Kent has all the necessary credentials to write a convincing spy thriller in which she weaves fact with fiction. It’s August 1990 and the last dying embers of the Soviet Union as Mikhail Gorbachev hangs on by his fingernails. In this novel Minsk in the Byelorussian Soviet Empire takes centre stage as CIA spy Melvina Donleavy, codename Medusa, arrives with a US trade mission on her first undercover role. Her task, secret kept from her fellow agents, is to prevent weapons grade uranium or any nuclear weaponry from leaving the Soviet Union and falling into the wrong hands, specifically those of Iran. There is danger all around not least from the Spy Hunter, the chairman of the BSSR’s KGB so stealthy you never hear his approach. This is the Black Wolf a.k.a. Martin Kavalchuk. . In fact Kavalchuk he’s not the only wolf as a serial killer hunts in the streets of Minsk who strangles his female victims. Indeed, the Wolves are gathering and this pack represents the ultimate danger.
This is an exciting, tense and well written spy thriller which feels extremely authentic as you’d expect. It has a vivid, cinematic quality to it and you feel as if you are in Minsk experiencing the political push and pull to say nothing of the perils of the street. This is not just from the serial killer but there’s also a growing presence of the Russian Mafia, the Bratva, The Brotherhood, who are growing bolder and bolder and are now in plain sight.
The timescale of the novel in 1990 is an excellent choice with the upheaval to come which makes it especially fascinating. I thoroughly enjoy the descriptions and tour in and around Minsk and it’s clear to see how the Chernobyl fallout badly affects Byelorussia.
The central character of Mel is an intriguing one, she is one clever and brave young woman and she needs to be in the fight of her life. You definitely feel the chill in this cold war thriller where deadly games are played. It’s mostly fast paced with plenty of good twists and unexpected turns.
My only reservation is it’s a bit over detailed in some places although by the same token it’s the depth that gives the book its credibility.
If you like spy thrillers this one is well worth reading.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Aria and Aries, Head of Zeus for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
February 29, 2024
A fantastic entry in the espionage/spy thriller genre by acclaimed author Kathleen Kent. I had the opportunity to hear the author--thanks to my local Sisters in Crime chapter-- speak about how this book came to be. I was instantly intrigued because it draws from Kent's experience working for the US government in Belarus as the Cold War was ending.
Although fictional, the setting and circumstances are fact-based, and the Belarus setting is welcome freshness. Kent combines the omnipresent tension of operating undercover with the omnipresent tension of a hypervigilant former Soviet Union satellite still heavily influenced by Russia, back to World War II. There's a romance and, to bring the reality of the Belarus environment home ("we do not have serial killers in our country), there's also an unknown (but also based on fact) local serial killer.
People interested in lesser-known East European tension and history may also like books such as The Hunger Angel, by Nobel Prize winner Herta Muller and Gerta by Katerina Tuckova. The difference here, and it is considerable, is that Muller's and Tuckova's protagonists had no American "out," that is, no fortune of being a US citizen.
While this book arose from Kathleen Kent's specific real-life experiences, her narrative talent is so considerable I hope she writes more books in the spy thriller genre.
Highly, highly recommended.
Although fictional, the setting and circumstances are fact-based, and the Belarus setting is welcome freshness. Kent combines the omnipresent tension of operating undercover with the omnipresent tension of a hypervigilant former Soviet Union satellite still heavily influenced by Russia, back to World War II. There's a romance and, to bring the reality of the Belarus environment home ("we do not have serial killers in our country), there's also an unknown (but also based on fact) local serial killer.
People interested in lesser-known East European tension and history may also like books such as The Hunger Angel, by Nobel Prize winner Herta Muller and Gerta by Katerina Tuckova. The difference here, and it is considerable, is that Muller's and Tuckova's protagonists had no American "out," that is, no fortune of being a US citizen.
While this book arose from Kathleen Kent's specific real-life experiences, her narrative talent is so considerable I hope she writes more books in the spy thriller genre.
Highly, highly recommended.
February 19, 2023
This book took me on one helluva ride, and I loved every second of it. The plot was well executed and kept things moving along at a wonderful pace. There’s a lot going on in this one but you’re easily able to keep track of everything happening. As the story unfolds and we are introduced to new characters it amps up the feeling of not being able to trust anyone.
This was my first read from Kathleen Kent but it certainly won’t be my last! I throughly enjoyed this one.
Thank you Head of Zeus for sending me a proof of this one and having me on the blog tour.
This was my first read from Kathleen Kent but it certainly won’t be my last! I throughly enjoyed this one.
Thank you Head of Zeus for sending me a proof of this one and having me on the blog tour.
December 13, 2022
We got a great spy thriller from author Kathleen Kent! I have been waiting for a good undercover yarn and this one does not disappoint.
This one takes place in the Soviet Union in the year 1990 which is awesome in itself from a timepiece perspective. It is right before the Soviet Union dissolves and you can feel it in the book along with the distrust and paranoia the cold war brings. Chernobyl is recent on everyone's mind as the fallout affects everyone. The one stars Melvina Donleavy who is a "super reader" She never forgets a face no matter how long time passes.
I'm not going to even go into how terrifying that has to be for her future husband but that is a totally different story.
But back to this one..... She is part of a CIA team of four sent to the Soviet Union for a secret mission. She is undercover as a simple secretary but she is tasked with a much bigger mission even unknown to her team to help stop Nuclear Weapons from leaving the Soviet Union into the wrong hands. Like Iran. The Black Wolf is the head of the KGB who is relentless and instantly distrusts the team: Mainly Melvina.
This book doesn't stop there as it has other factions like The Russian Mafia causing problems. And, oh yeah, there is a serial killer killing women along the way in a country that doesn't even know what a "serial killer" is. But the flow of vodka and espionage flows on. LOL.
But to nitpick: This is not a beach read. It is long and overly descriptive which is my arch-nemesis in books. If the plot wasn't so interesting I may even have given up somewhere around page 100. It is just very slow at first and doesn't pick up until the bottom 100 pages. (I see people leaving the room already. How rude.) And while there are many interesting characters in the book, the main one is really overly boring.
But still a fascinating spy caper in a terrific environment and most people will appreciate the highly descriptive prose in this setting.
I really appreciate Mulholland Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book and it has a publication date of February 14, 2023.
Advance Reader Copy given free for honest review.
This one takes place in the Soviet Union in the year 1990 which is awesome in itself from a timepiece perspective. It is right before the Soviet Union dissolves and you can feel it in the book along with the distrust and paranoia the cold war brings. Chernobyl is recent on everyone's mind as the fallout affects everyone. The one stars Melvina Donleavy who is a "super reader" She never forgets a face no matter how long time passes.
I'm not going to even go into how terrifying that has to be for her future husband but that is a totally different story.
But back to this one..... She is part of a CIA team of four sent to the Soviet Union for a secret mission. She is undercover as a simple secretary but she is tasked with a much bigger mission even unknown to her team to help stop Nuclear Weapons from leaving the Soviet Union into the wrong hands. Like Iran. The Black Wolf is the head of the KGB who is relentless and instantly distrusts the team: Mainly Melvina.
