Review of The Kovalenko Secret
Posted: 03 Jan 2025, 22:28
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Kovalenko Secret" by Philip L Rettew.]
I approached "The Kovalenko Secret" with a unique blend of trepidation and anticipation. The author avoids a blatant menacing tone, instead opting for the slow, unnerving creep of a quote from Osama bin Laden. This sets a unique stage where fact blends with fiction, creating a narrative that threatens to unsettle more than it entertains. This opening, which the author declares "is not fiction," immediately compelled my attention.
My attention was soon captured by Isaac Blaustein and Teodor Michalik, Harvard professors who present Shamir Rahmani to us through a hushed conversation at a commencement ceremony. Blaustein's hushed concern, "He is dangerous!" instantly set off my need to know more about Shamir and why Blaustein was so wary. His brief introduction created a mystery, the full implications of which slowly emerged. The story then makes an abrupt turn from normalcy as we are confronted with Cynthia Rubenstein’s experience of 9/11, showing us, in stark detail, a man leaping from the burning tower. “A man with dark hair jumped from above the flames through an open window on the west side of the building. He was one of about 200 who deliberately or accidentally fell from the skyscrapers that day.” His choice between burning alive or an instantaneous death consumed his final thoughts. Through this early scene, the author masterfully captures the emotional weight of the events through vivid description rather than a direct account. I was deeply moved by Cynthia’s profound grief, as even the most mundane details, like her husband’s preference for ‘a blue shirt and a red tie,’ became an acutely personal representation of what she had lost.
The scene of Leah Cummings' meeting with Roy Cander was infused with a unique undercurrent of suggestive tension, almost making me blush myself! His direct and slightly abrupt approach to her felt both refreshing and darkly humorous. "What? No mental foreplay? No softening me up? No come-on? No pick-up line, no implied request for the fastest route to my underwear? Impressive!" This dialogue immediately unveiled a thread of ethical uncertainty, most importantly, whether the ends could justify the means. He told her on one hand, "I know traffic will be a pain when you leave, but this really is the only time I had available." And now you want to work for the CIA, Miss Cummings?” Then moments later he said, "If you are telling me I will have to sleep with the bad guys or even the good guys, then you really should be looking for someone else.” It’s a complex and sometimes conflicting idea. Also Karina Kovalenko, the young dancer of brilliant beauty, and Umar Kasana, the creepy foreign arms dealer, international in his travels and purchasing chocolate in Hong Kong without diamonds exploding out, and all the rest of the people who each had a bit of a key to working it out. The author deftly controls this diverse cast, crafting distinct and compelling narratives while simultaneously propelling the reader into an unfolding and increasingly more sinister plot. The narrative skillfully oscillates between the intimate and the global.
I confess that my impatience to witness the inevitable convergence of these characters, and more importantly, to discover their collective purpose, was growing. The author meticulously explores the motivations and personal journeys of each character, carefully advancing the plot with a wholly captivating and deliberate sense of increasing tension. Nothing felt extraneous in this book. Every descriptive passage felt deliberate and essential, either functioning as a clue or as a portent of the greater narrative. The author is clearly uninterested in unnecessary fluff and crafts this story with great intention.
The editing was superb. When I read, I did not find a single typo, and I even had no grammatical errors. I was completely immersed in all of it; there was not a single distraction! That by itself is huge! I am rating this book a solid 5 out of 5 stars. While I was mildly impatient to see how all the characters linked together, it was all done with such skill that it didn’t detract from the overall reading experience. The author has put together an intricate web of characters and storylines, and I really can’t wait to read the second installment, not as a professional obligation, but from pure personal interest.
******
The Kovalenko Secret
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I approached "The Kovalenko Secret" with a unique blend of trepidation and anticipation. The author avoids a blatant menacing tone, instead opting for the slow, unnerving creep of a quote from Osama bin Laden. This sets a unique stage where fact blends with fiction, creating a narrative that threatens to unsettle more than it entertains. This opening, which the author declares "is not fiction," immediately compelled my attention.
My attention was soon captured by Isaac Blaustein and Teodor Michalik, Harvard professors who present Shamir Rahmani to us through a hushed conversation at a commencement ceremony. Blaustein's hushed concern, "He is dangerous!" instantly set off my need to know more about Shamir and why Blaustein was so wary. His brief introduction created a mystery, the full implications of which slowly emerged. The story then makes an abrupt turn from normalcy as we are confronted with Cynthia Rubenstein’s experience of 9/11, showing us, in stark detail, a man leaping from the burning tower. “A man with dark hair jumped from above the flames through an open window on the west side of the building. He was one of about 200 who deliberately or accidentally fell from the skyscrapers that day.” His choice between burning alive or an instantaneous death consumed his final thoughts. Through this early scene, the author masterfully captures the emotional weight of the events through vivid description rather than a direct account. I was deeply moved by Cynthia’s profound grief, as even the most mundane details, like her husband’s preference for ‘a blue shirt and a red tie,’ became an acutely personal representation of what she had lost.
The scene of Leah Cummings' meeting with Roy Cander was infused with a unique undercurrent of suggestive tension, almost making me blush myself! His direct and slightly abrupt approach to her felt both refreshing and darkly humorous. "What? No mental foreplay? No softening me up? No come-on? No pick-up line, no implied request for the fastest route to my underwear? Impressive!" This dialogue immediately unveiled a thread of ethical uncertainty, most importantly, whether the ends could justify the means. He told her on one hand, "I know traffic will be a pain when you leave, but this really is the only time I had available." And now you want to work for the CIA, Miss Cummings?” Then moments later he said, "If you are telling me I will have to sleep with the bad guys or even the good guys, then you really should be looking for someone else.” It’s a complex and sometimes conflicting idea. Also Karina Kovalenko, the young dancer of brilliant beauty, and Umar Kasana, the creepy foreign arms dealer, international in his travels and purchasing chocolate in Hong Kong without diamonds exploding out, and all the rest of the people who each had a bit of a key to working it out. The author deftly controls this diverse cast, crafting distinct and compelling narratives while simultaneously propelling the reader into an unfolding and increasingly more sinister plot. The narrative skillfully oscillates between the intimate and the global.
I confess that my impatience to witness the inevitable convergence of these characters, and more importantly, to discover their collective purpose, was growing. The author meticulously explores the motivations and personal journeys of each character, carefully advancing the plot with a wholly captivating and deliberate sense of increasing tension. Nothing felt extraneous in this book. Every descriptive passage felt deliberate and essential, either functioning as a clue or as a portent of the greater narrative. The author is clearly uninterested in unnecessary fluff and crafts this story with great intention.
The editing was superb. When I read, I did not find a single typo, and I even had no grammatical errors. I was completely immersed in all of it; there was not a single distraction! That by itself is huge! I am rating this book a solid 5 out of 5 stars. While I was mildly impatient to see how all the characters linked together, it was all done with such skill that it didn’t detract from the overall reading experience. The author has put together an intricate web of characters and storylines, and I really can’t wait to read the second installment, not as a professional obligation, but from pure personal interest.
******
The Kovalenko Secret
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon