Cold-War thriller made in the mold Jeffrey Archer or Ken Follett. You know what you're getting plot-wise from the synopsis. What you might not expect, le Carré fans, is the lyricism of the detail lavished on the countryside the train passes through.

What does not get lyrically panegyrized is the the "character" (term of art only) of Dr. Alex Cousins, the US oncologist sent quietly to save an important voice of reason in the Politburo. He is a camera, à la Isherwood ("I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking"), and still Anna Valentinova (his Soviet handler) has this wildly sexual relationship with him as they chug across the immensity of the Soviet Union on the titular train. Frankly I wondered why she bothered.

But it was the 1970s, she was probably told to by her Intelligence-service bosses, and according to the text Cousins was a stud in bed. (Told you it was the 1970s. First pubbed in 1977.) Which at least explains why she did it again, though she did monopolize the conversation from then on, thank the goddesses.

There was a lot of description that, while it was happening, gave me the wistfuls. The reason you're not seeing it here is...I don't remember where it was. This was a DRC and the damned thing lost my highlights when I opened the file on a different device! Gone from BOTH devices.

Anyway, it's a period piece, if you like Cold-War thrillers that move at train speeds instead of cruise missile velocities, this one will suit you. I regret nothing about having made the read.

The issue is I remember the same: Nothing.

This is a reissue of a book written during the cold war between the United States and Russia. Overall, the plot is believable as to what could have happened. The author’s writing style is good, but not to the level that this is a book you can not put down. In addition, it was easy to guess how it would end.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook and my nonfiction book review blog.

this was a great suspenseful mystery, I loved the use of the environment and getting to know the characters. It was a well developed story with a great mystery. I loved the use of the time period, I look forward to more from the author.

A big Thank you to Net galley for offering a digital copy of this amazing book.

An American Cancer specialist Dr. Alex Cousins comes to Russia to save the life of Soviet Politburo Chief Viktor Moiseyevich Dimitrov. Viktor has a sinister plan of a nuclear strike on china, Alex stumbles upon this news and to prevent Alex from warning US Government, Viktor send Alex on a six-thousand-mile journey on Trans -Siberian Express.

Dr. Alex Cousins, the main character, was richly developed as he gains a new sense of relationship to the world because of his experiences. The train itself became a character as it hurtled across Siberia bringing all the travelers to epiphanies in their lives. The descriptions were good enough to bring the train and the landscape to life. As the train moves through the Siberian winter.

People on the train are normal people in extraordinary circumstances. They have their own histories and troubles. There's a great deal of suspense coming from mysterious people on the train. Their reasons for being on the train are entertaining, without being too big a distraction from the main story. All these people interact. That results in sudden plot twists that surprised me many times. Flashbacks are well handled, explain much of the story, and make it easier to follow. Long hours of traversing the Siberian wilderness pass quickly under Warren Adler’s guidance, making the trip intriguing.

I think the thing that most impressed me about the story was the exploration of the difference in cultures, morals, attitudes, and beliefs between the various characters, especially Alex and Anna Petrovna. Each standpoint was expressed sensitively and at no time did I feel the author was bias or had a rigid mindset. Moral questions underpinned the entire novel, and I don't think there was a black or white answer at any time, even as someone reading the book almost 40 years after it was first published. The subtle connection between moral and philosophical questions and the thrill of the plot was incredibly well done.

Having never read this author before I wasn't sure I would like this book, but I really enjoyed it.

Trans-Siberian Express was published in the late 1970s during the height of the Cold War and is still interesting today. Like the long train ride the story tells, it stars slow and then picks up speed. Along the way it explores the difference in cultures, morals, beliefs and attitudes between the Russian and American protagonists. A master of sudden plot twists, Warren Adler and James Humes bring characters to life with this gripping story that depicts life during the Cold War so get ready to travel through vast bleak areas with ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Share their isolated station stops, sense their danger, enjoy the romance and fear the unknown. An enjoyable read.

