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Conspiracy in Kiev (The Russian Trilogy #1)

by Noel Hynd (Goodreads Author)

3.39 of 5 stars 3.39 · rating details · 567 ratings · 86 reviews

A shrewd investigator and an expert marksman, Special Agent Alexandra LaDuca can handle any case the FBI gives her. Or can she? Connecting the dots between an assassination attempt in Ukraine, a murder in Paris, and a brutal attack on a remote village in South America takes Alex on a dangerous puzzle-solving, soul-searching journey that changes her forever.

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Published January 6th 2009 by Zondervan (first published September 23rd 2008)

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Dec 28, 2008 Samantha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Currently reading this...... We've gone from Washington to the Ukraine and I think all hell is about to break loose.....

(After finishing) I really (!!!) liked this, but I'm a sucker for fast paced spy stories with a credible female main character. The story went all over Europe, to South America, back then to Europe. I LOVED THE MAIN character and really felt for her when something horrible happened to her around 40% into the book. This appears to be a series. I'm down for the next one....

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Aug 07, 2012 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure-thriller

A very involved story with lots of separate strands - Paris, Rome, Kiev, Washington, Venezuela. It fills the bill as a suspense filled spy story, but in the end I wonder, "What was the point of the story?" It seemed to portray a dark or negative view of every country mentioned, especially regarding Ukraine and regarding US intelligence. Religious faith seems important in the life of the main character, but not decisively so. Perhaps things will resolve better by the end of the trilogy. From my p...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Julie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2010, general-fiction, christian-fic-yes-i-was-suckered

The product description describes this book as a "solid, fast-paced espionage thriller". Unfortunately, this book is anything but that.

The first approx. 40% of the book revolves around the main character, FBI Special Agent Alexandra LaDuca, getting ready to travel to Kiev. There is a brief bit of action in Kiev, then another 30% or so of the book is Alex recovering from and dealing with what happened in Kiev. This includes her traveling to Venezuela. There is a brief bit of action after she has...more The product description describes this book as a "solid, fast-paced espionage thriller". Unfortunately, this book is anything but that.

The first approx. 40% of the book revolves around the main character, FBI Special Agent Alexandra LaDuca, getting ready to travel to Kiev. There is a brief bit of action in Kiev, then another 30% or so of the book is Alex recovering from and dealing with what happened in Kiev. This includes her traveling to Venezuela. There is a brief bit of action after she has been there several weeks, and then there's a final bit of action in France. But that's it. The tension and edge-of-your-seat drama that good thrillers include are conspicuously missing in this book.

The story is also heavily bogged down by long passages about various countries' history, politics, etc., only a small portion of which is necessary for the reader to know to understand the story. The rest struck me as filler. Yes, I'm glad the author researched so carefully, but I don't need to read *all* the research. At one point, I remember thinking, "oh good, now some plot" and then rolled my eyes when the narrative immediately veered off again into background information.

Alex is an interesting character. However, she didn't live up to her billing as a "shrewd investigator". "Connecting the dots" may take "Alex across three continents", but it wasn't she who was doing the connecting. She doesn't play an active role in figuring out anything in this book. She is a pawn. After the events in Kiev, she tries briefly to find out what really happened but is stymied and gives up. After the events in Venezuela, others tell her who was behind the events and why. After the events in Paris, others tell her who was behind the events and why. *sigh* I liked her and wanted her to do something besides be used by others with hidden agendas.

Alex's religiousness also seemed artificial to me, almost as if it was an after-thought, something that was added to the character after the book was already written. There are a few throw-away references to Alex going to church, and she wears a gold cross, although that is more for remembrance than its religious significance. However, she doesn't consciously think about the Bible, and it doesn't actively guide her actions (which is actually fine with me because I don't like in-your-face peachiness that is typical of a lot of "Christian" fiction). The most glaring instance of this is when she thinks about committing suicide because she thinks it would reunite her with her loved ones. Um, isn't committing suicide a sin in Christianity that would prevent one from entering heaven? Not once during that whole thought process, do I remember her thinking, "Wait, Christianity says this is wrong."

One other annoyance is that every single bit of dialogue in French, Spanish, or Russian was also repeated in English in the narrative...including such common phrases as "dos vedanya" (spelled differently in the book) and "donde". Granted, some of the translation was necessary, but translating foreign words and phrases that 99% of your readers are going to recognize made the text seem dumbed down.

