An action-packed thriller set around Georgia's invasion of Abkhazia in 1992. A story full of danger, death and fear but also humour and surprising twists.
THE CAUCASUS CAULDRON. MI6 spies; Russian FSB; Chechen terrorists; Abkhaz Separatists; the 1992 Georgian war.
This breath-taking and brutal novel is set in the Caucasus Mountains during Georgia's ill-fated invasion of Abkhazia in 1992. The Caucasus Cauldron gives a vivid focus to a world ripping itself apart and ravaged by never ending hatred and blood feuds.
Can our hero, Mac, trust the attractive Russian FSB officer, Kris, who befriends him and how will she react to Doctor Anna, a Separatist rabble-rouser who holds the key to his secret mission? And what about the mysterious Sergei, a former British agent, who seems to have disappeared? How will Mac cope with the Chechen terrorist who has vowed to kill him? 'You are a dead man English. We know who you are. Now you die.'
Details of the book are at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LNBVDHB
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B08XC4GFMR/?source_code=AUKFrDlWS02231890H6-BK-ACX0-240272&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_240272_rh_uk
Excerpt
The man with the tannoy repeated his threat. 'You are a dead man, English. We know who you are. You cannot escape. We will track you down and kill you like the vermin you are. Now you will die.'
The voice seemed to come from back near the mass grave.
He turned to the Abkhaz lad and enquired, 'Who are these people that are making such threats? How can they possibly know anything about me? I won't be as easy to eliminate as they seem to think. Come on. Keep going. Don't give up now. I'll look after you. Stay close and follow me. Just do
as I say.'
After a few minutes the boy began to lag behind, his teeth chattering with fear. He kept glancing furtively at his watch. How could one so poor come to have an expensive watch like that? He must surely have stolen it from one of the dead villagers.
The youth grabbed his arm and spoke in a forced whisper, ‘Chechens. They must not see me. The darkness and mist help, but it's not safe. Danger lurks all around. Look, the sun is rising. I can go no further with you. Go towards the ridge up there. You will soon be away from the village. I must leave you or they will kill me, too.' With a wave he ducked out of sight. It was impossible for anyone to stop him.
Mac swore under his breath and began clambering up the slope towards the trees on the ridge, forcing himself to stay calm and take advantage of what meagre cover the heather and gorse scrub growing in profusion on the hillside provided.
His training had drummed into him not to panic, so he clenched his fists, determined to make the best of a bad situation. 'A fat lot of comfort a call to 'Jane' would be out here in the wild with a pack of murderous Chechens hunting me down,' he mumbled.
At that moment a piercing scream shattered the quiet of the impending dawn, followed by a second scream which was silenced by a single shot. Mac thought, 'It's only three minutes ago that the lad was by my side. They could be less than half a mile behind me. Time to get going and fast. I'm already within range of their Kalashnikovs. I'll break cover and dash for the trees up there on the hill. It should only take two minutes, and with luck the mist, which seems to be thickening, will hide me.'
Professional Reviews
Goodreads
4.0 out of 5 stars Russian political thriller
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2020
8/1992, Jack McPherson (civil servant) had prepped John “Mac” Armstrong (English, MI6) on his next mission.
Sochi S., Russia. John had check into the Radisson Hotel.
The receptionist handed John an envelope with a not that read, Sergei Solovyev (former British agent) would meet him tomorrow at Abgara near Sukhumi, Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia, Eurasia.
Now, John was set to die at the hands of the enemy Chechens.
A young Abkhaz lad helped him escape.
Mac killed 1 of the Chechens with a knife, then hid the body in a thicket.
Quickly, crows began to appear.
There were now Georgian Special Forces troopers on patrol also.
Mac was on the move again.
Jane was Mac’s contact stateside.
At a pub John soon learned that Sergei had been kidnapped & released by Alexei (Abkhaz partisan).
Kristina “Kris” Zentrovska (Russian Federation, Federal Security Service FSB officer) dined/drank with John that evening.
She had told him about the 1992-1998, Abkhazia massacre.
On the TV that night Sergei had publicly dedicated his life to the Separatist movement as their leader.
The next day the 2 of them went to see Captain Mikhail Yusuf.
Dr. Anna Likoya’s (military hospital, physiotherapist) town square speech was about a planned Coup d'état against President Viktor Makarov.
Hotel Moskva. As Mac & Kris were about ready to embark suddenly, an explosion ripped into the hotel & glass/debris went everywhere. Mac ended up on the carpet, & Kris only got a few scratches.
Kris begin to take the glass out of Mac’s face with tweezers then cleaned/bandaged him up.
20 Georgian tanks & many Georgian soldiers surrounded the hotel.
2 guests being dragged out & shot in the head.
Later, Kris & Mac, still in danger from the Georgian troops & the Chechen patrol, went to find Dr. Likoya. She might know what happened to President Makarov & Sergei.
I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
An awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very professionally written Russian political thriller book. It was quite easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters & facts to keep track of. This could also make another great Russian political thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. It wasn’t as exciting as I hoped but I will still rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free Author; Goodreads; Making Connections; Making Connections discussion group talk; ARR; PDF; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
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