This book doesn't stop there as it has other factions like The Russian Mafia causing problems. And, oh yeah, there is a serial killer killing women along the way in a country that doesn't even know what a "serial killer" is. But the flow of vodka and espionage flows on. LOL.
But to nitpick: This is not a beach read. It is long and overly descriptive which is my arch-nemesis in books. If the plot wasn't so interesting I may even have given up somewhere around page 100. It is just very slow at first and doesn't pick up until the bottom 100 pages. (I see people leaving the room already. How rude.) And while there are many interesting characters in the book, the main one is really overly boring.
But still a fascinating spy caper in a terrific environment and most people will appreciate the highly descriptive prose in this setting.
I really appreciate Mulholland Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book and it has a publication date of February 14, 2023.
Advance Reader Copy given free for honest review.
February 25, 2023
I tried to like this book. I really did. But by 20 minutes into what was supposed to be an espionage thriller with some serial killer elements thrown in, I was bored out of my mind.
And the real story hadn’t even begun yet. Our protagonist, for lack of a better way to sum it up, hadn’t even accepted the call to adventure. More time in that 20% of story was spent describing how cold Belarus is than on the story itself.
We get it. Belarus is really cold.
This book is scattered, with no real through line and no steady story arc to hold the entire thing together. It’s like a whole bunch of really good thoughts that really needed a competent, solid editor to put their foot down and demand everything be brought together into something more cohesive. The book, as it exists, is like a tangled head of hair that needs to be brushed.
I just don’t understand how you can take this concept and make it so bland and, well, lost. I’m actually a little mad Kathleen Kent took such potential and wasted it.
I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, views, and opinions contained herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. Owing to the 3 star or under rating, this review will not appear on any social media or bookseller website.
And the real story hadn’t even begun yet. Our protagonist, for lack of a better way to sum it up, hadn’t even accepted the call to adventure. More time in that 20% of story was spent describing how cold Belarus is than on the story itself.
We get it. Belarus is really cold.
This book is scattered, with no real through line and no steady story arc to hold the entire thing together. It’s like a whole bunch of really good thoughts that really needed a competent, solid editor to put their foot down and demand everything be brought together into something more cohesive. The book, as it exists, is like a tangled head of hair that needs to be brushed.
I just don’t understand how you can take this concept and make it so bland and, well, lost. I’m actually a little mad Kathleen Kent took such potential and wasted it.
I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, views, and opinions contained herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. Owing to the 3 star or under rating, this review will not appear on any social media or bookseller website.
March 26, 2023
A wild spy thriller that I enjoyed the whole way through. This has an interesting twist where our protagonist Melvina Donleavy has extraordinary powers of facial recognition, meaning she is someone who never forgets a face. This gets her in with the CIA as well as a spot on an undercover team of 4 who are headed to Russia, and she is playing two roles but the other three do not know and cannot know this about her. When she arrives, she is put in situations that no amount of training could prepare her for, and suddenly both the Russians and her team are questioning what she is really doing there when a serial killer is on the loose and people she gets close to start dying. She has to play all of them off and still be successful in accomplishing the job she was sent to do, which could cost her life. This was incredibly suspenseful and thrilling and man I enjoyed it so much. I don’t read books like this often but I have enjoyed this author’s prior books and this one did not disappoint.
Thank you to Novel Suspects and Mulholland Books for the advanced copy to review.
Thank you to Novel Suspects and Mulholland Books for the advanced copy to review.
Read
May 10, 2024For fans of CIA agents, historical fic (’90s!), and inserted chapters from the killers point of view. Melvina Donleavy is able to recognize anyone she’s ever seen because her brain will put together things people don’t notice like the shape of the back of their head. This is why the CIA thinks she’s an asset. And why they send her on her first mission to Soviet Belarus. She’s undercover and with a team, but even her own team doesn’t know why she’s really there. And complicating things is that women have been disappearing, and being murdered, in Minsk. Because some of the victims have been sex workers, no one seems concerned to look for the possible serial killer. But Melvina wants to know and starts to ask a few questions, leading to a woman who spoke to her to be murdered. Melvina is already in enough danger with her assignment, and now she’s added to that and potentially placed the entire team in even more danger…
I chose the audiobook format, which I enjoyed, narrated by Eva Kaminsky. I liked the balance between character focus and intensity and could see this being adapted into a limited series.
If you want a procedural trilogy pick up Kent’s The Dime.
(TW sexual assault/ mentions terminal cancer diagnosis/ mentions suicidal plan/ mentions past child abuse/ faked suicide, brief detail/ brief mention animal cruelty)
--from Book Riot's Unusual Suspects newsleter
I chose the audiobook format, which I enjoyed, narrated by Eva Kaminsky. I liked the balance between character focus and intensity and could see this being adapted into a limited series.
If you want a procedural trilogy pick up Kent’s The Dime.
(TW sexual assault/ mentions terminal cancer diagnosis/ mentions suicidal plan/ mentions past child abuse/ faked suicide, brief detail/ brief mention animal cruelty)
--from Book Riot's Unusual Suspects newsleter
June 3, 2024
I haven't read a spy thriller in ages, I used to get them passed on to me from my dad as he is also a fan of the genre but he's now moved on to nonfiction and it's not something I actively seek out, although that changes now!
This one ticked all the boxes with the inclusion of a serial killer subplot - although there are no serial killers in Byelorussia (embarrassingly it took me longer than I'd like to admit to realising that Byelorussia is now Belarus 🤦♀️).
I liked the female main character Melvina and her super recogniser skill. I didn't quite get why the only way she could process all the faces she saw in a day was in a hot bath and felt this let the plot down a little bit. I really enjoyed the cat and mouse game between Melvina and the head of Byelorussiam KGB Martin Kavulchuk. There were plenty of breadcrumbs left about the serial killer but I didn't work it out and was surprised the way that part of the plot went after the big reveal.
Reading this made me want to read more spy thrillers and go back and rewatch shows like 24 and Homeland (Quinn forever).
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Thank you to Netgalley, Aria & Aries - Head of Zeus and the author.
This one ticked all the boxes with the inclusion of a serial killer subplot - although there are no serial killers in Byelorussia (embarrassingly it took me longer than I'd like to admit to realising that Byelorussia is now Belarus 🤦♀️).
I liked the female main character Melvina and her super recogniser skill. I didn't quite get why the only way she could process all the faces she saw in a day was in a hot bath and felt this let the plot down a little bit. I really enjoyed the cat and mouse game between Melvina and the head of Byelorussiam KGB Martin Kavulchuk. There were plenty of breadcrumbs left about the serial killer but I didn't work it out and was surprised the way that part of the plot went after the big reveal.
Reading this made me want to read more spy thrillers and go back and rewatch shows like 24 and Homeland (Quinn forever).
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Thank you to Netgalley, Aria & Aries - Head of Zeus and the author.