Finally, the ending was a bit of a let down. The immediate threat to Alex is dealt with, but the larger threat (that all the bad guys haven't been caught) is apparently ignored and she goes on her merry way. Huh? I know this is the first of a trilogy so the story will continue in the next book, but the abrupt ending was disconcerting.
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Feb 27, 2010 Linda B rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

During the preparation for a United States presidential trip to Ukraine, Department of Treasury Special Agent Alexandra LaDuca was approached by the Secret Service for a special assignment. Her assignment was to keep an eye on organized crime leader Yuri Federov. Although conflicted, she accepted the job that would be a challenge to her both professionally and personally. Before the action ends, Part Two of the book changes the location and Alex finds and uneasy alliance.

Conspiracy in Kiev is th...more

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Feb 16, 2010 Rick Harrington rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(from my Amazon.com review "Spymaster Masters me Again")

I was a little nervous reading this book. I'd really enjoyed Midnight in Madrid (another in this trilogy), but that was my first Kindle read, and I didn't know then that these books are published by a Christian publishing house. Starting this one, I was afraid my positive impression might have been contaminated by first-timeism (I liked reading on the Kindle) and I have to assume that Christian publishing would prove to be, you know, progra...more (from my Amazon.com review "Spymaster Masters me Again")

I was a little nervous reading this book. I'd really enjoyed Midnight in Madrid (another in this trilogy), but that was my first Kindle read, and I didn't know then that these books are published by a Christian publishing house. Starting this one, I was afraid my positive impression might have been contaminated by first-timeism (I liked reading on the Kindle) and I have to assume that Christian publishing would prove to be, you know, programmatic and rule-based and therefore shallow.

This book has two parts, and part one had me completely. A good spy novel, for me, has to lead the reader to the same spot as the protagonist, wondering whom to trust, what's real, and if she's actually working for the good guys. Hynd's writing does that for me in (sorry) Spades. He is utterly convincing with his takes on the world's actual ambiguity, which he backs up with utterly reliable and detailed rich descriptions of the situations where our hero, Alex, finds herself. Including all the historical and political background you might need to leave what you thought you knew - for the purposes of the story - well and far behind.

Hynd's world is a complex place, full of spy v. spy, cynicism on the part of the 'good' guys, themselves doing illegal and nasty thing; and good hearts at the core of 'bad' guys, who have nothing good at all in their brutish resumes. You give him a pass for making Alex impossibly attractive and talented and dedicated. It makes it conceivable that she could actually be that clear-eyed about what she's up against. She's been hit on, competed against, cheated, and uses what she's got in a world where she's utterly alone and without family. She looks good because she has to, and makes a triumph of it.

I almost gave it up in the second half though, where the complexity of a world where America is not very certainly good, starts to break down. You sense flags waving, missionary certainty regaining an upper hand, and you remember that this is just a page turner where the ugly people are bad, and the pretty people good. As though all it might take is prayer and determination and style to move from one side to the other.

The second half presents a billionaire in flat relief, who's doing good by virtue of spending money on spreading God's word to indigenous people, sure along with stuff they wouldn't need without having had their world upset by that same impulse in the first place. The protagonist shrinks, in this reader's estimation, by her apparently unthinking willingness to abide by her judgments of people's hearts, regardless of the harm they wreak by their actions and by their omissions, or how they throw around their money and power.

And then, in the most blatant of possible heavy handed, programmatic and didactic moves (surely worthy of a Christian author writing Christian books), the prayerful Alex gets saved by a medallion of the cross, given her by a pure hearted and surprisingly talented child. Oh please! I thought this was a reader's book, written by a writer.

Most spy novels don't afford the reader tears, remaining focused instead on the adrenaline and mind games. This one does, again in part one, which is both surprising and a good clue to what sets the work apart. So, I'm cutting the author some slack, and here's why: the reader actually gets a chance to rise a bit above the book's protagonist. We can't be anywhere near so beautiful, so multi-lingual and muli-talented, and only James Bond himself could be so good a shot. Never mind that we would do something other than make lots of money doing missionary work to console ourselves for our pain and loss. Our choices are not so, well, lavish.

But we do understand, by the author's own recounting, just exactly where she was lead astray by her own gullibility in service to a flag and to a missionary cause whose principals were never, in any way, willing to take the risks that she did on their behalf. Unless for vanity.

The author shows how the carnage directly results, in reality, from these disingenuous self-serving moves, and reminds the reader of the Church's missionary atrocities in the name of evangelism across the centuries. You don't know where the author stands (I'm giving him back his writer's stripes), but you're pretty sure, as reader, that you're not going to be so gullible as Alex was. You're pretty sure that you're real and she's not. Which is a nice thing to be reminded of, by a book that draws you in so completely.

Then theres the matter of prayer. The stimulus-response of God's hand in apparent "answer" to prayer was so heavy handed that you have to assume it to be an announcement on the part of the author that he's not God, even in relation to the book. It's a reminder to the reader that it is just a book, and that in real life the miracles are never quite so obvious. What choice did the author have?
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Dec 24, 2009 Matt Howard rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've just finished reading three novels by this author. I'm not going to pad my statistics by claiming them individually because once you've read one, the others have nothing new to add.These books are also additions to the growing phenomenon of illiterate, technically ignorant authors of techno-thrillers. If you are trying to make your novel seem tough and gritty by including endless detail about the firearm the heroine is using as she faces danger, the details should be right. How much trouble...more

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Dec 21, 2010 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-murder-mystery

This is the first book of Noel Hynd's that I have read. I picked it up on Amazon-Kindle for free a few days ago when they were offering it for free (as often they do, and they do it unannounced, so if you are a Kindle reader, it pays to check out the free book list every day!) Anyway, I found this a really quick read. Intriguing with all the factual information about various locations throughout the book. If you've ever been to any of the places mentioned (and even it you have not) you'll feel l...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would give this one 3 1/2 stars.
I was pleasantly surprised with this novel. I got it for free on my kindle and didn't know too much about it.

Alex is an FBI agent with the department of Treasury who goes "on loan" for a CIA operation. She gets pulled into a web of intrigue and a situation more complicated than she had bargained for - including an assassination attempt on the president of the U.S.A.
The story jumps around the world from Washington, to Ukraine, Venezuala, Rome and Paris. It is exc...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Becky B rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, mystery, spy, thriller

The main character is Alexandra LaDuca, she speaks more languages fluently than most people can count to ten in, she's a regular Annie Oakley with a gun, and she is good with computers, which is why she works for the US Treasury on cyber financial crimes. Because of her language skills, Alex is recruited by the CIA for a job keeping an eye on a mob boss in Kiev while the US President makes a state visit. Of course the visit goes horribly wrong, resulting in Alex becoming a very scarred hero with...more The main character is Alexandra LaDuca, she speaks more languages fluently than most people can count to ten in, she's a regular Annie Oakley with a gun, and she is good with computers, which is why she works for the US Treasury on cyber financial crimes. Because of her language skills, Alex is recruited by the CIA for a job keeping an eye on a mob boss in Kiev while the US President makes a state visit. Of course the visit goes horribly wrong, resulting in Alex becoming a very scarred hero with a host of questions and some Ukranian mobsters that begin to haunt her in the coming months. Events in Italy, Kiev, Washington DC, London and Venezuela come to a head in Paris, where we only get some of the answers. More to come in Book 2 I'm guessing.

As a spy story, I felt Hynd did a pretty good job. Most of the book gave as much of a feeling of authenticity that shows like Alias do. I'm sure it wasn't perfect, but good enough for the average reader. The writing itself was good, and Hynd keeps up a pretty good pace. I did feel like certain events in Italy were re-hashed a couple times too often with no further help to the overall plot. I might have taken a couple of those out if I were the editor, but it wasn't so much I felt like it actually hurt the story.

If this were a secular spy book, I would be shocked the author wrote such a clean spy/thriller story. (There are no swear words written out, though characters are said to use expletives, and there is no sexual content described, though the reader is told some characters sleep together and several women are dressed seductively. There is plenty of violence to go around, but nothing excessively gory described.) The book is published by a Christian publisher and the main character is said to be a Christian, but her Christianity mainly involves going to church to pray and wearing a cross. It pretty much has no further impact on her life. (At one point she turns to alcohol in depression, she has no qualms killing people, and it is mentioned several times that she cusses out various people who tick her off.) So as a Christian book, I found it a disappointment in the portrayal of Christianity. I would call Alex a cultural Christian rather than a Christ follower. So as a secular spy story, the book is a good option if you want it cleaner than normal. If you want a Christian spy story, this probably isn't the right book.(less)

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Jan 22, 2010 John rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've read other reviews of this book, and although I agree with some of the criticism, I did find this to be a very enjoyable book. I found little to criticize with the editing or other technical details; something I had expected to find fault with based on the bad reviews.

