Review of The Kovalenko Secret
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Alida Spies
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Review of The Kovalenko Secret
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Kovalenko Secret" by Philip L Rettew.]
Duke Chancellor is an American multi-billionaire. His objectives are to enhance good and to eliminate, or at least reduce, evil in the world. He owns the worldwide secret Chancellor Organization, with a vast international network of business associates, informants and agents. Duke employs his vast wealth not only to assist individuals but also to pursue threats against his country.
Colonel Viktor Alexander Kovalenko is an intelligence officer in the Russian army. His wife died nine years ago, and since then, he has been taking care of his daughter, Karina. Karina, a talented ballerina, is exceedingly beautiful. Shortly after Karina departs for America to pursue her ballet studies and career, Viktor assumes command of the military installation at Chelyabinsk. He discovers that one of the nuclear devices held at the installation has gone missing. Fully aware of the devastation such a device can cause, Viktor cannot ignore the weapon's disappearance. He embarks on a journey to find the bomb, that will endanger his and his daughter’s lives.
Shamir Rahmani inherited a huge oil fortune and is also involved in complicated business dealings, supplying drugs to people in Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. He believes his purpose in life is to establish Islamic world domination and the ultimate caliphate. Shamir sees his contribution as bankrolling the activities to eliminate the United States of America as their primary obstacle to establishing the caliphate and ruling the world.
A tale of intrigue, espionage and mystery unfolds across various countries and involving multiple people. Who stole the bomb, and will the protagonists be able to find it before it causes devastation?
I was fascinated by the author’s insights into the workings of organizations like the Central Intelligence Agency, Russian Intelligence and British Intelligence. Even though this is a novel and some of the information may be nothing more than products of the author’s imagination, I believe some aspects, e.g., the enormous quantities of data collected and the efforts required to analyze it, are accurate. The author shares considerable factual details about the diverse subject matter, e.g., descriptions of geographical locations, historical occurrences, aircraft specifications and routes between destinations. I even learned new words!
This is not an easy read. It jumps from one location to the next, from one character to the next, and between various scenes. Most characters are well-developed, and the reader readily associates with their anxiety, anger and concern.
I actually found the number of characters introduced in this book somewhat overwhelming. Some are only fleetingly mentioned, e.g., Melek, and it isn't clear what their contribution to the story is. There is no clarification on who she is, who she works for, or why she was introduced. This was one aspect of the book I didn’t like. I also discovered numerous errors, and the book requires another round of editing.
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because of the errors found. My mention of numerous characters is a personal preference and does not warrant the removal of a star. It is a riveting story with many twists and turns, keeping the reader engaged from beginning to end. It contains profanity and mild scenes alluding to sexual activity, but I don’t think anybody will be offended by the content. I recommend the book to all adult readers who enjoy the genre.
******
The Kovalenko Secret
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Duke Chancellor is an American multi-billionaire. His objectives are to enhance good and to eliminate, or at least reduce, evil in the world. He owns the worldwide secret Chancellor Organization, with a vast international network of business associates, informants and agents. Duke employs his vast wealth not only to assist individuals but also to pursue threats against his country.
Colonel Viktor Alexander Kovalenko is an intelligence officer in the Russian army. His wife died nine years ago, and since then, he has been taking care of his daughter, Karina. Karina, a talented ballerina, is exceedingly beautiful. Shortly after Karina departs for America to pursue her ballet studies and career, Viktor assumes command of the military installation at Chelyabinsk. He discovers that one of the nuclear devices held at the installation has gone missing. Fully aware of the devastation such a device can cause, Viktor cannot ignore the weapon's disappearance. He embarks on a journey to find the bomb, that will endanger his and his daughter’s lives.
Shamir Rahmani inherited a huge oil fortune and is also involved in complicated business dealings, supplying drugs to people in Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. He believes his purpose in life is to establish Islamic world domination and the ultimate caliphate. Shamir sees his contribution as bankrolling the activities to eliminate the United States of America as their primary obstacle to establishing the caliphate and ruling the world.
A tale of intrigue, espionage and mystery unfolds across various countries and involving multiple people. Who stole the bomb, and will the protagonists be able to find it before it causes devastation?
I was fascinated by the author’s insights into the workings of organizations like the Central Intelligence Agency, Russian Intelligence and British Intelligence. Even though this is a novel and some of the information may be nothing more than products of the author’s imagination, I believe some aspects, e.g., the enormous quantities of data collected and the efforts required to analyze it, are accurate. The author shares considerable factual details about the diverse subject matter, e.g., descriptions of geographical locations, historical occurrences, aircraft specifications and routes between destinations. I even learned new words!
This is not an easy read. It jumps from one location to the next, from one character to the next, and between various scenes. Most characters are well-developed, and the reader readily associates with their anxiety, anger and concern.
I actually found the number of characters introduced in this book somewhat overwhelming. Some are only fleetingly mentioned, e.g., Melek, and it isn't clear what their contribution to the story is. There is no clarification on who she is, who she works for, or why she was introduced. This was one aspect of the book I didn’t like. I also discovered numerous errors, and the book requires another round of editing.
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because of the errors found. My mention of numerous characters is a personal preference and does not warrant the removal of a star. It is a riveting story with many twists and turns, keeping the reader engaged from beginning to end. It contains profanity and mild scenes alluding to sexual activity, but I don’t think anybody will be offended by the content. I recommend the book to all adult readers who enjoy the genre.
******
The Kovalenko Secret
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Infinity by Catalina DuBois
