VOLK'S GAME
"State of the art...[the novel's] characters are colorful, its descriptions of Russia are vivid and its suspense is palpable. In terms of sheer entertainment, Volk's Game is an impressive debut."
—The Washington Post
Alexei Volkovoy—known to the underworld as Volk—is a hardened, cagey veteran of the conflict in Chechnya, a gun-for-hire living now in a lawless Russia and serving two corrupt masters: Maxim, a psychotic Azeri mafia kingpin, and a man known only as the General. When Volk and his sidekick and lover Valya are hired by both men to steal the same lost da Vinci painting from the Hermitage Museum, Volk must decide whom to betray, and what that betrayal will cost him.
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Volk's Dossier
Cast of Characters
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PRAISE
"Impressive debut . . . the twists and turns accumulate at an almost dizzying pace . . . This thriller could mark the start of a successful long-running series."
—Publishers Weekly
"This is a novel that could appeal to two audiences. At a visceral level, it will please readers, mostly men, who get off on guns, war and extreme violence. At a more elevated it could impress others with the excellence of its storytelling."
—Patrick Anderson, Washington Post
"Stunning and brilliant... Ghelfi's prose is like a dark drug that pulls you further under its spell with each taste, so that by the end of the book, the reader is exhausted and, though satiated, ready and frantic for more."
—Bookreporter.com
"I have to give it up to Ghelfi for carving out a singular voice for his broken hero...[Volk] has enough heart and steel to become something really special."
—Bookslut
"Moving at breakneck speed through Moscow, St. Petersburg and Manhattan, leaving a slippery trail of body parts and exploded vehicles, Ghelfi handles the conventions of his genre like a pro. The violent derring-do is anchored in a portrait of contemporary Russian that is compelling and brutal on its own terms."
—Newsday
"Brent Ghelfi writes like Dostoevsky's hooligan great-grandson on speed. Volk's Game is hard, fast, and a truly excellent debut. Highly recommended."
—Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author of The Hard Way
"Volk's Game is no ordinary thriller: it's a 500-horsepower Mercedes blasting through the Moscow night. Alexei Volkovoy is the most original thriller character to come down the Russian pike since Arkady Renko, yet he inhabits a Russia that Renko might have difficulty surviving. Volk moves through this frenetically paced novel like an avenging angel in the employ of both God and Satan. Brent Ghelfi's insights are rapier-sharp, and his prose seems to illuminate the page. Be glad, because you'll be finishing this novel at four a.m. I'm ready to read the next installment NOW."
—Greg Iles, New York Times bestselling author of Turning Angel
"Everything we look for when we read—freshness of setting, intriguing characters, vivid prose, new understandings—is well and truly here. Brent Ghelfi may not know Vincente Huidobro's work, but in his own he does exactly what that poet counseled: Invent new worlds, and be careful what you say."
—James Sallis, author of Drive
"Hypnotically suspenseful and ballistic paced, Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi is a fascinating journey into the dark world of international intrigue. From a plot full of surprises to crackling dialogue and often lyrical prose, this masterful debut novel belongs on every thriller-lover's bookshelf."
—Gayle Lynds, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Spymaster
"It's rare to find a thriller this fast paced and breathlessly dangerous that is also beautifully written. Ghelfi hits as hard as his hero Volk. Like staring down the barrel of a Sig-Sauer, you can't look away from Volk's Game."
—David L. Robbins, author of The Assassin's Gallery