The good: Since this book is in the (new?) genre of faith-based novels, in that Christianity is promoted during the course of the plot, there is no adult language/situations. It's nice to see that a thriller *CAN* be written w...more

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Jan 31, 2010 Paul rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For the first thirty chapters of this book, it's a decent spy thriller with a strong female lead who has an oddly dispassionate relationship with her fiance. Her faith is important to her, and although it seems stilted when an entire chapter is devoted to her prayer in an Episcopal church before going on a mission, it isn't that jarring.

Then the mission unfolds, and the spy thriller disappears. It becomes a Christian book about avoiding sin and fighting atheists, calling Arabs "raghead" and trea...more

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Jan 28, 2010 Amanda Cain rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book because it was a free Kindle download and was very pleasantly surprised. It was a great book. Sometimes it seemed like the main character was looking for trouble, but all in all it was interesting. The story takes place in three major places, Ukraine, Venezuela and Paris. The author took time to explain some of the cultural and historical aspects of these places but manages to make it interesting. It doesn't read like a history textbook. Also, after having read several supernatu...more

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May 05, 2011 Pam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a really enjoyable book to read. I loved the main character, and I was intrigued with the character of the Ukrainian mafia guy.

I was annoyed with the way the author portrayed Ukraine in general. I've experienced some of the corruption there first-hand, but I think he's probably going a bit far when he calls it the most corrupt nation in the world. I know it's just a novel, but still...

I eventually got past all of the Ukrainian stuff, however, and found the book to be mostly exciting....more

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Sep 17, 2012 Tammy AZ rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A supposed spy novel/thriller, this book needed an editor or at the bare minimum a proofreader. Two times in less than a page the author makes the same comparison of height and weight and three times in the same section describes how long it had been since the main character had practiced firing her weapon ( although the time frame changed each time!). This gem had me laughing out loud: "Trim, twenty-nine, and with long legs that seemed chiseled from all the workouts, she drew the usual set of a...more

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Apr 05, 2011 Meg rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Meg by: Kindle freebie

Decidedly mediocre. This book had some potential: the often-complimented strong female lead, the exciting plot premise, etc. However, it came across as unpolished and disappointing.

My biggest issue is with the pacing and construction. While the book is very fast-paced at some points, at others it finds itself bogged down in details. The natural flow of the narrative is also disrupted by the rapidly-changing setting, as the story moves from Ukraine to Venezuela to Paris without really tying these...more Decidedly mediocre. This book had some potential: the often-complimented strong female lead, the exciting plot premise, etc. However, it came across as unpolished and disappointing.

My biggest issue is with the pacing and construction. While the book is very fast-paced at some points, at others it finds itself bogged down in details. The natural flow of the narrative is also disrupted by the rapidly-changing setting, as the story moves from Ukraine to Venezuela to Paris without really tying these pieces together. It almost felt like a set of short stories strung together by just a few tenuous connections.

Which brings me to my next criticism: For a spy novel, the plot is surprisingly poorly-developed. Even after completing the entire book, I'm still not sure I understand how everything fits together. How did some of the scenes in the first few chapters relate to the rest of the plot? What was the real purpose of the presidential assassination plot? What was really going on in Venezuela before the protagonist's visit? Towards the end of the book, it glosses over the resolutions to all these plot lines, implying that they're all connected but without completely explaining how. None of these conclusions felt particularly clear or satisfying. Rather than ending with an epiphany of "Oh!" the book fizzled off with a disappointed "Huh?"

My last problem was with the slanted position the author took in writing the historical background. I understand that the book is Christian fiction, and the main character's faith and related struggles actually creates an interesting subtext to the story, but in its explanations of background information, the writing sometimes comes across as sanctimonious. For example, it's one thing to acknowledge that the Soviet government in Moscow was responsible for widespread starvation, but this already-shocking sentence is cheapened by the jab of describing Soviet Communism as "godless." And while many disagree with Putin's political actions, calling him the "worst dictator since Stalin" is a little extreme. I think the book as a whole would have been better served by focusing on the positive aspects of the protagonist's Christian faith than by devolving to name calling and political band standing.(less)

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Feb 10, 2010 Amber rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: didn-t-finish

Well, I almost always finish books, even if I'm not enjoying them. My rule is to give it 100 pages, and if I'm still not committed to it then at least I've given it a fair try. I read exactly 50% of the book, according to my faithful Kindle, and I could care less about the characters or the plot. It isn't that it is a terrible read, just that it is long winded on bizarre details and the Christian agenda gets too pushy to be just a reflection of the character and not a form of propaganda. I gave...more

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Jun 08, 2009 Jeanna rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow, if I had wanted to read a history of Ukrainian gangsters, politics, and sculpture (and let's not forget all the South American gangster, politics, jungles, and economics thrown in), I probably wouldn't have picked up a spy "thriller." Just a thought.

