Rasputin's Shadow

August 26, 2013
In the prologue to bestseller Khoury’s lively, if conventional, fourth Templar thriller (after 2011’s The Devil’s Elixir), some Ural Mountain miners go berserk one day in 1916 and start killing each other until an explosion puts them all out of their misery. At the mine entrance, mystic Grigory Rasputin assures his companion, an unnamed man of science, that “we’ve just ensured the salvation of our people” by blowing up the mine. Flash forward to present-day New York City. FBI special agent Sean Reilly looks into the case of a Russian embassy official who’s been thrown to his death from his high-rise apartment building in Queens. Reilly also investigates the disappearance of high school physics teacher Leo Sokolov, a descendant of a member of Rasputin’s inner circle of advisers, who has developed a device that uses microwaves to alter human behavior. Reilly sometimes lets his enthusiasm get in the way of his better judgment in this predictable tale of a weapon with world-devastating potential. Agent: Jay Mandel, WME.

September 15, 2013
Khoury's thriller reaches back into history to set up a 21st-century showdown that adds a nice touch of science fiction. In 1916, Russia is mired in a bloody, losing war and rapidly approaches dissolution. The mystic Rasputin exerts disastrous influence over the czarina, and his enemies resolve that he must die. His foes fail several times before finally doing him in, but his legacy lingers. In the Prologue, a "man of science" bears witness to strange murders in Siberia, which will leave readers wondering how it can possibly be relevant to the novel. But this back story frames a modern drama involving FBI agent Sean Reilly (the hero), a Russian scientist, a Russian intelligence operative and a formidable terrorist named Koschey. The scientist has a device that is certain to wreak immeasurable havoc on any people it targets. There is just enough of pre-revolution Russia to support the 2013 story, but Rasputin was such a compelling real-life villain that more back story woven in would have added to the fun. Still, the old ogre casts a long shadow: A Russian attache jumps to his death in Queens; a CIA spook disappears; a retired Russian physics teacher goes missing. When Reilly finally learns how everything connects, the threat is both dire and hard for his superiors to believe. The premise requires mild suspension of disbelief, but Khoury carries the story off nicely. Sure, the main action takes place far from Mother Russia. Still, this is a fast-paced, enjoyable tale.

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Starred review from August 1, 2013

Returning to a narrative format that shifts between time periods, Khoury (The Devil's Elixir; The Last Templar) reunites us with FBI agent Sean Reilly in this thrilling historical mystery. Just as Reilly is undertaking a furtive manhunt for the CIA agent he believes harmed his son, he's called to the scene of a potential crime: a Russian embassy attache has plunged to his death from an apartment window. The apartment's owners are missing, and it soon becomes apparent that nothing is as it seems. Reilly partners with a female Russian FSB agent to uncover the truth before decades of big lies converge with a small, mysterious device to yield devastating consequences. Somehow a Russian emigre, Russian mobsters, Korean gang members, and Rasputin are all connected, and Reilly and company had better figure out how--quickly. VERDICT Readers unfamiliar with Khoury's "Templar" series featuring Sean Reilly can jump in here without feeling lost. The author provides enough contextual backstory for new readers without risking vexing loyal fans. His ample cultural references are fresh, and most should withstand the test of time. History, mystery, suspense, and action--Khoury knows the recipe for a good read. [See Prepub Alert, 4/22/13.]--Laura Cifelli, Fort Myers-Lee Cty. P.L., FL

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