Robert Harris - Archangel

review by Brian Lowen on show 7/10/10
A fast paced thriller set in Moscow and Archangel – a port on the northern coast of Russia.

When historian Fluke Kelso learns of a secret notebook belonging to Joseph Stalin he is determined to track it down, whatever the consequences. From the violent political intrigue and decadence of modern Moscow he heads north to the vast forests surrounding the White Sea port of Archangel, and a terrifying encounter with Russia’s unburied past.
So goes the blurb on the back of the book – not an exaggerated description, as some of them are.

Fluke Kelso is attending a conference in Moscow when he accidentally learns about this notebook and he teams up with an American reporter in his effort to track it down. They eventually find it and learn of the possibility of a secret son that Stalin sired with one of his maids. She is long dead but they journey to the frozen wastes of northern Russia to track down this mysterious son, closely followed by members of Russia’s secret service, the NKVD and other political criminals.

A good story that holds your attention. I particularly liked the description of the area around Archangel which paints a grim picture of this desolate and unforgiving area of Russia.
review by Brian