February 12, 2023
Kathleen Kent writes a remarkable multilayered espionage thriller that takes us to the disturbing heart of the collapsing Soviet Empire in the 1990s, Byelorussia (Belarus) and Minsk where a CIA trade team has arrived. It's youngest member, Melvina 'Mel' Donleavy, is posing as a secretary, codename Medusa, the most inexperienced, but most crucial member of the American group, none of the others have any idea of her importance or her mission. Mel is the rarest of individuals, a super recogniser, she forgets no-one, ever, the only one who will be able identify Iranian scientists in Minsk, intent on secretly acquiring nuclear know how, a development feared by the Americans. Mel is a stronger person than others give her credit for, but none of her training has prepared her for the reality and dangers of operating undercover, with its issues of trust, fear and paranoia.
The surveillance is all encompassing and so blatant as they are openly followed by the KGB, the meetings the team have, overseen by the Minister of External Affairs, are frustrating, intent on thwarting the Americans, offering no opportunities of seeing any overseas 'visitors'. Even the deep connections of Mel's contact, Dr William Cutler, struggles. To the horror of the Americans, the notoriously feared head of the BSSR KGB, Martin Kavalchuk, known as the Black Wolf, shows an unwelcome and surprising interest in Mel. That is not the only threat facing Mel who, through Katya, becomes aware of the Svisloch Strangler, prostitutes and other women have been disappearing for some time in Minsk. Violence and abuse of women is rife in a country that does not believe in the existence of serial killers. There is more, Mel may be her own worst enemy when it comes to her uncontrollable and overwhelming sexual attraction to Alexi.
Kent writes a gripping blend of fact and fiction, one of the main highlights for me is her detailed picture of Byelorussia, its harrowing history, contaminated badly by Chernobyl, a brutalised people who suffered the highest number of losses in the war, the emergence of the mafia, the Bratva, the brotherhood, and the unapologetic sexism and misogyny. It is caught in the midst of the power of a noxious, decaying and chaotic Moscow and the lure of independence, held back by unhelpful beliefs that serial killers are a product of a decadent West, and an impossibility in Minsk. This is a stellar espionage read, compulsive, suspenseful and tense, and informative, covering as it does a fascinating and turbulent period of history in a part of the world that little is known of.
This will appeal to readers interested in Russia and Byelorussia in the 1990s and the well founded fears of nuclear proliferation. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
The surveillance is all encompassing and so blatant as they are openly followed by the KGB, the meetings the team have, overseen by the Minister of External Affairs, are frustrating, intent on thwarting the Americans, offering no opportunities of seeing any overseas 'visitors'. Even the deep connections of Mel's contact, Dr William Cutler, struggles. To the horror of the Americans, the notoriously feared head of the BSSR KGB, Martin Kavalchuk, known as the Black Wolf, shows an unwelcome and surprising interest in Mel. That is not the only threat facing Mel who, through Katya, becomes aware of the Svisloch Strangler, prostitutes and other women have been disappearing for some time in Minsk. Violence and abuse of women is rife in a country that does not believe in the existence of serial killers. There is more, Mel may be her own worst enemy when it comes to her uncontrollable and overwhelming sexual attraction to Alexi.
Kent writes a gripping blend of fact and fiction, one of the main highlights for me is her detailed picture of Byelorussia, its harrowing history, contaminated badly by Chernobyl, a brutalised people who suffered the highest number of losses in the war, the emergence of the mafia, the Bratva, the brotherhood, and the unapologetic sexism and misogyny. It is caught in the midst of the power of a noxious, decaying and chaotic Moscow and the lure of independence, held back by unhelpful beliefs that serial killers are a product of a decadent West, and an impossibility in Minsk. This is a stellar espionage read, compulsive, suspenseful and tense, and informative, covering as it does a fascinating and turbulent period of history in a part of the world that little is known of.
This will appeal to readers interested in Russia and Byelorussia in the 1990s and the well founded fears of nuclear proliferation. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
April 3, 2023
Well, this is definitely the first book I've ever read that takes place completely in the country of Byelorussia (now Belarus). The star of the novel, Melvina (Mel) Donleavy, has an interesting power - the ability to never forget a face. She's ushered into the secretive, strange country next to Russia with a small team of undercover CIA agents to see what's going on with a nuclear project. Yes, the fact that there is a serial killer of women lurking around the capital city of Minsk adds to the intrigue. But overall, this book plodded along, repeating settings, characters and, overall, a milieu that I didn't really care about, or wish to ever visit.
March 26, 2023
Will put you off mushrooms (if you didn't hate them already!).
In 1990, four CIA agents go undercover to Byelorussia following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, on the premise of determining whether they should provide funding to the country but only if the team is convinced, and it can be evidenced, that the money won't be used in any nuclear programs. The youngest agent, Mel, has been sent in on her first mission under the guide of secretarial support. However, she has a superpower which makes her the strongest asset for the US government who have sent her into Byelorussia on a discreet solo operation of her own. When just one person knows your secret though, it can easily fall into the wrong hands, and so when the head of the KGB suddenly starts taking an interest in Mel, will the new agent be able to avoid the Black Wolf's interrogation?
I have realised I enjoy espionage themes since I read Red Sparrow and Palace of Treason by Jason Matthews, which were my firsts in that genre and the only ones I have read so far. It was hard not to compare for that reason. I would say this was an enjoyable read; a strong convincing narrative supported by the author's personal knowledge of working for the US government as an agent, with the momentum building up the more I read, I couldn't wait to find out what happened at the end. The only downside was, I thought Mel was a weak protagonist, going against all that you're supposedly trained as an undercover agent, I found her too trusting and that was frustrating to read (maybe I am comparing too much to Dominika of Matthews' work). Would recommend all the same! Thank you @netgalley and @AriaandAries for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
In 1990, four CIA agents go undercover to Byelorussia following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, on the premise of determining whether they should provide funding to the country but only if the team is convinced, and it can be evidenced, that the money won't be used in any nuclear programs. The youngest agent, Mel, has been sent in on her first mission under the guide of secretarial support. However, she has a superpower which makes her the strongest asset for the US government who have sent her into Byelorussia on a discreet solo operation of her own. When just one person knows your secret though, it can easily fall into the wrong hands, and so when the head of the KGB suddenly starts taking an interest in Mel, will the new agent be able to avoid the Black Wolf's interrogation?
I have realised I enjoy espionage themes since I read Red Sparrow and Palace of Treason by Jason Matthews, which were my firsts in that genre and the only ones I have read so far. It was hard not to compare for that reason. I would say this was an enjoyable read; a strong convincing narrative supported by the author's personal knowledge of working for the US government as an agent, with the momentum building up the more I read, I couldn't wait to find out what happened at the end. The only downside was, I thought Mel was a weak protagonist, going against all that you're supposedly trained as an undercover agent, I found her too trusting and that was frustrating to read (maybe I am comparing too much to Dominika of Matthews' work). Would recommend all the same! Thank you @netgalley and @AriaandAries for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
March 8, 2024
3'5🔎.
