What a nice surprise this book was. For once I was not disgusted or angered by how author portrayed Russia and Russians. What a nice change this was.

Anyhow, would I read more of Charile Hiller’s adventures? I do not think so. However, this book was an interesting read. It was full of details that are so familiar to me it is not funny. The only note from me would be, hey, bureaucracy and Public Service is the same all over the world. This book could have been called any city-code. Honestly, Russians are not that orginial when it comes to paper-shufflers and avoidance.

Charlie Hiller is a diplomat turned detective. I personally think, he sucks at both. However, he is very good at it, at doing everything wrong (at wrong time with wrong people). And I do believe, Charlie has very strong guardian Angels. He gets out of many a tight place.

In a word? The Moscow Code was ok read. I did not learn anything new. But I did not get upset or disappointed either.

This book was a slow start for me, and it took a while for me to really get into it. I found myself putting the book aside and reading other books. But the story was intriguing, and once I got through a third of it I found myself pulled along with the mystery and the characters. I liked it more and more, and the at the end, I found myself wanting to read the author's other books. I definitely recommend it!

I received an advance copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting, engaging thriller starring Canadian consular diplomat Charlie Hillier. This was my first time reading a novel by this author and I really enjoyed it. It was evident that Wilkshire had done his research as far as people and places. I love being able to recognize places in Berlin and Canada (I haven’t been to Russia yet, it’s on my to do list; but if I ever need the embassy, I know where it is!) and he made me feel like I was right there.
Charlie’s character is quirky, likeable, and he’s smart though he does still manage to get himself in some hot water. I haven’t read the first book in the series yet, but I liked how there were references to his past throughout. It made him seem more human.
It was a good read and it kept me guessing until the end when it all came together. It was a quick read and I look forward to reading more about Charlie’s adventures.

Nick Wilkshire sends diplomat Charlie Hillier to Moscow after his adventures in Cuba: he discovers corruption and murder in the case of a Canadian citizen who died under suspicious circumstances in a Moscow jail. the victim's sister is a doctor who refuses to accept suicide as the answer to her brother's death. Soon she and Charlie are uncovering the seamy underside of business in Russia and the bodies start dropping. Can Charlie find out what happened before he is murdered himself or thrown out of Russia? Stay tuned for a well plotted and action packed thriller.

Consular official Charlie Hillier is adjusting to his new post in Moscow, Russia. A late night out drinking with a visiting friend ends with Charlie spending the night in jail. While there, Charlie befriends Steve Liepa, a technical writer from Toronto who is being held in prison on dubious drug charges. Charlie tries to navigate the labyrinth Russian legal system to help until he learns Liepa has died. The official verdict is suicide but neither Charlie nor Liepa's sister Sophie Durant believe that. Determined to help Sophie got to the bottom of Liepa's death, Charlie follows the sparse clues left behind. Liepa's recent trips to Berlin, southern France and Kazakhstan indicate he was on the trail of a big story that links major real estate developers, drug money and powerful men that control the heart of Moscow. More dead bodies show up and Charlie and Sophie are both followed and threatened until they can find a way to make a deal to save themselves.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Dundurn with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Persuasive and kind of ingenious to have our 'detective' even a consul in exotic places, drawing americans .. charlie is based now in Moscow, apparently having been in Cuba previously and involved there too with criminal types just as it happens part of his job - it seems he has a rep for unusual solutions probably because he's too nice for his own good (for example right at opening getting involved with shameless old business friend during his first time in Moscow where he will be working, landing him in jail - where he meets the victim to-be in this story, another canadian - with a tantalising sister he squires around and falls for .. again relying on his mix of innocent sort of smarts, coming up with eccentric solutions. ... well done and unusual if not too deep - I mean I knew when the sister got involved there would be something going on and so it was .. ah well, all part of slightly lightweight fun ... this series should run on for a while too ... he seems to be transferred to these places soon enough - the places seem authentic too ...

Disclosure: I read this as an ARC and Dundurn is my publisher too.

This is the first book I've read by Nick Wilkshire and he has several like the Moscow Code. The hero is a Canadian diplomat whose adventures in various embassies around the world form the plots. Obviously this one takes place in Russia, but also Berlin. The author knows his setting, history, and current events. To say much more will spoil it for the reader.

This story was well constructed and convoluted keeping the reader captivated. I found it a page-turner, easy to read, and most enjoyable. I want to read more by Wilkshire.

Recommended for those who love contemporary mysteries that are not run of the mill and not from the POV of a police detective.

If you haven't met Charlie Hillier before, you're in for a treat. He's not a bumbling man, just one who seems to have had a dreadful run of luck while working as a diplomat for the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This time out, he's in Moscow and dealing with the death of a Canadian writer whose sister, Sophie, is convinced he did not commit suicide. There's a lovely sense of atmosphere in the Russian setting, with rotten characters aplenty. Charlie and Sophie follow their lead, however, to the Riviera, which I found less interesting than Moscow. That said, Charlie's got a good sense of humor (he must) and these. It won't matter if you haven't read the first (although you'll want to) book because Wilkshire gives you the relevant background. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment- when Charlie goes to Tokyo!

