Two men want the best for their countries, if not the world. Marcus and Oleg. American and Russian. Two men with staunch moral fiber learn just how governments work to sustain peace or possibly destroy it.
Even though he’s still a senior in college, Marcus tries to join the Marines after 9/11, only to have the recruiter tell him to wait until after graduation. He soon starts a career in the service of his country that tests the bonds of his family and his own trust in God.
Oleg falls in love with the daughter of the Russian prime minister and asks for her hand in marriage. During the engagement, he is hired to his future father-in-law’s staff as he ascends to the position of President. Oleg soon understands the true nature of President Luganov and he becomes complicit to his manipulations. He falls deeper into the ‘modern czar’s’ coercion and subterfuge.
Joel C. Rosenberg’s The Kremlin Conspiracy is of taunt contemporary thriller that shows off the author’s talents of masterly exploring the macro and micro acts of war. From 9/11 to the present, he uses the characters of Marcus and Oleg to track the global power struggle and show the human side of these aggressions.
A practiced author of historical and contemporary thrillers, his writing does not contain any throwaway characters. Every character has a purpose and he develops them accordingly. The only negative in his writing is that at times he ends his chapters by dropping very leading lines that play into his next plot twist. This foreshadowing is unnecessary, especially with his sophisticated and polished writing.
The Kremlin Conspiracy is a tremendous read. Rosenberg’s characters look to the power of patriotism, loyalty and prayer in fighting an evil megalomaniac. The author seems to see history and our collective future through a very positive lense. There is tragedy in Rosenberg’s writing, but at the same time great possibility of national and world balance.
5 out of 5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley, Tyndale House Publishers, and Joel C. Rosenberg for the advanced copy for review.
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