Having never read this author before I wasn't sure I would like this book but I really enjoyed it. It is a story about the people who are traveling on a train across Russia. There were many characters; most I liked. They were described in such away that it was easy to keep up with who they were. I didn't find the book to be much of a thriller, more a romance with some spies and intrigue. There were a few slow spots but it held my attention from beginning to end. I liked that there were small stories about different characters mixed throughout the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Stonehouse Press for providing me with a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.
I had never read any of this author's works and so I was extremely impressed with the plot, characters, pacing, etc in this book. We have a train thriller here, espionage, spying, etc. This is a fast paced book that follows the plight of numerous people who are traveling on this train across the barren lands of Russia on its way to the Pacific Coast of the country, over 6,000 miles and the entire trip is done on Moscow time so days and nights are sort of whacky! The Russian leader is dying from leukemia and the US President sends top doctor Alex Cousins to Russia to try and prolong the leaders life because with him sits the only chance of peace. Unbeknownst to the US officials we find out that the Russian leader secretly want to commit a nuclear strike on China, which may decimate the Chinese but also would result in mass portions of Siberia being obliterated. And so the train trip begins with the Soviet leader at his Dacha and Cousins making his way slowly across the country at the leaders behest. Accompanying Cousins is a Russian General who will be in charge of starting the strike. But the train also contains others who are there for different reasons. From the trains head attendant in the "soft-class" section. This lady has a crush on the general. We also have KGB agents galore, one who is to watch Cousins, another who watches the general, and yet a 3rd who is to use her feminine wiles to try and get information from Cousins as to how long the leader has to live. We also are introduces to a Jewish couple who is trying to make their way to a Jewish enclave in eastern Russia, and a crippled man who plots revenge on a station agent who caused his handicap years ago, and a host of others too long to list. Yes, we want to to be sort of like an Agatha Christie novel but it is actually deeper and more complex. Really enjoyable and filled with lots of names and places that kept me busy tracking the route of the train. I had a wonderful time reading this book now have 2 more by the author which I certainly hope will be as good as this one!

Dr. Alex Cousins a cancer specialist is sent on a secret mission on the request of his US President to take care of an ailing Russian Premier. The US politicians belive that keeping the premier alive is their best chance in avoiding the imminent war threat between China and Russia.
The best part of the book was the description of the train journey itself, the icy snow filled lands, nightly stops, the ever present KGB casting their shadows on the train stops, was wonderfully crafted. A couple of the side characters, the Russian jew , the gulag prisoner they were the redeeming parts in the book, the less said about the main character the best.
Overall I felt this book can be skipped and can be read by those who enjoy reading about the Trans Siberian train journey. My thanks to Netgalley for offering me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

Overall author does a good job building the story and layering it by jumping back in time to build out the overall story line.

While it’s not one I loved it has been an enjoyable read.

Thriller of sorts with a lot of simultaneous story lines running concurrently.

I can never say no when I am offered the opportunity to read a story written by Mr. Adler I simply loved the more than 15 books I have read so far having said this I wish to thank the wonderful people at Stonehouse Press as well as Netgalley for providing us with a chance to enjoy some of his creation in exchange for an honest review. Mr. Adler, an author, playwright and poet passed away in 2019.

Set during the height of the cold war Trans-Siberian Express is a tale of love and intrigue set on the Russia’s Trans-Siberian Railway.

An American cancer specialist is sent by the president of the United States to Russia to prolong the life of the Secretary General of the Politburo and while there he accidentally discovers a plan to launch a nuclear strike against China and finds himself dispatched aboard the legendary Trans-Siberian Express. As the train lumbers east across snow-cloaked mountains, glimmering past the forest glow, Anna Petrovna Valentinova, Alex’s alluring traveling companion enchants him with love of her homeland, passionate romance and all this under the watchful eyes of the KGB.

Although this is a work of fiction, this story immerses us in the unique and exotic culture of Russia. The plot involves espionage, love and intrigue not forgetting terms such as Gulag, politburo, Taganka and some hard to pronounce even to remember Russian names. In order not to distract us too much from the plot and yet give us most importantly the cultural landscape and the exotic locations such as Lake Baikal and other curiosities one would encounter on the 7000 mile journey, the glossary is limited to just a few.

Like an old fashion train, the story chugs along and stay that way from start to finish. It is said that this latest edition has been enhanced but stayed true to the period; I would believe it to be. Mr. Adler style is skillful and he seemed to have known Russia well. Those who have read him in the past know that he is strong in character development and does not shy from incorporating numerous sex scenes between his main players. The buildout is in flashbacks revealing the psyche and motivations of those travelers in the same car as the protagonist and believe me we do have a large cast to get acquainted with. The train itself is by far the best character....after all passing long hours travelling in the Siberian wilderness is a total different world we find ourselves in.