Charlie is middle-aged, divorced and working with Foreign Affairs, reporting to headquarters in Ottawa. He recently transferred from a posting in Havana to Moscow. He meets Steve, a fellow Canadian who is a technical writer working in Moscow. Steve has been in jail after being picked up at a party ... he was apparently the only foreigner there without a passport.

As Charlie works to help him, Steve is found dead in his cell of an apparent suicide. Charlie breaks the news to Sophie, Steve's sister, who travels from Toronto to Moscow take her brother's body home. The body, though, ends up being accidentally cremated after Sophie identifies it. Sophie is a doctor and sees some signs to make her suspect that Steve's death wasn't a suicide after all. She looks to Charlie for help to find out what really happened.

This is the second and latest in the A Foreign Affairs Mystery series (I read the first one last year) and the second book I've read by this author. It is written in third person perspective, from Charlie's point of view. For the most part, I liked the story and characters, I found it confusing at times, though, and had a hard time keeping the Russian characters straight (who they were, what they did and how it pertained to the story). As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

I look forward to reading more in this series.

A well written mystery set in Russia. Charlie Hillier is a consular who after a night out with an old acquaintance ends up in jail overnight. . There he meets Liepa, who is being held without being charged. He asks Charlie to let his sister know and to try and get him out. Before his sister arrives he commits 'suicide'. In jail His sister Sophie doesn't believe it and. contacts Charlie and begs him to help her find some answers. Charlie is attracted to Sophie's beauty and agrees to help. Sophie's brother had been investigating a suspiciously corrupt real estate contract. Their discoveries end them in serious danger and they narrowly escape.

This series is so much fun. The Moscow Code moves at a fast pace, takes place in a locale I was eager to learn more about, and has an interesting plot that is resolved effectively.

My two favorite things about this series are the loveable but inept protagonist and the various settings of each book. As Nick Wilkshire writes, Charlie Hillier is “an unlikely hero… whose heart is in the right place even if his skills and judgment as a consular officer may leave a little to be desired.” As often as not, I am laughing at how Charlie manages to so completely bungle whatever he is investigating even going so far as losing his passport and his Blackberry (twice!) while stationed in Moscow. Even though he has questionable judgment, I am always cheering him on. The first book in the series took place in Cuba, and Nick Wilkshire did a fabulous job depicting the culture, architecture, and general “feel” of Cuba. The first half of The Moscow Code incorporates Moscow into the storyline in much the same was as Escape to Havana did for Cuba. Sadly, Charlie leaves for other destinations in the second half of The Moscow Code, and the cultural aspect of the book was eliminated. The third book takes place in Tokyo, and I am eager to learn more about life there and hope Charlie will remain in Tokyo for the entirety of the story.

I recommend The Moscow Code (and Escape from Havana) for anyone who likes a good mystery with a unique protagonist. Thanks to Dundurn and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Charlie is likeable and the writing style makes the book engaging. There is a lot of action and humour as well. An easy read to relax with.

Due to be released 5th Dec, 2017, The Moscow Code is the second installment in the Foreign Affairs Mysteries by Nick Wilkshire from Dundurn Press.

The tag line from the back cover reads, "In Moscow, the truth can be a dangerous commodity".

When Charlie Hillier is seconded to Moscow as a consul for the Canadian embassy, he's happy to have escaped his adventures in Havana and not have to go back to Ottawa, where his ex-wife is involved with another higher ranking government official.

A dinner and after dinner drinks with an old school friend he hasn't seen for over 20 years lands them in the local drunk tank where he meets a fellow Canadian who's being held on vague drug related charges. Charlie promises to look into the case and charges pending against the Canadian man in his role as a consul for the embassy. When the Canadian man dies in custody under mysterious circumstances, Charlie's search for justice and answers leads to a very tangled web of lies, deceit, drugs and corruption.

This book was a lot of fun to read. Charlie's a great character, well developed and charmingly rumpled. He's almost a Canadian James Bond, but more polite and less suave! The supporting characters are well thought out and further the action and plot very well. The dialogue is well written and believable. Even though it's set in the current time period, it reminded me quite a lot of the Travis McGee novels, though McGee is a lot grittier and macho, they both have the same fixation with the truth at all costs, and hang the consequences.

I was engaged with the book from the beginning and the denouement was satisfying. I'm very interested to read about Charlie's further adventures and look forward to his next posting in (I think) Japan.

Four stars, a very light, enjoyable read.

On the night that he finds himself mistakenly in a Moscow prison, Charlie Hillier meets a most interesting man: another expat from Toronto. In his position at the Canadian Embassy, Charlie has access to friends and files and favors, but before he can even begin to help, Steve Liepa is dead. An apparent suicide.

Steve's sister, a physician, comes to Russia and pronounces the entire suicide story a hoax

As Charlie and Sophie begin to ask questions, it is obvious that someone wants them silenced. So they hop from Moscow to Paris to the French Riviera, always one step ahead, and finally come to an absolutely startling conclusion.

