LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
Tension and suspense run hand in hand throughout this breath-stealing read set in Minsk in 1990. Super-recogniser CIA agent Melvina Donleavy finds herself pitted not only against the BSSR’s KGB Chairman, but she has also caught the eye of a serial killer. While this is very much a work of fiction, it is based around a series of true events, and there was a serial killer in Byelorussia (now Belarus) at the time this is set. The air of authenticity layered through this novel is undoubtedly as a result of author Kathleen Kent being a Department of Defence contractor assigned to the former Soviet Union in the early 90’s, she assisted in dismantling former Soviet military installations in Belarus and Kazakhstan. The main character here is on her first undercover mission and the mix of naivety, her special ability, and her skills of self-protection taught by her father, ensures an interesting protagonist. While the 90’s make themselves known, the themes on offer could sit in any time frame, which allowed me to immediately connect with and slide into the novel. In the main this is very much about the suspense of the espionage, yet when the brutal action arrives it provokes and stimulates emotions and reactions in equal measure. Black Wolf successfully positions a serial-killer murder mystery alongside a spy thriller, and they entwine and weave into one fabulously readable novel.
Liz Robinson
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Black Wolf Synopsis
A dazzling new spy thriller about a female CIA agent whose extraordinary powers lead her into the dangerous heart of the collapsing Soviet Union - and the path of a killer that shouldn't exist.
Minsk, 1990. The Soviet Union is crumbling. The scavengers and predators are gathering, eager to pick the meat off the bones of a dying empire.
THE SPY: Melvina Donleavy is part of a US trade delegation... and on her first undercover mission with the CIA. Mel has a secret skill: she is a 'super recognizer', someone who never forgets a face. She is the CIA's early warning system, on watch for hostile agents trying to extract fissionable materials from the moribund USSR.
THE SERIAL KILLER: On the streets of Minsk, women are being strangled. Many more have disappeared. The Soviet Union is not a gentle place for women and too many men are capable of such violence, but the truth is worse: just one man is responsible. Worse still, the authorities will never admit to his existence - serial killers, after all, are a symptom of capitalist decadence. And now he has a new target...
THE SPY HUNTER: Chairman of the BSSR's KGB, recipient of the Hero of the Soviet Union medal, the Order of Lenin, the Medal for Valour, the Order of the Patriotic War and the Order of the Red Star. They say you never hear his footsteps until he's carrying your coffin. And now he has a new target...
The Cold War may be coming to a close, but Mel is in danger of being obliterated by its fallout. Whichever way she turns, the wolves are gathering.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781804547908 |
| Publication date: |
7th December 2023 |
| Author: |
Kathleen Kent |
| Publisher: |
Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
416 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Espionage and Spy Thriller
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| Other Genres: |
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Press Reviews
Kathleen Kent Press Reviews
Kathleen Kent slays it with her new thriller Black Wolf, a propulsive page-turner chock full of juicy spy game goodies: intrigue, serial murder, nuclear secrets, passion, and of course, survival of the fittest... Welcome to the high-stakes world of Melvina Donleavy - a riveting, rich, and relevant heroine destined to take the suspense book world by storm. Simply masterful -- Lisa Barr, New York Times bestselling author.
Black Wolf is a riveting read. A razor-sharp, whip-smart, beautifully written thriller set in the chaotic days following the collapse of the Soviet Union, it combines the research and plotting of Frederick Forsyth with the gruesome chills of Thomas Harris. Part espionage tale, part serial killer mystery, Black Wolf is a wholly original page turner of the first order. Highly recommended -- Christopher Reich, New York Times bestselling author of Once a Thief
A gritty depiction of the spy game during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Perfect for fans of The Americans -- Alma Katsu
Author
About Kathleen Kent
Kathleen Kent is a New York Times bestselling author and a two-time Edgar Award Nominee. She has also written the award-winning historical novels The Heretic's Daughter, The Traitor's Wife, and The Outcasts, and 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.
Follow Kathleen Kent on Instagram: @kathleenkentbooks
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