"It's not an exaggeration to say that Stalin* (*insertar aquí otro dictador) killed the best and the brightest of his countrymen, fearing a coup by men smarter than himself and leaving an intellectual vacuum that we've still not rectified."
Es entretenido y, aunque lento, no se hace aburrido. Con atención y por deducción puede saberse quién es quién, asesino(s) incluido(s), y ciertas relaciones personales; es decir, nada sale de la nada, por esa parte bien. En la primera mitad, especialmente, genera tensión y se desconfía de todos. Creo que hay que leerlo más como novela de ficción histórica; permitiendo la parte de thriller/espionaje asomarnos a un período muy concreto en Bielorrusia.
De hecho, lo peor es que, desde el planteamiento del thriller / novela de espionaje, requiere suspender la incredulidad en términos generales y esta necesidad va en aumento, sin prisa pero sin pausa, a partir de la mitad.
Varios ejemplos a grandes rasgos.
1. Que unos estadounidenses estén convencidos de que están dando esquinazo a la KGB en su propio territorio es de risa.
2. La Misión que tiene prioridad sobre las demás, la superhiperimportante. Su desarrollo me ha resultado pobre: primero, ni se puede mencionar; luego, llegado el momento, ni la preparan, se sacan un plan irrisorio de la manga y pa'lante (los perros no ladran xd). No es coherente que una misión tan vital sólo sirva para llevarnos a hablar de unos criterios del FBI (sin destripar nada) y, encima, la fastidien cual novatos.
3. Mel, la protagonista. El ejemplo por antonomasia y personaje flojo. No cae mal, pero "Incoherencia" es su apellido. 26 años; su padre, sheriff, desde niña la ha entrenado para sobrevivir; y se la han rifado FBI y CIA, dos años de entrenamiento entre ambas agencias. CON ESTA FORMACIÓN, tras correr Mel por el bosque a raíz de La Misión, en el primer escondite sufre de hambre a la una de la madrugada porque no ha probado bocado desde las 21h y en el segundo escondite decide andar medio en bolas, lo más práctico si hay que huir precipitadamente ... Mel también se encapricha de un policía militar: cero química (vale, es guapísimo y tiene tipazo), anticlimático todo, otra decisión racional de un as de la inteligencia americana.
Así que eso, libro entretenido, algo lento por todos los detalles, para disfrutar de la información sobre Bielorrusia y otros datos históricos (sobre la violencia contra la mujer, militares, geopolíticos) y no pensar en profundidad en las decisiones sin sentido o incoherentes. Ah y he acabado teniéndole respeto a Martin Kavalchuk, perverso, implacable, pragmático.
"It's not an exaggeration to say that Stalin* (*insertar aquí otro dictador) killed the best and the brightest of his countrymen, fearing a coup by men smarter than himself and leaving an intellectual vacuum that we've still not rectified."
Es entretenido y, aunque lento, no se hace aburrido. Con atención y por deducción puede saberse quién es quién, asesino(s) incluido(s), y ciertas relaciones personales; es decir, nada sale de la nada, por esa parte bien. En la primera mitad, especialmente, genera tensión y se desconfía de todos. Creo que hay que leerlo más como novela de ficción histórica; permitiendo la parte de thriller/espionaje asomarnos a un período muy concreto en Bielorrusia.
De hecho, lo peor es que, desde el planteamiento del thriller / novela de espionaje, requiere suspender la incredulidad en términos generales y esta necesidad va en aumento, sin prisa pero sin pausa, a partir de la mitad.
Varios ejemplos a grandes rasgos.
1. Que unos estadounidenses estén convencidos de que están dando esquinazo a la KGB en su propio territorio es de risa.
2. La Misión que tiene prioridad sobre las demás, la superhiperimportante. Su desarrollo me ha resultado pobre: primero, ni se puede mencionar; luego, llegado el momento, ni la preparan, se sacan un plan irrisorio de la manga y pa'lante (los perros no ladran xd). No es coherente que una misión tan vital sólo sirva para llevarnos a hablar de unos criterios del FBI (sin destripar nada) y, encima, la fastidien cual novatos.
3. Mel, la protagonista. El ejemplo por antonomasia y personaje flojo. No cae mal, pero "Incoherencia" es su apellido. 26 años; su padre, sheriff, desde niña la ha entrenado para sobrevivir; y se la han rifado FBI y CIA, dos años de entrenamiento entre ambas agencias. CON ESTA FORMACIÓN, tras correr Mel por el bosque a raíz de La Misión, en el primer escondite sufre de hambre a la una de la madrugada porque no ha probado bocado desde las 21h y en el segundo escondite decide andar medio en bolas, lo más práctico si hay que huir precipitadamente ... Mel también se encapricha de un policía militar: cero química (vale, es guapísimo y tiene tipazo), anticlimático todo, otra decisión racional de un as de la inteligencia americana.
Así que eso, libro entretenido, algo lento por todos los detalles, para disfrutar de la información sobre Bielorrusia y otros datos históricos (sobre la violencia contra la mujer, militares, geopolíticos) y no pensar en profundidad en las decisiones sin sentido o incoherentes. Ah y he acabado teniéndole respeto a Martin Kavalchuk, perverso, implacable, pragmático.
March 13, 2023
Kent deftly navigates the harrowing spot between spy and serial killer thriller in this gripping adventure about Melvina “Mel” Donleavy’s first assignment for the CIA in 1990 Soviet Belarus just before the country gains autonomy but still steeped in terrifying Soviet political control with a legendary head of their KGB, the Black Wolf, clever, steely, and ruthless as her main antagonist. Mel’s inexperience and youth play a huge part in the Plot as she contends with reality versus her training, her primary role/mission using her secret skill as a super recognizer (She never forgets a face. Ever.) and her secondary role as “secretary” to the undercover CIA team who are there to vet the Minsk scientific institute before the US agrees to fund the burgeoning country’s energy program. Her other three team members do not know of this primary mission or her skill, adding many layers of intrigue as Mel manages her abilities, and both her roles while also suspecting a serial killer in Minsk is brutally strangling young women even though the Soviets do not believe that they could have such a decadent Westernized problem in their country. Belarus from its urban landscape to both the ravages and blossoming countryside provide great background, as does the KGB headquarters, the Minsk hotel and bar the team frequents, and their controller’s apartment. Even the car rides with KGB driver, minders, etc. have atmosphere as Mel and the team interact with scientists, Belarus police, members of the Bratva gangsters, and the desperate young women trying to make a life for themselves. The spycraft details are excellent, as are the procedural and serial killer investigation which is a mix of history, psychology, and police work. Pace and Tone benefit from the weaving of weather, location, Belarusian lore, Soviet doctrine, and Red Herrings with operational details. Mushrooms become a lush and sinister metaphor as does the Chernobyl radiation poisoning of the environment and population with both story arcs, adding dread and sorrow top the suspenseful ride. Satisfactory but teeth-clenching ending and since the title refers to Mel’s relationship to the KGB director I am positing that this is the first in a series where they dance with one another again, even peripherally. Engaging main and secondary CHs, riveting Plotting, and overwhelming Tone makes this a probable readalike for Jason Matthews’ Red Sparrow series; Tom Bradby, and Daniel Silva fans.
