Customer Reviews

Red to Black

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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)

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]

"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 +++

Dryden's Red To Black is an excellent espionage yarn, in the vein of the older LeCarre books. It features interesting and believable characters, very well written dialogue, a plot of relentlessly increasing menace, and a very good sense of history and historical context.

Dryden's main characters are Finn, a British spy, and Anna, a colonel in Russia's SVR, who is tasked with keeping an eye on Finn's activities. Naturally, they fall in love, and now each of them is playing a very serious game, with multiple often conflicting roles to play. Finn's rogue tracking down of a monstrous conspiracy forms the main thrust of the story, but there is enough great background, not-especially-disguised commentary on very recent history as concerns Russia/Putin and the rest of the world, and characters leading to substantial subplots to keep the reader turning pages.

It's an excellent spy thriller and recommended to fans of the genre.

This basically is a warning of a Russian threat to world economy disguised in a novel. Alex Dryden makes a very good case for his argument and this is indeed very highly recommended for students of world affairs. It's not what I would call an espionage thriller. The meat is factually presented and while there are elements of romance and espionage in the story, it's more readable as non-fiction aimed at those who are seeking a deeper understanding of today's Russia. I very much recommend reading both this book and Brian Haig's THE HUNTED if you are indeed seeking a deeper understanding of today's Russia.

Not such a great read, although there are some things I admire about the book.

I love John Le Carre's books & expected this to be somewhat like The Russia House which has a similar love story at its center, although moved forward in time. & maybe that was the root of my problem with this book - I wanted it to be as good as Le Carre & it just wasn't. It also wasn't enough of its own thing to be very enjoyable.

Set in Putin's Russia, this could have been an excellent novel filled with interesting details about what Russia is about now. Unfortunately, the novel moves at a snail's pace & that pacing doesn't really work for a successful thriller. The narrator's voice is pretty muddled & the writing, while competent, just doesn't work for me. I want my spy novels & thrillers to move & this one just doesn't.

The author does do a good job of beginning to flesh out a picture of Russia today. He also creates a wonderful almost film noir feel to the novel which could have reaped real dividends for him if he had taken that pulp reality to its logical pulpy end.

Ultimately this is an okay spy novel that could have been a pretty good spy novel had its author been clear about what he wanted to do with it.

Alex Dryden has produced a highly readable account of the convoluted lives and circumstances of intelligence workers. The story unfolds around Finn and Anna, both spies. Each find their loyalties conflicting.They know what their countries have asked of them, yet they fall in love. Their romance is not straightforward or simple, however. The reader is never quite sure where the two of them may wind up. Anna, a Russian, has been assigned to find out all she can about Finn, the British spy. They are watched, photographed, and interrogated. The background for this entire adventure is post-Communist Russia.In any system of government their is ample room for deep corruption, greed,murder and a lust for power.If their is any power of redemption at work, it is not to be found in the power players but in peoples hearts. You will not be disappointed in RED TO BLACK.

Since the Cold War has receded from the consciousness of 21st century Americans, there has been a dearth of books set during this period in time. Though flawed, Red to Black ably fills the gap left in the thriller genre when 9/11 changed the focus to international terrorists and suicide bombings. The book is written in semi-present tense first person POV, which creates an immediate rapport between the characters and the reader. Since there is now considerable distance from the actualities of the Cold War, much of the tension within the book stems from figuring out the how, the what, and the why of the main characters. There is a nice romance included within the pages of Red to Black, but this is first and foremost a thriller. The tone is very grim, and at times, too grim, but it is enjoyable, and I think those searching for the Cold War thrillers of yore, where the bad guys and the good guys seemed a bit more clear-cut, Red to Black is an excellent read.

Personally, I found "Red to Black" by Alex Dryden an excellent read. It just brings to mind how a world can be taken over without firing a single shot! How the world can be ransomed by the manipulation of the substances that we take for granted (Oil, Gas, Precious Metals). This was definitely a "Financial Cold War" that kept me turning the pages. I won't give any details, but I do recommend this book to anyone for reading. Read and try to keep up! This story will demand your full attention. My rating: Four Stars!

P.S., I wonder if they could make this into a movie - I'd pay to go see it!

Alex Dryden is apparently the pseudonym of a journalist with long experience covering Russia--15 years in the country--and security matters. Though it's not clear what the point of the pen name is since his picture is posted online and a set of cover blurbs from Steven Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson--all of whom were in Footlights Theater at Cambridge--suggests a certain commonality of background. At any rate, Whoever he is in real life, the author must have felt his non-fiction dispatches were being ignored, because Red to Black is essentially an anti-Putin polemic cast in the guise of a novel. And a pretty good one at that.

Finn is an MI6 agent in Russia with a very useful mole in the government. Anna, the youngest female colonel in the KGB, is offered up as a honey trap. But the two fall in love and over a period of years work to expose The Plan, a long term effort by members of the Russian security services to achieve by more capitalistic and acquisitive means the subversion of Europe that the USSR so spectacularly failed at. Dryden portrays a Russia on the march, using its energy resources to triumph over a recumbent Western Europe. Anyone familiar with Russia's own demographic crisis will find it even harder to take the bear seriously now than we did twenty years ago, but the analysis of why the USSR fell and what Putin and company would like to achieve is lucid and compelling. It's a fair warning, if perhaps an overblown one.