Ring of Red Roses

by Eddy Shah

When Mark Duncan, a veteran of the Falklands war and now working for the intelligence arm of the SAS, is suddenly pulled out of an important operation in Northern Ireland,there has to be a good reason. His close friend and one-time comrade-in-arms, Victor Oldenburg, has been kidnapped while checking out the arrangements for a planned royal visit to the Soviet Union. Duncan’s Russian family background and his fluency in the language make him the obvious choice to monitor the investigation for the British government.Almost immediately he finds himself in Moscow working with Myeloski,a half-Muslim and a decidedly unconventional detective. The pair of them have nothing to go on except what the kidnappers choose to divulge. That and a strong suspicion that there is much more to this abductionthan a simple demand for money.All too rapidly it becomes apparent that Duncan and Myeloski are caught up in a web of intrigue that originates in the heart of the Kremlin. The Oldenburgs are in mortal danger, and their fate could determine the political future of the Soviet Union.Bristling with excitement, tension and topicality, the Ring of Red Roses marks the début of a born thriller writer.

Paperback

First published June 30, 2011

Reviews

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written crime drama involving the kidnapping of a UK delegation to Russia who happens to be the distant relations of the Romanovs, a Russian President with a desire to reshape the Soviet Union into something better and a perverted KGB chief playing a half way game.

Overall, interesting albeit showing it's age but certainly an good combination of Russian cop + English consort investigating a crime that's a bit of a mystery whilst being thwarted and assisted by intelligence services.

[Stuart Haining · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10 16% SH. A great story spoiled but unbelievable characters performing oddly, eg nightclub bouncer/owner/pimp who’s surprisingly helpful voluntarily after initially being threatened at gunpoint, a kind hearted KGB Hooker, I could go on! Going to the charity shop I think. Will try one more by Eddy, quiet a character in real life and one of the worlds over achievers for sure.

[Grey Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable romp of a book, very much of its time, but perfect to look back and recapture that period.