I am happy to add this book to my library.

This is the first book I have ever read by Warren Adler, quite a prolific writer until his death in 2019. Trans-Siberian Express is a novel with a large cast of characters, the main one being Alex Cousins, an American physician who comes to Moscow to treat Dimitrov, General Secretary of the Communist Party, for cancer. Cousins has a Russian heritage from his grandfather and a successful reputation in his field, thereby being Dimitrov's doctor of choice. In the course of treating Dimitrov, Cousins unexpectedly learns secret and explosive information which lands him in the middle of Soviet double-crossing and intrigue. Cousins then sets out on a journey across Soviet-era Russia on an antiquated train, encountering a variety of colourful characters and trying to navigate the treachery of the KGB.

This novel is an interesting product of its time, capturing all the mystique and machinations of the Soviet Union at the height of its power. A number of themes, including racial discrimination, the treatment of prisoners and nuclear tensions, are still depressingly relevant. However, the characters, including Alex Cousins, are very one-dimensional - often caricatures of the type we would expect from the Soviet Union. At one stage, the novel detours into the realm of soft porn as Cousins and his female romantic intrigue lock themselves into their cabin and fornicate endlessly for days.

Ultimately, the novel ends rather predictably and could have been told in far fewer pages. I can understand that this type of novel might still hold appeal for a certain segment of readership, however I cannot recommend it. Thank you to Net Galley for furnishing me with a copy.

First published in 1977, "Trans-Siberian Express" tells the story of Dr. Alexander Cousins, a Russian-American physician and expert on leukemia, who, at the behest of the President of the United States, has just treated and extended the life of Soviet premier Viktor Dimitrov. As a token of appreciation, Dimitrov sends Cousins on a trip across Russia to rediscover his roots aboard the Trans-Siberian Express. Cousins immediately falls in love with historian Anna Petrovna and finds himself at the center of a web of intrigues involving a variety of other passengers, train workers, and agents of the KGB, each of whom has a story to tell. But the biggest story is the nuclear attack that Dimitrov back in Moscow plans to wage against the Chinese. Will Cousins be able to stop it?.

It’s a well-written work, as you would expect from Warren Adler (1927-2019) who is most famous for The War of the Roses. But I found it very long--and dated, containing many, many digressions into the emotional lives of the characters which, I thought, robbed the work of some tautness and tension. Plus, it’s not really a “historical novel,” at least, as I understand the genre (meaning a work written today about people and events at least 40-50 years in the past). It’s a global political/espionage thriller written in 1977 about fictional events supposedly taking place in and around 1977. There are no real-life, historical figures—no Brezhnevs or Jimmy Carters. All the characters are purely fictional. While it may give audiences a good idea of what it was like to travel aboard the Trans-Siberian Express in 1977, it is not based on historical research, or written from the standpoint of one looking back on past events.

Still, fans of Agatha Christie’s "Murder on the Orient Express" or of authors like Morris L. West ("The Shoes of the Fisherman"), Neville Shute ("On the Beach"), or Fletcher Knebel/Charles W. Bailey II ("Seven Days in May") may well find lots to enjoy here.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this work, in exchange for which no promises were offered or made regarding this independent review.

This work, a spy novel, is a fairly engrossing work. Focusing on the return journey of Dr. Alex Cousins, a cancer specialist who has been treating a powerful Russian commander, and the various plots and subplots that swirl around him on the Trans-Siberian Express, a train meant to take him to a ship bound for Japan.

The main characters are all reasonably well-developed, and the intricate nature of the narrative does a good job of weaving the plotlines together without a need for multiple page-flips back and forth by the reader to track the action. This reviewer did not find the main characters as easy to sympathize with as was expected (perhaps since this work also gives a sly nod to Russian fiction?). There were also some tropes used throughout (the seductive female spy, KGB getting in their own way, "who's really on each side?", etc.)

This work is recommended for fans of John Le Carré and Patricia Highsmith.

Another great thriller by Warren Adler and John C Humes! A must read for fans of mystery thrillers combined with Cold War Era historical fiction.