Black Wolf Kathleen Kent

5 stars

What an excellent spy thriller. It is set in 1990 in Byelorussia where change is in the air. Mikhail Gorbachev is still in charge of Russia but change is coming and the head of the KGB in Byelorussia, Martin Kavalchuk is plotting to allow Iran to have access to nuclear weapons.

The CIA in America have got wind of this and have sent a team of 4 people to try and corroborate if there are Iranian scientists in Byelorussia. One of the team is Melvina Donleavy who is ostensibly merely a secretary to the group. However Melvina’s talent is that she only has to see a face once and she can instantly remember it many years later. None of her team are aware of this so she is on her own when trying to gain access to the various meetings in order to see if there are any faces that she recognises.

To complicate things even more there is a serial killer in the streets of Minsk which the KGB is trying to cover up as they do not accept that there is any serious crime in their country. In fact I found this book so fascinating because of the authenticity of life as it was (and probably still is) in Byelorussia. Everyone is being watched and followed day and night and the sheer drabness of the places and lifestyles of these people really comes over, the writing is so vivid.

Melvina, on her first task since her training, is a very strong character and I hope that she may feature in future novels. She is tested to her limit in every way and needs to utilise all her training.

I really enjoyed this book and will add Ms Kent to my list of authors that I want to read more of.

Karen Deborah
Reviewer Netgalley

Loved this book. A return to the Cold War with great espionage, and a serial killer thrown in. The author gives a glimpse of all the characters whilst gradually building the tension and leading you towards the final act. Will definitely keep you reading into the wee hours

Melvina Donleavy is sent as part of a trade delegation. She is officially a secretary but in reality so much more. Skilled in remembering faces she must help the CIA find out what is really going on in Minsk around 1990.

Action packed book with spies, KGB, a serial killer and the Black Wolf himself. Loved the pace of this novel with all its twists and turns. Enjoy working out who is a goodie or a baddie.

Hmm this needed a very harsh edit. There was a lot of drift and extraneous information which slowed down the book. I'd have slashed whole chapters! Shame because the subject and setting is fascinating.

An enjoyable book. The first half of the book is very slow but this, I suspect, is because it is more realistic as Kent worked for the CIA. Once things really started to happen I enjoyed the book much more. I haven't read any of Kent's previous books but I suspect that this will not be the last book with Mel as the main character. I look forward to reading the next instalment.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

I am grateful to the publishers for this early copy of Kathleen's book. Given the current problems in Eastern Europe, a return to 'cold-war' style writing was timely and I was enthralled by the story.
The characters, the settings, the story-lines, and the pace of the book kept me very engaged throughout. I loved the interplay of all the characters, switching my choice of the serial killer a few times before the final revelation. Before that final revelation, I had figured out who the serial killer was, but the story was no less suspenseful for that. I thought too that the Black Wolf might have featured more prominently, given the book's title.
However, the story had excellent pace and twists and turns aplenty, and I would highly recommend it to those who enjoy a great spy novel or a great serial killer hunt!

I really enjoyed this book, which was well written and the sense of place despite felt real, presumably benefiting from the authors time working there at that time. I read it over most of a weekend, staying up late to finish it on Sunday night - always a good sign for me! It was very filmic in the way it was written, and would make an excellent film or series .

This was an excellent spy story/crime thriller, set in a truly fascinating setting, Byelorussia during the dying days of the Soviet Union. Mel is part of a CIA delegation sent to the area to prevent to sale of nuclear materials to Iran. She has a unique ability to recognize any face she has ever seen. While there, she also befriends women and realizes there is a serial killer at loose on the streets of Minsk. There is a lot going on and never a dull moment in this well-written, thoroughly-engaging novel. Looking forward to more from this author.

This is one of the best spy thrillers that I have read for quite some time. Melvina is a brilliant character and the plot of this book was remarkable. Highly recommend.

One of the best books I have read this year. Interesting interweaving of the spy genre with the serial killer genre. Great lead protagonist in Melvina Donleavy. Tough but vulnerable as well with a fascinating savant skill. Enjoyed reading this book, and highly recommend it.

This was a book to thoroughly enjoy - I loved the generational thread between the woman. I loved the social comparisons which sadly were still reflected in the modern day story. I found myself invested in the stories and lives of the three woman and really cared what happened. I don't think I can say any more.

