SHADOW OF THE WOLF

He left the blood-soaked mountains of Chechnya behind to become a gun-for-hire in the new Moscow. But an international cabal is luring Alexei Volkovoy back to those mountains and toward a confrontation with his old nemesis.

The headquarters of an American oil company spits smoke into the Moscow night, the aftermath of an apparent terrorist attack. A Russian army captain carrying a Fabergé egg and digital evidence of horrific wartime atrocities is murdered, and relieved of both. And in the snowy mountains of southern Russia, a terrorist named Abreg—Volk's old enemy—hatches a plan to lure him back into his grasp.

Shadow of the Wolf finds Colonel Alexei Volkovoy—covert agent of the Russian army and major player in the Moscow underworld—once again struggling to stay afloat in the swirling currents of Russian political and economic intrigue.

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Cast of Characters

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PRAISE

"In Ghelfi's mesmerizing second Russian thriller (after Volk's Game), Alexei "Volk" Vokovoy, an ex-army colonel with a prosthetic leg who does the dirty work for a paranoid Kremlin official known as "the General," receives what appears to be a simple assignment: find a missing Faberge egg. The hunt quickly leads Volk into a raw, uncivilized world in which even the most basic needs of common Russians go unmet. Crime bosses work hand-in-hand with the government. The riches of oil trump all other priorities. Sexual violence surges uncontrollably. While the complicated plot can be hard to follow in places, and the Rambo-like Volk may not engage much reader sympathy, crisp characterization and strong visual prose keep the story moving to its harrowing climax in Chechnya. Those seeking a tour of the dark side of contemporary Russia will be more than satisfied."
   —Publishers Weekly

"Like a bullet, Col. Alexei Volkovoy (Volk's Game) goes where he is pointed and doesn't stop until he hits something. Brutalized by training, war, and captivity, he has criminal tendencies and a capacity for explosive violence that hide a deep loyalty to Russia and to the few people he trusts. When a series of seemingly unconnected crimes begins pointing to a single source, Volk (Russian for wolf) takes on Kremlin power players, the Russian mob, and Chechen rebels to resolve them. Volk is less Arkady Renko than a Russian Jack Reacher, making Shadow Of The Wolf as noir as a winter night in Saint Petersburg."
   —Library Journal (starred review)