‘Venona Cable’ a thriller that won’t disappoint

  One of the best new writers to appear in the thriller/action genre during the past two years is Brent Ghelfi. For those of you who aren’t familiar with him, he’s the author of the exciting “Volk” series — “Volk’s Game” and “Volk’s Shadow.”
  His first two novels introduced ex-Russian Army commando Alexei Volkovoy (aka Volk), who now works undercover for the Russian government, specifically the General, and has managed to infiltrate the Russian mafia. Of course, the General still uses Volk for outside work and counterintelligence operations, which is like using a chain saw, instead of a pair of scissors, to cut a piece of paper because Volk takes no prisoners. This character is a human wrecking machine, and you don’t want to get in his way, or hurt any of his friends, not if you want to be around to see sun come up.
  In “The Venona Cable,” the third book in the series, our slightly tarnished Russian hero has to confront the possibility that a dead man in Los Angeles might have been his father, a former Russian air force pilot who was later recruited by the GRU and then defected to the United States by flying a highly secret test plane out of the Soviet Union just before Volk was born.  It all starts when Volk returns to Moscow from Macao after killing Lachek, the man who tortured him in “Volk’s Shadow.” The ex-soldier is arrested at the airport and then taken to an underground dungeon where he’s held in isolation for a week, during which time he’s informed about the dead American and that he’s the only suspect in the case. All of this information, however, is delivered between beatings by the Russian guards. Fortunately for Volk, he’s rescued by the General and released from prison before being permanently injured.
  When Volk finally meets with his superior, he’s given a file on his father. What he realizes after reading the information is that his father might have been a double agent, planted in America by a former Army officer named Bassoff, so that he could spread disinformation that was mixed in with classified material. Along with that is the revelation that there’s still a Russian double agent (#19) in the United States, someone who’s been delivering secret intelligence to Russia for more than 60 years. With the subtle agreement of the United States government, the General sends Volk to America so that he can find out something about his father and hopefully something about Agent 19.
  When Volk arrives in America, he soon realizes that not only does someone want him dead, but also just about every single person he contacts during his search for information. Because Volk seems to be the common denominator in all the murders that take place after his arrival in the United States, it isn’t long before the LAPD and the FBI are after him, not to mention the one person who wants him buried before he can discover the true identity of Agent 19. It’s going to take all of Volk’s survival skills and instincts to match wits with a spy who always seems to be at least 10 moves ahead just like a true master of chess.
  In “The Venona Cable,” Ghelfi has successfully created a Russian character who comes alive on the written page. His writing style is straightforward, like a .44 Magnum bullet coming out of a barrel.  There’s no poetry of words here, but rather a compelling story about one man’s search to understand the father he never knew. This novel will lure readers in with a powerful beginning and then force them to face the dark side of humanity with each new page.
  The third book also continues this powerful series with its mesmerizing lead character, delivering everything a reader could hope for in a fast-paced thriller. This isn’t a roller coaster ride of an adventure, but rather a nuclear explosion of excitement and suspense that will make any reader an instant fan of Volk. So, if you’re a lover of hard-core thrillers, but haven’t read any of the books in this series, then do yourself a favor and head to the nearest bookstore to pick up a copy of “Volk’s Game,” “Volk’s Shadow” or “The Venona Cable.” You won’t be disappointed.