February 17, 2023
Black Wolf by Kathleen Kent is an intriguing & impressive spy thriller involving CIA agent & possessor of special facial recognition powers, Melvina Donleavy as she ventures into the Soviet Union in the 1990’s. Whilst on her undercover mission as a secretary in the dangerous parts of the country, she lands herself in the crosshairs of the KGB, specifically the infamous & terrifying leader known as Black Wolf. As she tries to collect information amidst questioning from Black Wolf, there also may be a serial killer going after women. Black Wolf takes the reader back in time & aboard a realistic spy mission in this interesting read.
I loved the author’s intro regarding the author’s real life experience as a Department of Defense contractor in the early 1990’s. I was immediately fascinated & I think you absolutely feel the authenticity from the author’s background & how that impacted the story.
I love spy thrillers & the intricacies the complex mysteries invoke as the story unravels. I especially love woman spies & the power they hold as they are often underestimated. This book was really neat as the main character had realistic superpowers with her uncanny facial recognition that aided her in her many adventures.
For my fellow spy lovers &/or fans of realistic superpowers, I would recommend Black Wolf by Kathleen Kent:
Massive thanks to Mulholland Books for the free book, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.
Trigger Warnings: This book mentions &/or contains murder, violence, torture, kidnapping & guns.
I loved the author’s intro regarding the author’s real life experience as a Department of Defense contractor in the early 1990’s. I was immediately fascinated & I think you absolutely feel the authenticity from the author’s background & how that impacted the story.
I love spy thrillers & the intricacies the complex mysteries invoke as the story unravels. I especially love woman spies & the power they hold as they are often underestimated. This book was really neat as the main character had realistic superpowers with her uncanny facial recognition that aided her in her many adventures.
For my fellow spy lovers &/or fans of realistic superpowers, I would recommend Black Wolf by Kathleen Kent:
Massive thanks to Mulholland Books for the free book, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.
Trigger Warnings: This book mentions &/or contains murder, violence, torture, kidnapping & guns.
February 9, 2023
Black Wolf by Kathleen Kent is a crime-fiction/spy thriller that takes places in the 90's, when the USSR is starting to break up.
"Melvina Donleavy discovers a rare talent growing up. She is a super-recognizer. She can remember any face after seeing it once. She is recruited by the CIA and sent with a team to Byelorussia to seek out some Iranian scientists looking to buy Russian nuclear technology. Mel struggles to stay unnoticed but the head of the KGB knows something is going on with her team. And she's attracted the attention of a serial killer. Mel wonders if her first mission will be her last."
This book is part spy thriller. Think Tom Clancy with a female MC. And it's a serial killer crime fiction story. There is some overlap in the story. Kent's killer is pretty terrifying - operating in plain sight and she uses him for story resolution. I wish a little that that had been a seperate book. Just a personal preference
The story moves quickly, staying mostly in Mel's head. Her ability is unusual but many readers will have something similar, just not to this extreme.
It's nice to revisit the Cold War spy game. Entertaining read from Kent.
"Melvina Donleavy discovers a rare talent growing up. She is a super-recognizer. She can remember any face after seeing it once. She is recruited by the CIA and sent with a team to Byelorussia to seek out some Iranian scientists looking to buy Russian nuclear technology. Mel struggles to stay unnoticed but the head of the KGB knows something is going on with her team. And she's attracted the attention of a serial killer. Mel wonders if her first mission will be her last."
This book is part spy thriller. Think Tom Clancy with a female MC. And it's a serial killer crime fiction story. There is some overlap in the story. Kent's killer is pretty terrifying - operating in plain sight and she uses him for story resolution. I wish a little that that had been a seperate book. Just a personal preference
The story moves quickly, staying mostly in Mel's head. Her ability is unusual but many readers will have something similar, just not to this extreme.
It's nice to revisit the Cold War spy game. Entertaining read from Kent.
February 21, 2023
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Thriller / Espionage
*Rating* 4.0
*Thoughts*
Kathleen Kent's Black Wolf is a cold war era thriller about a young woman with an extraordinary ability to never forget a face once she's seen it. The story is set in its entirety in Belarus aka Byelorussia in 1990. August, 1990, Minsk, a four person team from the CIA led by Dan Hatton, Julie Reznik, Ben Franklin, and Melvina Donleavy has been sent to the country as representatives of the State Department to see what kind of financial incentives the US can offer the soon to be independent of the soon to be former Soviet Union to prevent uranium from falling into the wrong hands.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Thriller / Espionage
*Rating* 4.0
*Thoughts*
Kathleen Kent's Black Wolf is a cold war era thriller about a young woman with an extraordinary ability to never forget a face once she's seen it. The story is set in its entirety in Belarus aka Byelorussia in 1990. August, 1990, Minsk, a four person team from the CIA led by Dan Hatton, Julie Reznik, Ben Franklin, and Melvina Donleavy has been sent to the country as representatives of the State Department to see what kind of financial incentives the US can offer the soon to be independent of the soon to be former Soviet Union to prevent uranium from falling into the wrong hands.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
November 24, 2022
I don’t have much experience with spy thrillers but, that was a ride. Set in 1990s soviet Byelorussia, Black Wolf follows Melvina and 3 other CIA agents on a mission to determine the future of nuclear warfare in the east. Simultaneously, Melvina, under the guise of ‘secretary’, befriends various sources and comes to the conclusion there is also a serial killer in Minsk…
This novel, full of vodka, various fungi and spy jokes tells a tale laced with truth and the atrocities of tampering with nuclear energy.
“Idi na hui!”
This novel, full of vodka, various fungi and spy jokes tells a tale laced with truth and the atrocities of tampering with nuclear energy.
“Idi na hui!”
May 28, 2023
Honestly I only read to page 200 and decided I have too many other books I want to read to waste more time on this one. I really really wanted to love it and thought Mel with her special ability was going to be a great main character. Not. I also tried since I mostly dislike books with the KGB involved. This was no different. I really didn’t care about any of the characters and didn’t care how it ended. She needs to bring back Betty-now those were books I loved!
February 9, 2024
When I picked this book up, I thought I was going to be reading a spy novel, but this book is a weird mashup of a spy novel and a mystery novel. The mashup didn't work very well.
March 29, 2024
Could have been good. Excellent narration by Eva Kaminsky
October 23, 2023
Hoping there may be more coming with these characters!
August 4, 2024
Soooo good, couldn’t put it down. CIA undercover mission in Belarus shortly after the wall falls. Mixed with a serial killer story line and a love affair
February 21, 2023
would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book
have to admit defeat and not carry on.. its just not my sort of book and i tried so hard to get into it but to no avail...but it was so easy to put it down and forget it...
have to admit defeat and not carry on.. its just not my sort of book and i tried so hard to get into it but to no avail...but it was so easy to put it down and forget it...
