Synopses & Reviews
An electrifying mystery that will draw one woman into a global conspiracyand into the sights of one of the most dangerous men in the world...
Maddy Blume is a survivor. Years ago, while working as an art analyst in New York, she was changed forever by an encounter with Ilya Severin, the thief and former assassin once known as the Scythian. Now, in London, she is presented with an unusual proposition: to go undercover as an art consultant to a Russian oil billionaire suspected of channeling profits to military intelligence.
As Maddy grows closer to her new boss, however, she discovers that his ambitions extend far beyond natural resources. He is out to shape the future of Russia on a massive scale, using the secret of the mythical empire of Shambhala in a quest that will lead Maddy on a violent odyssey across Europe and to the far edge of the Black Sea.
Yet her involvement has not gone unnoticed. Not by the secret police. Not by her employers rivals. And least of all by the Scythian himself...
Review
Praise for the novels of Alec Nevala-Lee
“A dazzlingly detailed and authentic world of intrigue, weaving a harrowing tale that will enthrall readers...evokes le Carré and an intricate, continent-crossing plot reminiscent of The Day of the Jackal...Nevala-Lee is clearly emerging as one of the most elegant new voices in suspense literature.”—David Heinzmann, author of Throwaway Girl
“Alec Nevala-Lee is no debut author; he must have been a thriller writer in some past life. This one has everything: great writing, great characters, great story, great bad guy, and a religious conspiracy to boot. The Icon Thief is smart, sophisticated, and has enough fast-paced action to keep anyone up past midnight. I'm jealous."—New York Times bestselling author Paul Christopher
“Twists and turns aplenty lift this thriller above the rest. From the brutal thugs of the Russian Mafia to the affected inhabitants of the American art world, this book introduces a cast of believable and intriguing characters. Add a storyline where almost nothing is as it first appears, and where the plot turns around on itself to reveal startling contradictions, and the result is a book that grips and holds the reader like a vice. I devoured it in a single sitting.”— National bestselling author James Becker
"Alec Nevala-Lee comes roaring out of the gate with a novel that's as thrilling as it is thought-provoking, as unexpected as it is erudite. The Icon Thief is a wild ride through a fascinating and morally complex world, a puzzle Duchamp himself would have applauded. Bravo."— National bestselling author Jesse Kellerman
Review
Praise for City of Exiles “Alec Nevala-Lee creates a dazzlingly detailed and authentic world of intrigue, weaving a harrowing tale that will enthrall readers with an undercurrent of political ambiguity that evokes le Carre and an intricate, continent-crossing plot reminiscent of The Day of the Jackal. Delivering a complex mix of espionage, European politics, Old Testament riddles and Cold War mysteries, Nevala-Lee is clearly emerging as one of the most elegant new voices in suspense literature."—David Heinzmann, author of Throwaway Girl
Praise for The Icon Thief
"Alec Nevala-Lee is no debut author; he must have been a thriller writer in some past life. This one has everything: great writing , great characters, great story, great bad guy and a religious conspiracy too boot. The Icon Thief is smart, sophisticated and has enough fast-paced action to keep anyone up past midnight. I'm jealous."—New York Times bestselling author Paul Christopher
“Twists and turns aplenty lift this thriller above the rest. From the brutal thugs of the Russian Mafia to the affected inhabitants of the American art world, this book introduces a cast of believable and intriguing characters. Add a storyline where almost nothing is as it first appears, and where the plot turns around on itself to reveal startling contradictions, and the result is a book that grips and holds the reader like a vice. I devoured it in a single sitting.”—National bestselling author James Becker
"Alec Nevala-Lee comes roaring out of the gate with a novel that's as thrilling as it is thought-provoking, as unexpected as it is erudite. The Icon Thief is a wild ride through a fascinating and morally complex world, a puzzle Duchamp himself would have applauded. Bravo."—National bestselling author Jesse Kellerman
Synopsis
An ancient code. A sinister secret.