On the other hand, this book was nearly an example of writing about faith in a nonobnoxious format. It was mostly not obnoxious. So it was good to see that it can be done.

Unfortunately, it was the rest of the writing that was less appealing.

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Jan 04, 2010 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: free-on-kindle

The author of this book definitely seems to be up on his international politics and has written a good, fast paced thriller, and for those reasons, I liked Conspiracy in Kiev. However, I found the main character a bit insufferable (she's really supercilious, but is apparently not smart enough to stay out of obviously dangerous situations). I also found the Christian elements jarring. This is an espionage novel with a lot of gratuitous and graphic violence, and the main character's obvious Christ...more

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Jan 14, 2010 Mikolaj Habryn rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned

Another book started but life too short to finish. The author writes with this casual wealth of incidental detail that makes for beautiful world-building, but some of the detail is just jarring. Characters react in over-wrought and improbable ways, and some of the minor plot constructions - keeping in mind that I only made it a fifth of the way through the book - really stretch credulity. Which is a shame, since the writing style has something going for it.

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Jul 01, 2011 Lesli rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, contemporary, christian-lit, espionage, 2011

Meh! Beyond meh! Ther's oversharing of the plot, there's oversharing of politics, te female lead is superwoman or something; and five people are murdered in less than 150 pages...with no discernable reason (which really means you have to remember names and places for further along in the book). Oh, and who in the hell thinks non-english CDs and a Russian tourist poster equals subversive tendencies!?

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Feb 25, 2011 Meredith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A refreshing read. What I especially like, and the reason I gave this story (and it's follow-up, Midnight in Madrid) four stars instead of three, was the lack of what I call 'smut' and the near-real life depiction of a person of faith grappling with their application of that faith. It is an action-adventure story, and there is enough violence to qualify it as such. But not to heavy. A nice, light read.

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Dec 30, 2010 liirogue rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

2 1/2 stars. I got this on Amazon for my Kindle because they were offering it for free. Once I got into it, I realized this was a Christian book, though the author wasn't preachy about it, so it was okay. I enjoyed the story and the religious parts weren't slap-you-in-the-face. I enjoyed the story but wasn't really surprised by any of it - most of the "twists and turns" are completely obvious and cliched.

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Apr 09, 2010 Anita rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, mystery

This should probably be 2.5 stars. I had a really hard time getting into it, and must of read ten other books during the course of reading this one. It starts out with action, then slows way down. I've got the sequel, and am hopping it is better. While the end of this book answered most questions, it still left a lot of questions.

I do think Alexandra LaDuca is one cool chick though!

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Feb 21, 2010 Kay rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, borrowed-library

I liked this story about a female FBI agent. Thought I would love it.

I can't pinpoint exactly why I didn't love it. Some of the writing bugged me, making me wish the editing was stronger. But that only distracted me a couple of times.

The plot and the people were complex; information about Kiev, the Ukraine in general, Venezuela and the workings of the FBI seemed fairly well researched. The story moved along at a good pace. But somehow, it didn't fully engage me and keep my attention.

I'm fascinat...more

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Jan 05, 2010 Stephanie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, mystery, thriller

I'd give this another 1/2 star if I could. I really like the main character of Alex LaDuca. Even though this book is the first in a series; I felt like I was missing part of the backstory. The author goes into a bit of detail about the political situation in Ukraine and Russia. While that is fairly interesting; it does kind of drag down the story a little bit.

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May 26, 2010 Jan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book and the dynamite character of Alex. She is smart, sexy, and comes from my city -- so when she's "home" in Washington I feel like I'm following her around the streets. Was particularly intrigued by the Woodley Park apartment building scene...been there -- we're neighbors...

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Jan 06, 2010 Wendy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: suspense, xxx2009winter-challenge, mystery, xxx100-books-in-2010

I read this without stopping on my kindle (for free no less). As everyone else said in their reviews, it was excellent. Noel Hynds is a Goodreads author and he tells an amazing and exciting story of intrigue. The protagonist Alexandra LoDuca is brilliant, both as a character and as a choice for character. I loved this book-read it, download it, enjoy it.

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Feb 25, 2013 Kristine Morgan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Noel Hynd has written a very suspenseful novel. I love Alex La Duca, Treasury agent. She is smart and resourceful, a complex character.
In Conspiracy in Kiev, you don't know who the good guys are and Alex is a pawn in an international conspiracy ranging from Washington to Kiev, and The jungles of Venezuela to Paris. Edge of your seat thriller from beginning to end.

