Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Dangerous Secrets-Lisa Marie Rice

Dangerous Secrets
Lisa Marie Rice
Avon, Jul 2008, $13.95
ISBN: 9780061208607

From the Krasnoyarik Power Plant in Russia, an undeclared flight containing a nuclear engineer Arkady Andreyev of the Bratva Brotherhood carrying enough Cesium 137 to blow up Wall St takes off. Arkady calls the Vor, renowned writer Vassily Worontzoff informing him the weather is fine as he begins his trip. Vas feels good as his plot has begun successfully. He and Arkady are survivors of Kolyma Prison Camp, the cruelest the Soviets had; but Vas’ beloved wife Katya was raped and murdered at the prison. Vas now lives in Parker’s Ridge, Vermont because the local librarian Charity Prewitt looks like Katya’s twin. Soon she will be his Katya.

Former Delta officer Nick” Iceman” Ireland is working undercover for the Homeland Security counterterrorism cell the Unit. He and two cohorts John Di Stefano and Alexei Nestrenko are conducting surveillance of The Russian in Vermont, as they know something big is coming. Whereas his partners are in a van, Nick poses as retired Wall St broker Nicholas Ames in town considering a business investment. His assignment is to seduce the librarian so that he can get access to Vas. Soon this trio will forge a triangle that changes each of them forever.

The romantic subplot between the Iceman and the librarian is well written, feels plausible and dominates the tale; whereas the villain though his appearances are limited comes across as brilliantly insane with his motive obvious. Although a minor quibble, a gizmo error by the Feds that goes astray seems wrong especially with fanatical Nick involved; still fans will appreciate this strong thriller in which the triangular relationships propel the tale to a terrific climax.

Harriet Klausner

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