‘Volk’s Shadow’ suspenseful
"Volk's Shadow" by Brent Ghelfi continues where the first novel in the series, "Volk's Game," left off.
Colonel Alexei Volkovoy (aka Volk) still is recovering emotionally from the betrayal of General Nemstov, the man he sees as a father figure, and the departure of the woman he loves, Vayla. Volk, however, has other worries as he attempts to prevent the destruction of a building owned by an American oil company and the death of the company's top employees by Chechen terrorists. This quickly leads our Russian anti-hero on a search for the man (Abreg) who once held him prisoner in a Chechen camp for six months and tortured him, and who's now killing Russian soldiers who participated in the massacre of civilians at Starye Atag.
To make matters worse, Volk also has to search for a priceless Faberge egg, a missing 12-year-old girl who's been taken by a sick and ruthless predator, and then deal with the creation of a new oil broker (Maxim—the head of the Russian mafia) and his quest to control Russia's precious oil reserves, not to mention searching for a missing American senator's daughter.
If this seems like a lot for the lead character to accomplish in just one novel, don’t worry. Volk manages to get everything done by the end of the book though he definitely has his hands full in juggling several important objectives. Never fear for the beautiful Valya returns to help her lover out and to watch his back with the intensity of a natural born killer.
Ghelfi does an excellent job of juggling (like Volk) several subplots and then successfully bringing everything together by the end of the novel and leaving the reader satisfied with how things turn out. He also manages to keep the tension ratcheted up to a fever pitch with the action coming at the appropriate intervals (and there’s a lot of it) so that the reader never is bored. The bad guys are every bit as colorful and wicked as the ones in the last novel — Filip Lachek, the man who seeks revenge against Volk for killing his son at the beginning of the book and plans to slowly torture him to death, plus Abreg, the Chechen terrorist, who's the only man alive who Volk ever has been scared of, and Constantine, the mysterious person of power behind the Russian leaders, who has the power to destroy Volk with a simple snap of his fingers.
Fast paced, violent and utterly suspenseful, "Volk's Shadow" carries us to the next level with a closer look at Alexei Volkovoy and his dark troubled past, the Russian mafia, the Russian politicians who will stop at nothing to gain power over a struggling country and its vital resources, and the terrorists who seek revenge against those who tortured and killed their wives and children so many years before.
"Volk's Shadow" isn't for everyone. It's filled with violence of an extreme nature and torture and betrayal, yet the story shows the kindness and hope that can prevail in even the worst of us. Volk does have his own code of honor and will do whatever it takes to save an innocent child or an old war veteran. With just two books to his name, Ghelfi is establishing himself as the author to go to, if you're a reader who desires something different from the normal brand of fiction that’s out there. The “Volk” novels are definitely in your face with their gritty realism and that’s what makes them so good.
Highly recommended!