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Dec 30, 2009 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked the book, but found the mixture of action adventure and christian lit a little confusing. The book is a good cia thriller and I like Alex as a lead character. Sometimes there is a little too much political background. I found the background interesting but it broke up the pace of the book.

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Dec 27, 2009 Lynda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

it was free on the kindle website, and i didn't realize it was christian fiction till i was almost all the way through. the last bit was much better than the first bit, but overall just average. i still feel like i have to read the next few stories just to see what happens to her.

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About Noel Hynd

I've been a published novelist for longer than I care to admit, since 1976. I'm frequently asked, however, how I first got published. It's an interesting story and involved both Robert Ludlum and James Baldwin, even though neither of them knew it --- or me --- at the time.

My first agent, a wonderful thorughly perofessional gentleman named Robert Lantz was representing Mr. Baldwin at the time. Th...more I've been a published novelist for longer than I care to admit, since 1976. I'm frequently asked, however, how I first got published. It's an interesting story and involved both Robert Ludlum and James Baldwin, even though neither of them knew it --- or me --- at the time.

My first agent, a wonderful thorughly perofessional gentleman named Robert Lantz was representing Mr. Baldwin at the time. This was around 1975. Balwin, while a brilliant writer, had had some nasty dealings with the head of Dell Publishing. Dell held Jimmy's contract at the time and he could not legally write for anyone else until he gave Dell a book that was due to them. Nonetheless, he refused to deliver a manuscript to Dell and went to Paris to sit things out.

The book was due to The Dial Press, which Dell owned. Baldwin was widely quoted as saying....and I'm cleaning up the quote here, "that he was no longer picking cotton on Dell's planatation."

The book was due to The Dial Press. The editor in chief of The Dial Press was a stellar editor who was making a name for himself and a fair bit of money for the company publishing thriller-author Robert Ludlum. A best seller every year will do that for an editor. Anyway, Baldwin fled New York for Paris. The editor followed, the asignment being to get him to come happily back to Dial. As soon as the editor arrived, Baldwin fled to Algeria. Or maybe Tunisia. It hardly mattered because Baldwin was furious and simply wouldn 't do a book for Dell/Dial. The editor returned to NY without his quarry. Things were at a standstill.

That's where I entered the story, unpublished at age 27 and knowing enough to keep my mouth shut while these things went down. I had given 124 pages of a first novel to Mr. Lantz ten days eariler. Miraculously, his reader liked it and then HE liked it. It was in the same genre that Ludlum wrote in and which the editor at Dial excelled at editing and marketing.

My agent and the editor ran into each other one afternoon in July of 1974 in one of those swank Manhattan places where people used to have three martinis for lunch. The agent asked how things had gone in Europe. The editor told him, knowing full well that the agent already knew. The next steps would be lawyers, Baldwin dragged into US Courts, major authors boycotting Doubleday/Dell, Dial, maybe some civil rights demonstrations and.......but no so fast.

Mr. Lantz offered Dial the first look at a new adventure/espionage novelist (me). IF Dial wanted me after reading my 124 pages, he could sign me, but only IF Baldwin was released from his obligations at Doubleday. I was the literary bribe, so to speak, that would get Jimmy free from Dial. It seemed like a great idea to everyone. It seemed that way because it was. Paperwork was prepapred and paperwork was signed. Voila!...To make a much longer story short, Dial accepted my novel. The editor instructed me on how to raise it to a professional level as I finished writing it over the next ten months. I followed orders perfectly. I even felt prosperous on my $7500 advance. He then had Dial release Mr. Balwin from his obligation. Not surpringly, he went on to create fine books for other publishers. Ludlum did even batter. Of the three, I'm the pauper but I've gotten my fair share and I'm alive with books coming out again now in the very near future, no small accmplishment. So no complaints from me.

That''s how I got published. I met Ludlum many times later on and Baldwin once. Ludlum liked my name "Noel" and used it for an then-upcoming charcter named Noel Holcroft. That amused me. I don't know if either of them even knew that my career had been in their orbits for a month 1975. They would have been amused. They were both smart gifted men and fine writers in dfferent ways. This story was told to me by one of the principals two years later and another one confirmed it.

Me, I came out of it with my first publishing contract, for a book titled 'Reve(less)

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Conspiracy in Kiev (The Russian Trilogy #1)

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