Trans-Siberian Express

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.

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!

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 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.