15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Follow the money; uncover Putin's plan!, June 24, 2009
This review is from: Red to Black (Hardcover)
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Red to Black ostensibly tells the fictional adventure of Finn, a British MI6 agent, and Anna, a young KGB colonel, who fall in love and must decide whether to defy their respective services and governments in pursuit of the truth about "The Plan" -- an alleged secret power plot being implemented methodically and ruthlessly by Vladimir Putin and other high-echelon politicians in Russia, Europe, and other parts of the world.
Once into this espionage thriller, it is quickly evident that RED TO BLACK's author has chosen the novel form as his carapace for disseminating a real warning about Russia under Putin and his KGB (which, technically, has been restructured as the contemporary FSB). Although the usual disclaimers about this being a fictional work are in place, the reader will recognize the writer's emphasis on making his case rather than on developing characters. As the story opens, Anna, in 2007, is anxiously waiting for Finn in a "safe" house. She passes the time reading his accounts of past clandestine meetings with various contacts as well as recounting her own side of things during the last ten years. These recollections convey "real" information and conjecture about how, supposedly, oil and natural gas and arms and drug shipments (among other things) are converted to billions, even trillions, in cash and bank balances. Literally, RED TO BLACK follows the money and ties together a plausible theory of how these massive, illegal transactions may be changing the geopolitical playing field in Putin's Russia's favor.
In case the book itself leaves any doubt, the author himself has suggested this fictional story is perhaps the only way to write about Russia right now. According to him, sixty journalists have been murdered there since 1998, and, given the accusatory nature of this novel, he naturally wants to take precautions for himself. So "Alex Dryden" is a pseudonym for this free-lance British journalist who has lived in Russia for more than fifteen years.
In the early portions of the novel, Dryden seems to be testing unsure "sea legs." Anna and Finn feel fragmented as character and not wholly convincing as lovers. Some of the prose is clunky and presumptuous. The plot is short on specifics, often purposely elliptical. And the scenes can jump inharmoniously like butter on a hot skillet. However, reader persistence does pay off; the last third of the book allows for more genuine, even poignant, understanding of the main characters and for a concrete formulation of what "The Plan" really is. The action and suspense heat up too.
In the final analysis, the lingering question is how much of RED TO BLACK is, or can be, verifiable. The actual oligarchs, intelligence services, politicians, and financiers obliquely (and not so obliquely) implicated in Dryden's chilling scenario have, thus far, not answered for their purported actions because the world has not acknowledged those acts, much less denounced and neutralized them. This expose, despite its fictional cover, probably won't alter that state of affairs. But, it delivers the Dryden lowdown to alert observers of international intrigue. (3.8 stars)
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Creating More Shivers in the Cold War, August 18, 2009
This review is from: Red to Black (Hardcover)
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Alex Dryden has crafted an intense and riveting novel of espionage and romance. Finn was the British agent assigned to Russia with the cover job of Secretary of Trade and Investment for the British government. However in the higher circles of Russian espionage it was suspected he worked for MI6. The Russians arranged for Finn to meet Anna, the enticing and beautiful young colonel in the KGB, now known as FSB. Each government expected their agent to be spying on their adversary to obtain information they obviously would use against the other. The opposite agencies each encouraged a romance in hopes their counterpart would become so emotionally involved they would drop some highly guarded secret into their lap. What neither agency counted on was ... the pair began to respect each other's role and developed genuine feelings of love for the other. They each produced credible reports for their bosses about the activities of the opposite side, just enough to quell any suspicions but what they really longed for was to live ordinairy lives - to be no longer under the scrutiny of their agencies. The author provides excellent character development making Finn and Anna feel very real and well fleshed out both in personality and family backgrounds.
It is after Finn is removed from his role and returns back to Britain, retired from his espionage work, that the action really begins. He becomes a renegade agent, clandestinely researching the clues he obained about who holds the true power in Russia. He researches how money is laundered from the Russian Mafia and other wealthy Russian millionaires and billionaires into Western European banks, trying to discover who holds the real power in Russia. As the saying goes "follow the money". Throughhout his career and even as a "feral agent", Finn maintains contact with a secret source of information, one who is among the powerful ruling elite of the new Russia and goes by the name of "Mikhail". He comes to Finn's aide during his time of greatest need ...
It is a fascinating journey to see how Anna manages to escape from her controllers and the Russian secret agency to hook up at last with Finn in an attempt to create a normal life. She receives help from a totally unexpected source from her past. Their journey of love is fraught with danger both from the British and Russian sides, which they understand comes with the territory. The ending is powerful, explosive and very memorable. This book would make a great film. It is most highly recommended. Erika Borsos [pepperflower]
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Historical Spy-Thriller Romance +++, July 6, 2009
This review is from: Red to Black (Hardcover)
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"Red to Black" seems to be a spy-thriller romance that is loaded with apparently accurate deep real-world Russian and KGB/SVR history -- that is appropriate for this novel. Some folks may be a bit put-off by the regular doses of detailed history, names and data. As for me -- this novel has equally regular waves of spy-thriller romantic personal adventure -- spot-on to flesh-out the technical [historical] detail. When this kind of close-up adventure within the big-picture is well-done it can work-out just fine -- as with "Red to Black". Be warned, however, that there is only a moderate amount of grim violence and dark suspense -- as compared to many such spy-versus-spy sagas -- yet maybe even more realistic for that. Much espionage work seems to be just that -- tricky careful investigative work. With current political events unfolding between USA, Europe and Russia there may be added spice to such an interesting novel +++
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