Review of The Kovalenko Secret
Posted: 12 Jun 2024, 22:44
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Kovalenko Secret" by Philip L Rettew.]
5 out of 5 stars.
The Captivating Tale of "The Kovalenko Secret" by Philip L. Rettew revolves around the fascinating characters it pits against each other. The story centers on Viktor Kovalenko, a smart, chameleon-like Russian intelligence officer whose life is turned upside down when his daughter, Karina, is snatched away from him and a nuke goes missing—a clear threat to global peace and stability. The dramatic plot encourages believability through well-rendered character development—without relying on dramatic coin flips or what I call "coy zigzags." Besides pulse-pounding tension throughout much of the book (it's quite hard to put down), there is great emotional drama and some mind-blowing reveals along the way that don't feel contrived in any way. He tackles serious themes with enough gravitas to make them resonate on several levels—parental love as a motivator (Viktor and Karina; Pavel), sacrifice (Viktor again), and even evil ideologies borne from extremism (Karim). If you haven't read anything by Rettew before, this would be an outstanding place to start.
Rettew tells a story that intertwines various narrative threads at an expert level. When a woman's lifeless body appears on a beach, the peacefulness covering the sun-kissed surface shatters. From this moment forward, every action and decision unfolds with monumental import as tiny lies and half-truths thread their way back together in search of a climactic conclusion. The suspense generated by searching for a missing nuclear warhead holds none of our characters back in any way as they envelop them in a reality that mirrors the most intricate spy thrillers.
The characters in "The Kovalenko Secret" are very well written. The way the story is told makes it all the more engaging. Colonel Viktor Kovalenko is a fantastic character because he taps into something that every person on this earth goes through: the near-impossible struggle to keep going when life is challenging. Aside from personal adversity, or communal. His daughter has a good chance of becoming an amazing person since her blend of talent and promise makes for a powerful narrative theme. What happens to her adds layers to the emotionality of the story but also this super-personal plotline with love, sacrifice, and all kinds of emotions!
Rettew's writings illuminate what many consider to be dark, taboo subjects. He accomplishes this without shying away from making his characters (and thus the reader) grapple with some very hard moral and philosophical questions about our world. "The weight of human history is unmistakable here, as well as the value systems that color our individual and collective views of right and wrong," he writes in an email promoting his work.
The story of Karina cannot be told without commenting on the very gender issues my characters face and represent. Her experience, in many ways, is an allegory for what happens when talent and potential (in this case, specifically female) are stymied by what are supposed to be male domains—whether that's the military, intelligence communities, or simply the kind of club where decisions affecting women's lives are made.
Although The Kovalenko Secret by Philip L. Rettew stands tall as a 5-star book, aspects of it could be refined and a few might even be tweaked in a future edition. Background details that fill out the espionage techniques and historical intelligence operations leading up to the events told in the story sometimes intrude into the narrative and make it hard for me to get back on track—a common problem with books trying to tell parallel (or convergent) stories about espionage over many decades. Some readers may find this so tedious that they give up. I almost did, but I liked what followed so much that I persisted. What follows is very good—if not quite up to the level of "wow," which I'd say is commonplace in spy novels. overall impact and enjoyment of the book. "The Kovalenko Secret" remains an outstanding read that excels in character development, emotional depth, and thrilling plotlines, justifying its five-star rating.
The book is perfectly edited; it contains no errors writing style is well done overall book is excellent.
Overall, In the Kovalenko Secret, Philip L. Rettew triumphs in the realm of espionage fiction. His writing holds a rare combination of depth and vitality; indeed, it has the emotional and philosophical heft that justifies an otherwise hard-to-achieve five-star rating. At their best—like this book—a few spy novels offer not only roofing to cover one’s head but also a frame through which to view the world; The Kovalenko Secret is such a book.
******
The Kovalenko Secret
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
5 out of 5 stars.
The Captivating Tale of "The Kovalenko Secret" by Philip L. Rettew revolves around the fascinating characters it pits against each other. The story centers on Viktor Kovalenko, a smart, chameleon-like Russian intelligence officer whose life is turned upside down when his daughter, Karina, is snatched away from him and a nuke goes missing—a clear threat to global peace and stability. The dramatic plot encourages believability through well-rendered character development—without relying on dramatic coin flips or what I call "coy zigzags." Besides pulse-pounding tension throughout much of the book (it's quite hard to put down), there is great emotional drama and some mind-blowing reveals along the way that don't feel contrived in any way. He tackles serious themes with enough gravitas to make them resonate on several levels—parental love as a motivator (Viktor and Karina; Pavel), sacrifice (Viktor again), and even evil ideologies borne from extremism (Karim). If you haven't read anything by Rettew before, this would be an outstanding place to start.
Rettew tells a story that intertwines various narrative threads at an expert level. When a woman's lifeless body appears on a beach, the peacefulness covering the sun-kissed surface shatters. From this moment forward, every action and decision unfolds with monumental import as tiny lies and half-truths thread their way back together in search of a climactic conclusion. The suspense generated by searching for a missing nuclear warhead holds none of our characters back in any way as they envelop them in a reality that mirrors the most intricate spy thrillers.
The characters in "The Kovalenko Secret" are very well written. The way the story is told makes it all the more engaging. Colonel Viktor Kovalenko is a fantastic character because he taps into something that every person on this earth goes through: the near-impossible struggle to keep going when life is challenging. Aside from personal adversity, or communal. His daughter has a good chance of becoming an amazing person since her blend of talent and promise makes for a powerful narrative theme. What happens to her adds layers to the emotionality of the story but also this super-personal plotline with love, sacrifice, and all kinds of emotions!
Rettew's writings illuminate what many consider to be dark, taboo subjects. He accomplishes this without shying away from making his characters (and thus the reader) grapple with some very hard moral and philosophical questions about our world. "The weight of human history is unmistakable here, as well as the value systems that color our individual and collective views of right and wrong," he writes in an email promoting his work.
The story of Karina cannot be told without commenting on the very gender issues my characters face and represent. Her experience, in many ways, is an allegory for what happens when talent and potential (in this case, specifically female) are stymied by what are supposed to be male domains—whether that's the military, intelligence communities, or simply the kind of club where decisions affecting women's lives are made.
Although The Kovalenko Secret by Philip L. Rettew stands tall as a 5-star book, aspects of it could be refined and a few might even be tweaked in a future edition. Background details that fill out the espionage techniques and historical intelligence operations leading up to the events told in the story sometimes intrude into the narrative and make it hard for me to get back on track—a common problem with books trying to tell parallel (or convergent) stories about espionage over many decades. Some readers may find this so tedious that they give up. I almost did, but I liked what followed so much that I persisted. What follows is very good—if not quite up to the level of "wow," which I'd say is commonplace in spy novels. overall impact and enjoyment of the book. "The Kovalenko Secret" remains an outstanding read that excels in character development, emotional depth, and thrilling plotlines, justifying its five-star rating.
The book is perfectly edited; it contains no errors writing style is well done overall book is excellent.
Overall, In the Kovalenko Secret, Philip L. Rettew triumphs in the realm of espionage fiction. His writing holds a rare combination of depth and vitality; indeed, it has the emotional and philosophical heft that justifies an otherwise hard-to-achieve five-star rating. At their best—like this book—a few spy novels offer not only roofing to cover one’s head but also a frame through which to view the world; The Kovalenko Secret is such a book.
******
The Kovalenko Secret
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon