Lethal Cargo: Russian Historical Thriller

Nikolai Volkov Series, Book 3

By: Julia Gousseva

Narrated by: Wesley Nelson

Nikolai Volkov is a combat veteran of the Chechen war with a passion for finding truth and doing the right thing.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Nikolai embarked on a career of a bodyguard and soon became the best in the prestigious Centurion Personal Protection Agency in Moscow. He excels at protecting his clients and preventing crimes. But this time, his case is personal. His brother calls Nikolai with an urgent plea for help, and Nikolai heads to a small town in Crimea.

The town is quiet and picturesque, but dark forces are at work behind the scenes. Murders, illegal smuggling, and suspicious arrests challenge Nikolai's detective skills and put his life in danger.

Lethal Cargo is the third novel in the Nikolai Volkov series. The two others are Gray Shadows (Book One) and In the Crosshairs (Book Two). Each novel is a complete story and can be listened to on its own.

©2018 Julia Gousseva (P)2018 Julia Gousseva

Great narration of an exciting story

Great narration. Exciting story set in a small Russian town on the Black Sea. Enjoyable.

A gripping historical thriller!

“Lethal Cargo” is a riveting thriller set in Russia, and namely one of its Southern resort cities, Petrovsk. After getting a strange call from his younger brother whom he lost touch with a few years ago, the protagonist - Nikolai - leaves his native Moscow to investigate. He barely gets a chance to see his brother when a squad of federal agents appears at his house to arrest him for treason, and now Nikolai will have to go to great lengths to find out what secrets a peaceful, quiet Crimean town really hides. Strange roadblocks, suspicious behavior of certain people he meets, inexplicable accidents and finally a double murder - and Nikolai has no doubt that something big is happening here, conveniently hidden away from everyone’s eyes…
What I really enjoyed about this thriller was not only an imaginative, compelling plot but also an exotic setting which definitely made listening to it even more interesting. Little bits of Russian (or should I say, Soviet) history and cultural details added more authenticity and made me feel like I was fully immersed in the languid atmosphere of a quiet Southern town. Plus, the narrator did a fabulous job with his timely used Russian accent. What I also enjoyed was how not only the main protagonist himself was portrayed but also secondary characters, which were all complex and interesting in their own way, starting with Vera and finishing with Valentin and Anton; the latter won my affection right away with his confident and no-nonsense attitude, and I love it when a book makes me connect with characters this way, making me root for them even though they may not play a major part in the story.
This gritty, compelling thriller with its brooding atmosphere is a perfect choice for all fans of the genre, and I highly recommend it.

Enjoyed the mystery and historical facts

Loved it, Enjoyed the mystery and historical facts of the story. The narrator did the great job playing roles and coloring each character.

ExcitementRussian

I like the story because it kept my interest from the first word to the last word. I don’t get many foreign books, this book is not foreign but to me it involves the Russians completely instead of the Russians versus the English. It’s exciting it’s a great book well written and great narration. Thank you

Reader makes the interest

Story ok, hard to follow in the beginning but gets better. The reader is excellent, great voice, diction accents