A deadly chase for the truth...
In Morocco, an English couple discovers a clay tablet covered in ancient writing. One day later, they are dead.
Called to North Africa to investigate, detective Chris Bronson follows a trail of clues that plunge him into a mystery that has gone unsolved since biblical times. For the stone he must find is older and far more dangerous than he could ever have imagined...
Synopsis
A controversial masterpiece resurfaces in Budapest. A ballerina's headless corpse is found beneath the boardwalk at Brighton Beach. And New York's Russian mafia is about to collide with the equally ruthless art world...
Maddy Blume, an ambitious young art buyer for a Manhattan hedge fund, is desperate to find a priceless painting by Marcel Duchamp, one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. A gruesome cold case thrusts the FBI into a search for the same painting, with its enigmatic image of a headless nude. And an insidious secret society is intent on reclaiming the painting for reasons of its own-and by any means necessary.
Synopsis
In Rome, the assassination of the Pope on Christmas Day sets off a massive investigation that stretches across the globe. But behind the veil of Rex Deus-the Templar cabal that silently wields power in the twenty-first century-the plot has only just begun.
When retired Army Ranger Lt. Col. John Holliday uncovers the true motive behind the pontiff's murder, he must unravel a deadly design to extend the Templar influence to the highest levels of power.
Synopsis
In the lightning-paced sequel to The Icon Thief, Europe’s turbulent past and terrifying future are set to collide in the streets and prisons of London—and beyond. Rachel Wolfe, a gifted FBI agent assigned to a major investigation overseas, discovers that a notorious gun runner has been murdered at his home in London, his body set on fire. When a second victim is found under identical circumstances, the ensuing chase plunges Wolfe and her colleagues into a breathless race across Europe, a secret war between two ruthless intelligence factions, and a hunt for a remorseless killer with a deadly appointment in Helsinki.
At the heart of the mystery lies one of the strangest unsolved incidents in the history of Russia—the unexplained death of nine mountaineers in the Dyatlov Pass five decades before. And at the center of it all stands a figure from Wolfe’s own past, the Russian thief and former assassin known in another life as the Scythian…
Synopsis
In the lightning-paced sequel to The Icon Thief, Europes turbulent past and terrifying future are set to collide in the streets and prisons of Londonand beyond.
Rachel Wolfe, a gifted FBI agent assigned to a major investigation overseas, discovers that a notorious gun runner has been murdered at his home in London, his body set on fire. When a second victim is found under identical circumstances, the ensuing chase plunges Wolfe and her colleagues into a breathless race across Europe, a secret war between two ruthless intelligence factions, and a hunt for a remorseless killer with a deadly appointment in Helsinki.
At the heart of the mystery lies one of the strangest unsolved incidents in the history of Russiathe unexplained death of nine mountaineers in the Dyatlov Pass five decades before. And at the center of it all stands a figure from Wolfes own past, the Russian thief and former assassin known in another life as the Scythian
Synopsis
In the lightning-paced sequel to The Icon Thief, Europes turbulent past and terrifying future are set to collide in the streets and prisons of Londonand beyond.
Rachel Wolfe, a gifted FBI agent assigned to a major investigation overseas, discovers that a notorious gun runner has been murdered at his home in London, his body set on fire. When a second victim is found under identical circumstances, the ensuing chase plunges Wolfe and her colleagues into a breathless race across Europe, a secret war between two ruthless intelligence factions, and a hunt for a remorseless killer with a deadly appointment in Helsinki.
At the heart of the mystery lies one of the strangest unsolved incidents in the history of Russiathe unexplained death of nine mountaineers in the Dyatlov Pass five decades before. And at the center of it all stands a figure from Wolfes own past, the Russian thief and former assassin known in another life as the Scythian
About the Author
Alec Nevala-Lee was born in Castro Valley, California. He graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor’s degree in Classics, and worked for several years as an associate at a global investment firm based in New York. He lives with his wife in Oak Park, Illinois.