Wednesday, April 16, 2014

A Thrill Ride: The Boy Who Stole from the Dead by Orest Stelmach



This is the sequel to The Boy from Reactor 4.  When I happened across that novel, last year, I was amazed that I had read no rave reviews.  It is a riveting story of mystery and suspense that would appeal to fans of The Da Vinci Code and other thrillers.  So, imagine my excitement when I saw that the sequel was available.  

In this book, Adama, now known as Bobby Kungenook is accused of murdering English businessman Jonathan Valentine.  Bobby walks directly from the scene of the stabbing to the police station and confesses to the murder. His guardian, Nadia Tesla, is convinced that Bobby is innocent.  Bobby refuses to discuss the murder with her or to defend himself in any way, so she is left to discover the truth behind the incident on her own.  She hires her friend, attorney Johnny Tanner, to not only defend Bobby but to try to get the truth out of him.  Johnny knows the truth about Bobby's past and suspects, as Nadia does, that his current troubles are related to his past in Chernobyl.

A tenacious sports reporter who travels to Alaska to try to find out the history of the mysterious high school hockey star, Bobby Kungenook, complicates matters even further.  Her actions involve persons that Nadia and Bobby had both hoped to never see again. Nadia's brother insistence on tagging along as she digs for the truth also makes things more difficult things for her.  

Nadia's investigation takes her to London and then back to Ukraine. Her searching takes to luxury hotels, a complex of underground caves, and ultimately, back to Chernobyl.  Along the way she solves some mysteries and discovers some new ones.  She also meets an enigmatic millionaire who may just be the man of her dreams.  The resolution of this mystery is satisfying and is not something the reader is likely to guess.

As a bonus, this book gives a great deal of detail about the social and political relationship between Russia and the Ukraine.  This information lends clarity to the events going on there now.

I would highly recommend this book, and I can barely wait for the next installment of the adventures of Nadia Tesla. 

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