July 10, 2024
Good plot twists
April 18, 2023
this was painful as I LOVE the detective Betty series... but nope
September 16, 2022
I love a good Cold War-era spy novel, and Kent does not disappoint. Soviet-US spy games? Check. Complicated interpersonal relationships with your spy co-workers? Check. "Winds of Change" reference and cracks from glasnost? Check. Shadowy KGB interference, Russian mafia, a jolly Western atomic scientist, lots of vodka? Check, check, check. What sets BLACK WOLF apart is our main character, Mel, who has an extremely unique ability the CIA has recruited her for, and how one of her life fascinations intersects with a killer in Minsk, where the book is set. There's a lot going on in this book; you'll want to settle in and enjoy it.
This is unlike anything I had read by Kathleen Kent, but what makes her an excellent read — her characters and their connections — is here in spades. Truly enjoyable.
This is unlike anything I had read by Kathleen Kent, but what makes her an excellent read — her characters and their connections — is here in spades. Truly enjoyable.
February 19, 2023
For a young American operative in the crumbling Soviet Union, being uncovered by the KGB isn’t the only thing to fear.
It’s 1990, and novice CIA agent Melvina Donleavy has been sent to Byelorussia (Belarus) with three other agents, ostensibly to determine if the US can safely provide the fledgling government there with aid. In fact, Mel has a second, more important, mission of which even the other three agents are unaware. There is concern that certain Iranian scientists have travelled to Byelorussia to purchase nuclear material for their program at home. At this point in history, a great deal of such material is floating around and being sold to the highest bidder. It is not in the interest of the US for Iran to develop a nuclear arsenal, but there has been no proof that the Iranian scientists are in fact in the country….only rumors. And that is why Mel is there….she possesses a skill so rare that only a few hundred people in the world possess it…once she sees a face once, she will recognize it again, even if the person has aged, had surgical alterations, or is otherwise disguised. If she sees the rogue Iranian scientists, she will be able to identify them with complete certainty to her handlers, and they will have the proof they need to stop the transaction.
Mel has undergone standard CIA training, but nothing could prepare her for the scrutiny under which she will be living in Minsk. Fellow agent Ben is quick to sense that she is hiding something from the team, and team leader Dan and linguist Julie are suspicious as well. They are all watched around the clock by the KGB, with hotel staff tracking their comings and goings, their rooms wired for sound and peered into via two way mirrors, and escorts who take them to and from all destinations. Their local contact William is an expat who is supposedly working for the US but has very close relationships with the Byealarussian communist government, most troublingly with local KGB head Martin Kavalchuk, known as the Black Wolf. Melvina catches the attention of Kavalchuk at their first meeting….he senses that she is not the low-risk secretary, which is her cover identity. She also discovers that young women in Minsk are disappearing, and some but not all are turning up dead. It is official policy in the Soviet Union that criminals such as serial killers are a Western aberration, brought on by loose morals; such crimes do not exist in their well-disciplined country. Melvina suspects otherwise, especially after two different young women with whom she has struck up friendships are found dead. To attract Kavalchuk’s attention was bad enough….but has she also caught the eye of a serial killer? She is living a lie with her own team, and doesn’t know who, if anyone, she can trust. It will take every skill and lesson she has ever learned to survive this mission, and hopefully prevent a nuclear Iran.
In reading this latest novel from Kathleen Kent, I was brought back to the state of the world in 1990. The disaster at Chernobyl had happened just a few years earlier, and the full devastation on the surrounding area was still being discovered. The Soviet Union had just withdrawn from Afghanistan in defeat and was starting to crumble, but was clinging to control of its empire. The Bratva, the Russian mafia, was starting to gain power, and the average citizen was struggling to survive. For a young American agent like Melvina, this was an alien environment, and to be essentially on her own given her separate and highly classified mission further complicated her life. As she wades into Minsk, the reader also is not sure who, if anyone, can be trusted…and whether someone in her orbit just might be a serial killer, stalking her as his latest prey.
Black Wolf is an engrossing read,. Author Kathleen Kent’s background in the clandestine world informs her characters’ decisions and attitudes, and the period of time in which the story is set is certainly fertile ground for cloak and dagger work. The parallel storyline of the potential serial killer adds to the tension of the story, and I wasn’t quite sure which of the many suspects Mel encounters is the psychopath in question. The characters in Black Wolf, like people in real life, are not black and white. Good people often are guilty of doing bad things, but even cold-blooded killers can have moments of grace. Readers of Francine Matthews, Alma Katsu, and Charles Cumming (amongst others) will enjoy this novel of espionage. Thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for providing me with a reader’s copy of Black Wolf.
It’s 1990, and novice CIA agent Melvina Donleavy has been sent to Byelorussia (Belarus) with three other agents, ostensibly to determine if the US can safely provide the fledgling government there with aid. In fact, Mel has a second, more important, mission of which even the other three agents are unaware. There is concern that certain Iranian scientists have travelled to Byelorussia to purchase nuclear material for their program at home. At this point in history, a great deal of such material is floating around and being sold to the highest bidder. It is not in the interest of the US for Iran to develop a nuclear arsenal, but there has been no proof that the Iranian scientists are in fact in the country….only rumors. And that is why Mel is there….she possesses a skill so rare that only a few hundred people in the world possess it…once she sees a face once, she will recognize it again, even if the person has aged, had surgical alterations, or is otherwise disguised. If she sees the rogue Iranian scientists, she will be able to identify them with complete certainty to her handlers, and they will have the proof they need to stop the transaction.
Mel has undergone standard CIA training, but nothing could prepare her for the scrutiny under which she will be living in Minsk. Fellow agent Ben is quick to sense that she is hiding something from the team, and team leader Dan and linguist Julie are suspicious as well. They are all watched around the clock by the KGB, with hotel staff tracking their comings and goings, their rooms wired for sound and peered into via two way mirrors, and escorts who take them to and from all destinations. Their local contact William is an expat who is supposedly working for the US but has very close relationships with the Byealarussian communist government, most troublingly with local KGB head Martin Kavalchuk, known as the Black Wolf. Melvina catches the attention of Kavalchuk at their first meeting….he senses that she is not the low-risk secretary, which is her cover identity. She also discovers that young women in Minsk are disappearing, and some but not all are turning up dead. It is official policy in the Soviet Union that criminals such as serial killers are a Western aberration, brought on by loose morals; such crimes do not exist in their well-disciplined country. Melvina suspects otherwise, especially after two different young women with whom she has struck up friendships are found dead. To attract Kavalchuk’s attention was bad enough….but has she also caught the eye of a serial killer? She is living a lie with her own team, and doesn’t know who, if anyone, she can trust. It will take every skill and lesson she has ever learned to survive this mission, and hopefully prevent a nuclear Iran.
In reading this latest novel from Kathleen Kent, I was brought back to the state of the world in 1990. The disaster at Chernobyl had happened just a few years earlier, and the full devastation on the surrounding area was still being discovered. The Soviet Union had just withdrawn from Afghanistan in defeat and was starting to crumble, but was clinging to control of its empire. The Bratva, the Russian mafia, was starting to gain power, and the average citizen was struggling to survive. For a young American agent like Melvina, this was an alien environment, and to be essentially on her own given her separate and highly classified mission further complicated her life. As she wades into Minsk, the reader also is not sure who, if anyone, can be trusted…and whether someone in her orbit just might be a serial killer, stalking her as his latest prey.
