The Silent Oligarch (Thorndike Press Large Print Reviewers Choice) - Hardcover

Jones, Chris Morgan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1410447499 ISBN 13: 9781410447494

Publisher: Thorndike Pr, 2012

Synopsis

Deep in the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources sits a nondescript bureaucrat named Konstantin Malin. From his shabby office Malin controls half the nation's oil industry, making him one of the most feared and wealthy men in Russia. His public face is Richard Lock, a diffident English lawyer bound to Malin by marriage, complacency, greed, and by a complex lie that neither can escape. But the lie cannot hold forever, and someone has hired Benjamin Webster, an investigator at a London corporate intelligence firm, to ruin Malin.

About this title

Review:

"Jones'' sketches of all that is good and bad about London, Moscow, Berlin seem dead-on, right down to his marvelous detailing of the decadent lifestyle of the new Russian oligarchy, a group where school children receive Ferraris as birthday presents. His bad guy, Malin, "impermeable" eyes "dark brown and heavy, neither curious nor passive," is thoroughly sinister. The author also is adept at constructing and explaining the complicated post-Soviet Russia ambiance. Told in the third person, his narrative moves forward with an aura of malevolence to a conclusion too close to reality to be anything but believable. Minimal gun-flourishing, minimal violence, maximum moral quandary."--"Kirkus"

"Fans of thrillers, especially those set in present-day Russia, will welcome the supernova that has burst onto the spy and suspense scene . . With a mysterious, complex plot and terrific local color, this novel resonates to the pounding heartbeats of the boldly drawn main characters. John le Carre, Martin Cruz Smith, and Brent Ghelfi will be inching over in the book display so readers in search of erudite, elegant international intrigue can spot the newcomer."--"Library Journal"

"This is a happy partner to the work of Deighton, Archer, and le Carre... Mysterious men, cryptic of speech and beautifully tailored, move through glittery settings-seacoasts, grand hotels, swank neighborhoods-carried on craftily understated prose that approaches cold poetry. Rows of massive buildings "bullied all the leaves off the bare limes and left the trees cowering in the middle of the road." Ben Webster is a snoop employed by a London corporate espionage firm. His boss' client has hired the company to bring down a Kremlin functionary, the toadlike Malin, whose manipulation of Russia's oil industry is making him a trillionaire. Webster attempts to get at the toad through his dithering money launderer, Richard Lock. Reader identification is complete. We'd like to be Webster-tough, smart-but we know we're really more like Lock, not as bright and strong as we wish. Men are betrayed. Drugged. Kidnapped. Tossed off buildings. Downed by snipers. If the good guys win, it's at such a cost they're left wondering if they accomplished anything. They did. They were part of a first-class novel."--"Booklist"

"Jones' sketches of all that is good and bad about London, Moscow, Berlin seem dead-on, right down to his marvelous detailing of the decadent lifestyle of the new Russian oligarchy, a group where school children receive Ferraris as birthday presents. His bad guy, Malin, "impermeable" eyes "dark brown and heavy, neither curious nor passive," is thoroughly sinister. The author also is adept at constructing and explaining the complicated post-Soviet Russia ambiance. Told in the third person, his narrative moves forward with an aura of malevolence to a conclusion too close to reality to be anything but believable. Minimal gun-flourishing, minimal violence, maximum moral quandary."--"Kirkus"