I read this EARC courtesy of Net Galley and Dundurn Press. pub date 12/05/17

Charlie Hillier is back and trouble is not too far away, but now he has been posted to Moscow. Considering that Charlie is a bureaucrat/ diplomat, he has that unlucky knack of annoying his boss and finding himself in the middle of a murder.
This book is a very intense exploration of Russia, corruption and the Mafia, interspersed with light humour, farcical errors and a childlike naivety. It is intelligently written and not just another Russian spy novel. Facts are given,explained, persued and consequences noted and acted upon. There is a clear sense of purpose and urgency in this writing and Charlie is such a lovely and likeable person.
I really enjoyed this book and will endeavour to read the first of this series. I look forward to other books, no doubt somewhere in the pipeline!!
I have posted a copy of this review on Goodreads today.

Charlie Hillier is the unlikely hero who uncovers deeply embedded crime and corruption in Moscow where he is posted in the Canadian Embassy. Parts of his interesting personal life are drawn into the plot as Charlie becomes more and more of a hero.

His entry into the underworld of crime and corruption in Moscow is very humorous and creates a light-hearted start to a darkly deepening plot. The death of a fellow Canadian leads Charlie into this dangerous, violent world that he just manages to survive. While doing so he makes enemies who are dangerous but more importantly unlikely friendships.

The mystery/thriller is gripping. At the same time, there is a gentleness in new relationships with colleagues as well as other romantic opportunities. I found this a great combination.

I am looking forward to hearing more about Charlie’s investigations, adventures and possible romance in the next of this series.

BonnieK

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Thank you Netgalley and Dundurn for the eARC.
What a lovable character Charlie's Hillier is! After barely surviving Havana, he's sent to Moscow by the Canadian Foreign Office. Even though it means starting at the bottom, he's eager to do a good job and help people. His cheating ex-wife is dating one of the big mucky mucks, another reason for keeping his nose clean.
But despite his best efforts, he ends up in jail, through no fault of his own...a very unpleasant place. He meets a journalist there and in his effort to help, ends up meeting some very unsavory, dangerous people from the Moscow underworld. These people definitely don't play by the rules.
Throw in subtle humor, a wonderful sense of place and a little romance and you have yourself a book you cannot put down. I loved it and cannot wait for Charlie's next foreign adventure in 2018 - I believe it will be in Tokyo.

Charlie Hillier is back, the hapless Foreign Affairs bureaucrat cheated on by his wife and sent off to Havana in the first volume. This second entry in the series finds a surer voice and pace as Charlie is assigned to the Canadian Foreign Office in Moscow. He has a new chief, and is duly warned to avoid getting himself into trouble, as his nasty ex is now dating one of the big bosses. Great.

Charlie is starting at the bottom of the pecking order, but that's okay by him. He tries to keep his head down and attend to his job, as he genuinely likes helping people. And of course he is drawn into yet another wild mystery, after finding himself tossed into jail for no fault of his own, where he meets another hapless prisoner, a journalist, who doesn't have the Foreign Affairs office on his side.

In trying to help the journalist get out of the grim Russian prison system, Charlie stumbles on some nasty stuff going on in Moscow, a city that has its own rules that too frequently have nothing to do with law, and everything to do with money and power. (Sound familiar?)

Interesting characters and action abounds. Wilkshire deftly and vividly unfolds his mystery using humor as well as an eye for interesting places and action. There is a trail of bodies, but you sense that Charlie will come out all right, and further, that everyone in the book is not a cynical burnout so that it's difficult to tell who is a good guy and who the baddies are. The women in the story are given equal time in interest and agency, something I always appreciate, and Charlie is his sterling self, determined to do the right thing, even when his life is in danger.

I gulped this one down in one sitting, and hope that Wilkshire is going to write more about Charlie. This is my favorite type of thriller.

A very easy and engaging read. The plot is linear and easy to follow, it doesn't take mental gymnastics to keep plot threads and characters straight.

The book had me into the story in the first few pages, and I didn't put it down until I had finished it a few hours later. It held and grew my interest all the way through.

Only the second book in a series but already this is shaping up to be a real favourite of mine. I have experience of working in embassies and there are some lovely touches and tongue in cheek moments which made me smile.

This time he’s in Russia and after the last episode when he got into one bit of trouble after another in Havana, the thought he was now off to Russia made me excited and nervous at the same time. Charlie Charlie Charlie I thought. What is going to happen to you? Well I was not disappointed as a fun and fascinating insight follows. There is a real mystery here but kept light with deftness of touch and a real sense of place which is very well evoked. I’ve never been to Russia but there’s a lot of detail and a unique view from a diplomat’s eyes that intrigued me right from the start. Charlie is one entertaining diplomat and the various strands of the plot and story come together nicely with intrigue and humour along the way.

Moscow is the perfect setting for the diplomatic issues and mystery which follows and the diplomatic world is a fun one through which gives a very unique mystery tour. Really enjoyable and a Hillier triumph once again.

Havana now Moscow - where will we end up next? I can’t wait to find out!