Black Wolf is an engrossing read,. Author Kathleen Kent’s background in the clandestine world informs her characters’ decisions and attitudes, and the period of time in which the story is set is certainly fertile ground for cloak and dagger work. The parallel storyline of the potential serial killer adds to the tension of the story, and I wasn’t quite sure which of the many suspects Mel encounters is the psychopath in question. The characters in Black Wolf, like people in real life, are not black and white. Good people often are guilty of doing bad things, but even cold-blooded killers can have moments of grace. Readers of Francine Matthews, Alma Katsu, and Charles Cumming (amongst others) will enjoy this novel of espionage. Thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for providing me with a reader’s copy of Black Wolf.
February 22, 2023
It is 1990 and the walls of the former USSR are coming down in the spirit of glasnost. As part of President Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms former states of the Soviet Union are begining to break away from Mother Russia, but she still holds them fastened to her apron strings.
A USA trade delegation has just arrived in Minsk, apparently to forge closer economic ties with Byelorussia, but this is a front for a CIA mission to gather information about rumoured secret plans for a nuclear weapon programme in partnership with Iran. Posing as a lowly secretary to the delegation, Melvina (Mel) Dunleavy is on her first mission, and unknown to her fellow agents she has a secret task of her own - one that is the real reason for their presence in Minsk. Mel has a very rare skill, because she never forgets a face, and as a 'super-recogniser' she is well placed to spy out the Iranian nuclear engineers they fear may be helping Byelorussia in its dangerous aims.
If keeping their true intentions secret in a country that has them under constant close scrutiny was not taxing enough, Mel and her colleagues soon learn that there is a serial killer on the loose in Minsk who is targeting women, which adds an extra level of danger. The Svisloch Strangler seems unstoppable, especially since such crimes cannot even be acknowledged in this 'perfect' communist society. However, he is very real indeed, and he is watching...
Meanwhile, the infamous Chairman of BSSR's KGB, Martin Gregorivich Kavalchuk, known as The Black Wolf, knows more about this little delegation than they are comfortable with. He has earned his nickname for a reason: they say you never hear his footsteps until he is carrying your coffin, and he is determined to find out Mel's purpose...
Black Wolf is a cracking thriller set in the unsettled days of the break-up of the USSR. Kent fixes her story in a time and place that allows her to spin an authentic tale about intelligence gathering against a backdrop that is rich in atmospheric elements of the powerful shadow cast by the Cold War, and of a foreboding about the rise of terrorism in the Middle East. The threat of nuclear capability in unstable hands underpins this story, and Kent uses the impact of the Chernobyl disaster to perfection in exploring both the political and human parts of this novel.
In an absolutely genius twist, this is not just a gripping spy caper, but also one of the most exciting serial killer hunts that I have read for a very long time. Evoking vibes of Tom Rob Smith's Child 44 and The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, Kent plays Mel as something of a Clarice Starling character who becomes embroiled in the search for the dangerous Svisloch Strangler - a killer whose existence cannot be spoken about. The killer lurks in the shadows, stalking his prey, while also hiding in plain sight, and the suspense is delicious as Kent keeps you guessing about their identity. There are a lot of well contrived red herrings here, and I spent the whole time with my heart in my mouth, concerned for Mel's safety.
I love the way Kent combines all sides of Mel's past in the espionage and crime storylines, which works beautifully. You do have to put to one side the passing thought that surely her CIA mission is more than enough to occupy Mel when she starts going off-piste, but once the threads play out tying the two storylines together, you get an idea of where Kent is heading - and when the payoff comes, it results in an intriguing partnership with a tasty hook into a potential next adventure.
This compelling story kept me feverishly turning the pages from start to finish. It has all the hallmarks of the first part in a new series, and I have my fingers crossed that book two will follow in short order!
A USA trade delegation has just arrived in Minsk, apparently to forge closer economic ties with Byelorussia, but this is a front for a CIA mission to gather information about rumoured secret plans for a nuclear weapon programme in partnership with Iran. Posing as a lowly secretary to the delegation, Melvina (Mel) Dunleavy is on her first mission, and unknown to her fellow agents she has a secret task of her own - one that is the real reason for their presence in Minsk. Mel has a very rare skill, because she never forgets a face, and as a 'super-recogniser' she is well placed to spy out the Iranian nuclear engineers they fear may be helping Byelorussia in its dangerous aims.
If keeping their true intentions secret in a country that has them under constant close scrutiny was not taxing enough, Mel and her colleagues soon learn that there is a serial killer on the loose in Minsk who is targeting women, which adds an extra level of danger. The Svisloch Strangler seems unstoppable, especially since such crimes cannot even be acknowledged in this 'perfect' communist society. However, he is very real indeed, and he is watching...
Meanwhile, the infamous Chairman of BSSR's KGB, Martin Gregorivich Kavalchuk, known as The Black Wolf, knows more about this little delegation than they are comfortable with. He has earned his nickname for a reason: they say you never hear his footsteps until he is carrying your coffin, and he is determined to find out Mel's purpose...
Black Wolf is a cracking thriller set in the unsettled days of the break-up of the USSR. Kent fixes her story in a time and place that allows her to spin an authentic tale about intelligence gathering against a backdrop that is rich in atmospheric elements of the powerful shadow cast by the Cold War, and of a foreboding about the rise of terrorism in the Middle East. The threat of nuclear capability in unstable hands underpins this story, and Kent uses the impact of the Chernobyl disaster to perfection in exploring both the political and human parts of this novel.
In an absolutely genius twist, this is not just a gripping spy caper, but also one of the most exciting serial killer hunts that I have read for a very long time. Evoking vibes of Tom Rob Smith's Child 44 and The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, Kent plays Mel as something of a Clarice Starling character who becomes embroiled in the search for the dangerous Svisloch Strangler - a killer whose existence cannot be spoken about. The killer lurks in the shadows, stalking his prey, while also hiding in plain sight, and the suspense is delicious as Kent keeps you guessing about their identity. There are a lot of well contrived red herrings here, and I spent the whole time with my heart in my mouth, concerned for Mel's safety.
I love the way Kent combines all sides of Mel's past in the espionage and crime storylines, which works beautifully. You do have to put to one side the passing thought that surely her CIA mission is more than enough to occupy Mel when she starts going off-piste, but once the threads play out tying the two storylines together, you get an idea of where Kent is heading - and when the payoff comes, it results in an intriguing partnership with a tasty hook into a potential next adventure.
This compelling story kept me feverishly turning the pages from start to finish. It has all the hallmarks of the first part in a new series, and I have my fingers crossed that book two will follow in short order!