An absolutely amazing Cold War thriller taking place in post USSR republic of Belarus and telling the story of a young American CIA operative who also happens to be a super recognizer. She is thrust into a scary sequence of events when her path crosses that of a serial killer operating in the area. Highly recommended!

CIA spy thriller set in Russia in the early 90s. Mel, a super recogniser is sent to Minsk with a CIA team hoping to get information about nuclear plans and the involvement of Iranian scientists. Mel befriends young Russian women she encounters and finds out there is a serial killer in the city. She becomes involved in this case too, with consequences for everyone involved. Really enjoyed this.

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no large gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book therefore a star is lost for this.

This is a very special story because it turns out to be a great deal more diverse than you might expect. Yes, it is a spy novel in the sense that four American officials visit Byelurussia, an emerging part of the crumbling Soviet Union, to determine whether the new country is trading nuclear secrets with Iran. The youngest of the group, Mel, seems to be the secretary but actually has a more complicated assignment from the CIA. Mel has a unique facility to never forget a face which makes her the best person to recognise faces from an Iranian delegation. That would seem to be quite a straight forward spy story but the book intensifies as Mel becomes the target of a serial killer whose identity has not been established. Her ability to recognise faces means she helps to solve the identity of the killer. This book is rich in its research and understanding of the Soviet Union and its people. The addition of the second theme makes it an even better read. I recommend it.

4+ stars

Kathleen Kent has all the necessary credentials to write a convincing spy thriller in which she weaves fact with fiction. It’s August 1990 and the last dying embers of the Soviet Union as Mikhail Gorbachev hangs on by his fingernails. In this novel Minsk in the Byelorussian Soviet Empire takes centre stage as CIA spy Melvina Donleavy, codename Medusa, arrives with a US trade mission on her first undercover role. Her task, secret kept from her fellow agents, is to prevent weapons grade uranium or any nuclear weaponry from leaving the Soviet Union and falling into the wrong hands, specifically those of Iran. There is danger all around not least from the Spy Hunter, the chairman of the BSSR’s KGB so stealthy you never hear his approach. This is the Black Wolf a.k.a. Martin Kavalchuk. . In fact Kavalchuk he’s not the only wolf as a serial killer hunts in the streets of Minsk who strangles his female victims. Indeed, the Wolves are gathering and this pack represents the ultimate danger.

This is an exciting, tense and well written spy thriller which feels extremely authentic as you’d expect. It has a vivid, cinematic quality to it and you feel as if you are in Minsk experiencing the political push and pull to say nothing of the perils of the street. This is not just from the serial killer but there’s also a growing presence of the Russian Mafia, the Bratva, The Brotherhood, who are growing bolder and bolder and are now in plain sight.

The timescale of the novel in 1990 is an excellent choice with the upheaval to come which makes it especially fascinating. I thoroughly enjoy the descriptions and tour in and around Minsk and it’s clear to see how the Chernobyl fallout badly affects Byelorussia.

The central character of Mel is an intriguing one, she is one clever and brave young woman and she needs to be in the fight of her life. You definitely feel the chill in this cold war thriller where deadly games are played. It’s mostly fast paced with plenty of good twists and unexpected turns.

My only reservation is it’s a bit over detailed in some places although by the same token it’s the depth that gives the book its credibility.

If you like spy thrillers this one is well worth reading.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Aria and Aries, Head of Zeus for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

It's been a while. I read many novels but seldom have I read one that has so wholly engaged me as Black Wolf. There was not one page of it that was dull, it was that good. I am fortunate to know a super recogniser so realise they exist and are not some spy novelist's device. The novel centres on Mel, the super recogniser, being able to identify key players looking to buy fissile materials or weapons from a former Soviet satellite country, however the ties to the Kremlin still run deep. Additionally, she is caught up in a gruesome serial killer case where two women she befriends end up being the killer's victims. Of course, you know as the reader, that somewhere along the line she will become a victim too. I won't be a plot spoiler but I will say that the conclusion of the novel is a dual masterpiece mainly down to one man, Kavalchuk; the Black Wolf.
For a first spy novel it's excellent but that implies the next one might be better, frankly I doubt it could be as it's so, so good. What made it very special was the complete absence of technical gimmicks, just good tradecraft as in real spying. Having said that, the tradecraft could have been a lot tighter.
It has to be a very well deserved 5 star review from me.