"From Chris Morgan Jones, an absolutely terrific novel. It''s about international intrigue--but the real deal. "The Silent Oligarch" is beautifully written, clean and terse, but you won''t notice, because you''ll be reading just as fast as you can. Very highly recommended, and you''ll want more."
Alan Furst, author of SPIES OF THE BALKAN and NIGHT SOLDIERS
"A beautifully written thriller about how the power of money has been replacing the power of the state in the former Soviet Union, and how the West is no closer to understanding the way things work there than we ever were... "The Silent Oligarch "is a smashing debut that will leave most readers anxious to follow Webster on his next assignment."
CONNECTICUT POST
An understated debut that carries a special resonance in the wake of Putin s bare-knuckled presidential victory. The plot hinges on three men -- one bad, one good and one gutless -- whose work revolves around the billions of dollars and other assets that slither in and out of opaque jurisdictions stretching from the Cayman Islands to Vanuatu. Like the spies in a John le Carre novel, they are surprisingly plausible Jones handles the large cast of characters and shifting venues with grace.
BLOOMBERG
This is a happy partner to the work of Deighton, Archer, and le Carre. Mysterious men, cryptic of speech and beautifully tailored, move through glittery settings seacoasts, grand hotels, swank neighborhoods carried on craftily understated prose that approaches cold poetry Men are betrayed. Drugged. Kidnapped. Tossed off buildings. Downed by snipers. If the good guys win, it s at such a cost they re left wondering if they accomplished anything. They did. They were part of a first-class novel."
BOOKLIST (starred)
"Like the icy eastern winter that seeps through the pages of his novel, Jones's prose is clean and cold, crisp and ominous. In its intelligence, its crispness, its refusal to recognise anything other than shades of grey, there are undoubtedly resonances of Le Carre here. But ["The Silent Oligarch"] is too good to need the publishing shorthand for "classy thriller": this is a debut that definitely stands on its own merits."
THE GUARDIAN (UK)
Jones weaves an engaging narrative that... confronts the dilemma of the west s engagement with dubious characters and companies.
THE FINANCIAL TIMES
A story of quiet suspense and international espionage Jones does a nice job of keeping the focus on the people involved rather than the minutiae of corporate espionage, and his pace is leisurely but never slow.
THE WASHINGTON POST
"Fans of thrillers, especially those set in present-day Russia, will welcome the supernova that has burst onto the spy and suspense scene . . With a mysterious, complex plot and terrific local color, this novel resonates to the pounding heartbeats of the boldly drawn main characters. John le Carre, Martin Cruz Smith, and Brent Ghelfi will be inching over in the book display so readers in search of erudite, elegant international intrigue can spot the newcomer."
LIBRARY JOURNAL"

"From Chris Morgan Jones, an absolutely terrific novel. It''s about international intrigue--but the real deal. The Silent Oligarch is beautifully written, clean and terse, but you won''t notice, because you''ll be reading just as fast as you can. Very highly recommended, and you''ll want more."
-- Alan Furst, author of SPIES OF THE BALKAN and NIGHT SOLDIERS

"A beautifully written thriller about how the power of money has been replacing the power of the state in the former Soviet Union, and how the West is no closer to understanding the way things work there than we ever were... The Silent Oligarch is a smashing debut that will leave most readers anxious to follow Webster on his next assignment."
-- CONNECTICUT POST

"An understated debut that carries a special resonance in the wake of Putin's bare-knuckled presidential victory. The plot hinges on three men -- one bad, one good and one gutless -- whose work revolves around the billions of dollars and other assets that slither in and out of opaque jurisdictions stretching from the Cayman Islands to Vanuatu. Like the spies in a John le Carre novel, they are surprisingly plausible... Jones handles the large cast of characters and shifting venues with grace."
-- BLOOMBERG

"This is a happy partner to the work of Deighton, Archer, and le Carre. Mysterious men, cryptic of speech and beautifully tailored, move through glittery settings--seacoasts, grand hotels, swank neighborhoods--carried on craftily understated prose that approaches cold poetry... Men are betrayed. Drugged. Kidnapped. Tossed off buildings. Downed by snipers. If the good guys win, it's at such a cost they're left wondering if they accomplished anything. They did. They were part of a first-class novel."
-- BOOKLIST (starred)

"Like the icy eastern winter that seeps through the pages of his novel, Jones's prose is clean and cold, crisp and ominous. In its intelligence, its crispness, its refusal to recognise anything other than shades of grey, there are undoubtedly resonances of Le Carre here. But [The Silent Oligarch] is too good to need the publishing shorthand for "classy thriller": this is a debut that definitely stands on its own merits."
-- THE GUARDIAN (UK)

Jones weaves an engaging narrative that... confronts the dilemma of the west's engagement with dubious characters and companies.
-- THE FINANCIAL TIMES

"A story of quiet suspense and international espionage...Jones does a nice job of keeping the focus on the people involved rather than the minutiae of corporate espionage, and his pace is leisurely but never slow."
-- THE WASHINGTON POST

"Fans of thrillers, especially those set in present-day Russia, will welcome the supernova that has burst onto the spy and suspense scene . . With a mysterious, complex plot and terrific local color, this novel resonates to the pounding heartbeats of the boldly drawn main characters. John le Carre, Martin Cruz Smith, and Brent Ghelfi will be inching over in the book display so readers in search of erudite, elegant international intrigue can spot the newcomer."
-- LIBRARY JOURNAL

About the Author:

Chris Morgan Jones worked at the world's largest business intelligence agency for eleven years, advising Middle Eastern governments, Russian oligarchs, New York banks, London hedge funds, and African mining companies. The Silent Oligarch is his first novel. He lives in London.

About this edition

• Publisher: Thorndike Pr
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1410447499
• ISBN 13: 9781410447494
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 523