February 16, 2023
Soviet law states that murder, especially serial killing, is exclusively a capitalist crime, but, as Agatha Christie said, “murder is easy if no one suspects”. In 1990, there is a serial killer operating in Minsk, the capital of Byelorussia. The Soviet Union is breaking up, and it is clear that Byelorussia will become completely free from the soviet system within a year. With that independence will come serious economic problems and the country will have to rapidly identify new sources of income. An obvious way is to sell assets and one of their biggest assets is the nuclear weapons they possess and the associated technology and skills. Aware of this, the USA is determined to provide massive aid in exchange for helping to dismantle the weaponry and neutralising the risk that the technology will fall into foreign hands. Although Iraq has just invaded Kuwait, the CIA are convinced that it is Iran that will be the real threat. To resolve these various issues, the USA has sent a team comprising three “Accountants” and a “Secretary” (all four being undercover CIA). The first three are there to examine the economic factors, but the last is there to identify Iranian nuclear scientists who may be negotiating for the technology, skills and material necessary for the creation of a nuclear bomb. Naturally, if there are any Iranian scientists there they could be any of a largish number and will be kept away from the Americans. The “Secretary”, Mel, has a rare skill; she recognises people, not just their faces but every aspect of their heads, and remembers them forever. Shown pictures of all possible scientists she will be able to identify them if she so much as glimpses from any angle. Being in a sense supernumerary she can move around more freely than the others, and make contacts. It is from these contacts that she first hears about the serial killer. When first one contact then another is murdered it looks like the killer might be homing in on her. Someone else who is homing in on Mel is the local Head of the KGB, Martin Kavalchuk, nicknamed the Black Wolf. He suspects that the Americans are spies and that Mel is more important than her role would suggest. Finding the serial killer (while holding the party line that such people only exist in the decadent West) he is also interested in Mel because of her links to the two most recent victims. As the team close in on their objectives, the Black Wolf closes in on them, and the killer closes in on Mel.
This book is both a spy thriller and a murder mystery. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the Gulf War, and the other sources of international tensions are very well detailed, especially the descriptions of Minsk and its surroundings, including the impact of the explosion at Chernobyl. The author draws heavily on her own experience and involvement in these types of activity at that time. The pace is initially quite slow as she fills in the detailed background and shows how laborious and rather tedious negotiation and auditing can be. This is spying of the Le Carré kind rather than the Fleming. The murder story is conventional from the crime point of view but is not investigated as such, more observed. The pace picks up as the story lines start to come together and the tension increases until a satisfactory dénouement. The epilogue has a lot of content, perhaps a bit too much. Overall, though, it is quite a satisfactory read.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.
This book is both a spy thriller and a murder mystery. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the Gulf War, and the other sources of international tensions are very well detailed, especially the descriptions of Minsk and its surroundings, including the impact of the explosion at Chernobyl. The author draws heavily on her own experience and involvement in these types of activity at that time. The pace is initially quite slow as she fills in the detailed background and shows how laborious and rather tedious negotiation and auditing can be. This is spying of the Le Carré kind rather than the Fleming. The murder story is conventional from the crime point of view but is not investigated as such, more observed. The pace picks up as the story lines start to come together and the tension increases until a satisfactory dénouement. The epilogue has a lot of content, perhaps a bit too much. Overall, though, it is quite a satisfactory read.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.
February 19, 2023
Full text review: https://jamreads.com/reviews/black-wo...
Black Wolf is the new spy thriller proposal by Kathleen Kent. With an excellent atmosphere, and solid historical research (with the appropriate licenses), we follow Mel, an undercover CIA agent, on a mission in 1990 Belarus that gets mixed with the mysterious crimes of a serial killer in Minsk.
The story takes place in the Soviet Union in the year 1990, a place that by itself is super interesting, especially when we see how accurate the author has been to the historical circumstances. Close to its dissolution, with the fear after Chernobyl still fresh, Minsk is a place where distrust and paranoia are a common coin. Different nations are trying to get control over the remaining nuclear intelligence.
And in this situation, Melvina Donleavy, a CIA agent with the ability to remember each face she meets, is sent with a crucial mission: stopping those nuclear secrets from exiting the country and falling into the hands of other nations, namely Iran. During the stance of Minsk, Mel attracts the attention of two really different characters that will shape how the story develops: Martin Kavalchuk, the Black Wolf of the KGB, and Katya, a secretary that will make aware Mel of the existence of Svisloch Strangler, a possible serial killer.
Most of the novel will be narrated from the perspective of Mel, who is a well-developed character, with her own problems and virtues. Being able to remember each face she meets makes her a perfect spy for this kind of mission, but this also requires an extra layer of work for herself. Some chapters are narrated from the POV of the strangler, adding more complexity and helping to grow the intrigue; never letting you know his real identity until the final chapters.
The pacing is excellent, despite being a little bit denser than the usual spy stories. Once the story explodes and starts going on, after presenting the characters and giving their motivations, it doesn't stop until the very end, keeping you in tension.
Black Wolf is an excellent spy-thriller, that will be loved by those that also loved to read Tom Clancy's stories. Personally, the aspects I enjoyed more were the historical accuracy and how well the atmosphere of 1990's Minsk is built, transmitting perfectly the paranoia and fear that accompanied the decomposition of the Soviet Union.
Black Wolf is the new spy thriller proposal by Kathleen Kent. With an excellent atmosphere, and solid historical research (with the appropriate licenses), we follow Mel, an undercover CIA agent, on a mission in 1990 Belarus that gets mixed with the mysterious crimes of a serial killer in Minsk.
The story takes place in the Soviet Union in the year 1990, a place that by itself is super interesting, especially when we see how accurate the author has been to the historical circumstances. Close to its dissolution, with the fear after Chernobyl still fresh, Minsk is a place where distrust and paranoia are a common coin. Different nations are trying to get control over the remaining nuclear intelligence.
And in this situation, Melvina Donleavy, a CIA agent with the ability to remember each face she meets, is sent with a crucial mission: stopping those nuclear secrets from exiting the country and falling into the hands of other nations, namely Iran. During the stance of Minsk, Mel attracts the attention of two really different characters that will shape how the story develops: Martin Kavalchuk, the Black Wolf of the KGB, and Katya, a secretary that will make aware Mel of the existence of Svisloch Strangler, a possible serial killer.
Most of the novel will be narrated from the perspective of Mel, who is a well-developed character, with her own problems and virtues. Being able to remember each face she meets makes her a perfect spy for this kind of mission, but this also requires an extra layer of work for herself. Some chapters are narrated from the POV of the strangler, adding more complexity and helping to grow the intrigue; never letting you know his real identity until the final chapters.
The pacing is excellent, despite being a little bit denser than the usual spy stories. Once the story explodes and starts going on, after presenting the characters and giving their motivations, it doesn't stop until the very end, keeping you in tension.
Black Wolf is an excellent spy-thriller, that will be loved by those that also loved to read Tom Clancy's stories. Personally, the aspects I enjoyed more were the historical accuracy and how well the atmosphere of 1990's Minsk is built, transmitting perfectly the paranoia and fear that accompanied the decomposition of the Soviet Union.
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