Title: The Kremlin Wolf
Author: Ron Gordon
Publisher: XlibrisAU
ISBN: 9781524561130
Pages: 350
Genre: Thriller / Action Adventure
Reviewed by: Joe Kilgore
Pacific Book Review
Author Ron Gordon stirs his fictional pot with heaping portions of recent news to create a boiling cauldron of international intrigue in his novel The Kremlin Wolf. Using one sensational incident after another, Gordon fills his narrative with actual high profile events that add spice to the timeliness of his tale. Secret spiller Edward Snowden and released hostage Bowe Bergdahl come into play. Boko Haram kidnappings loom large. Ebola outbreaks make an appearance. The shooting down of the Malaysian passenger plane over Ukraine is involved, as are multiple terrorist attacks that made headlines around the globe. Real world figures share page space as well. President Barak Obama, Chancellor Angela Merkel, ex-Prime Minister David Cameron and more have cameo roles. This is a “ripped from the headlines” thriller.
While multiple episodes unwind simultaneously, one being intricately involved with the other, the central plot revolves around two Westerners kidnapped in Afghanistan. One is an Australian engineer, plucked for his technical expertise. The other is a female German soldier who just happened to be on duty in the wrong place at the wrong time. In a harrowing sequence, she undergoes torture and explicitly descriptive genital mutilation that leaves her broken, but not bowed.
The pace of Gordon’s novel is warp speed. Events unfold concurrently and consecutively in locations as diverse as Moscow, Cairo, Washington D.C., Somalia, Dubai, Cameroun, Brisbane, Malaysia, Kabul, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Manila, and more. Virtually all of which are overseen by a U.S. space satellite being monitored at a secure location in Colorado. The tension mounts as seemingly disparate acts in Africa and the Arab world begin to coalesce into a potential master plan—a plan as diabolical as it is deadly.
There’s a definite Tom Clancy feel to Gordon’s encyclopedic descriptions of technology, weaponry, monitoring devices and military operations. His penchant for detail is unwavering whether depicting clandestine intelligence gathering, covert action planning, or combat assaults. However, the same cannot be said for his editing. Repetition, spelling and tense troubles pop up frequently. Of course, readers are more focused on intense storytelling and less concerned with grammatical miscues will likely sail right over these potential speed bumps.
As is often the case in action adventures such as this, big questions keep you turning pages briskly. Can the forces of good unravel the mystery in time? Will the leaders of the free world be able to avoid potential annihilation? You’ll have to corner The Kremlin Wolf to find out.
