Revenge of the Kremlin

May 4, 2015
In de Villiers's draggy third Malko Linge novel to be published in the U.S. (after 2014's Chaos in Kabul), a prominent Russian exile, corrupt oligarch Boris Berezovky, is found dead with a length of cord around his neck that's tied to the shower head in the master bathroom of Berezovky's English manor. When the British authorities refuse to investigate, the CIA station chief in London turns to Linge for help. The crafty agent, assisted by his usual assortment of secret sources, tradecraft tricks, and sex-hungry female informants, tracks the killing back to the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin's desire to eliminate potential rivals. De Villiers (1929â2013) never bragged about literary pretentions, but the writing in this installment is even more clichéd and artless than usual. Scenes of true action are scarce, and readers should be prepared for the author's distinct signature: raunchy, detailed sex that serves no discernible plot purpose.