The Siberia Job

After the demise of the Soviet Union, the newly established Russian government privatises its industry by issuing vouchers to all of its citizens, allowing them the chance to be shareholders in the country's burgeoning businesses. The slips are distributed among the population and auctions are arranged where they can be exchanged for actual shares.

For those living in abject poverty, the vouchers appear to be little more than pieces of paper, totally separated from the far-off concept of potential future fortunes. But for Texas businessman John Mills and his Czech companion, Petr Kovac, the seemingly valueless chits suggest a lucrative potential, worth much more than what the current owners are willing to sell them for. They travel to the furthest, coldest reaches of the country to acquire vouchers for the country's national oil company, Gazneft, roving from town to town with suitcases full of cash.

The two men quickly learn that the plan has complications – for example, the fact that the auctions at which these vouchers are traded for actual shares have been planned at the most remote, inaccessible locations possible to deter outsiders from buying in. And when the Russian mafia and the oligarchs in charge of Gazneft catch wind of their successes, the stakes become suddenly more deadly...

Reviews for Josh Haven:

'A ground-breaking novel that redefines the conventional action/adventure, chase and escape genre.' Nelson DeMille
'An astonishing story, excitingly told, and all too close to the reality of Russia in the murderous 1990s.' Charles Cumming
'A terrific post-Soviet thriller.' Martin Cruz Smith
'A breathless, globetrotting thriller. Vivid, ingenious, and suspenseful to the last page.' Joseph Finder