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 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
Review
"Nevala-Lee's cerebral, exciting debut proves there's plenty of life left in the Da Vinci Code-style thriller as long as fresh venues and original characters enhance the familiar plot elements and genre tropes...Leaves a few loose ends to be resolved in what is sure to be the eagerly awaited sequel."
Review
"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."
Review
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....The Icon Thief is smart, sophisticated, and has enough fast-paced action to keep anyone up past midnight."
Review
"Twists and turns aplenty....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 vise. I devoured it in a single sitting."
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
“An action-packed, engrossing book…[Christopher’s] plots are so intricately woven that the reader is swept away.”—Fresh Fiction on Red Templar
Review
“[THE] BRONSON ADVENTURES HAVE BUILT [BECKER] A NEAR CULT FOLLOWING.”*
PRAISE FOR THE BRONSON NOVELS BY JAMES BECKER
Echo of the Reich
“Amazingly good...great action and a history steeped in shadows and mystery. If youre a fan of James Bond-style action and justice, then definitely check out James Becker.”—Fresh Fiction
“Becker blends historical accuracy with a complete and detailed course on surveillance, countersurveillance, and weaponry, throws in some amazing facts...and keeps the whole thing going at a cracking pace....It deserves the widest possible audience.”—*Reviewing the Evidence
“Once again, Becker has written a captivating novel that is chock-full of...clever and imaginative twists...highly recommended.”—Euro Crime
The First Apostle
“Fast-paced action propels the imaginative and controversial plot.”—Publishers Weekly
“This is an utterly spellbinding book...stunning and breathtaking....I was left shattered and stunned.”—Euro Crime
The Messiah Secret
“An entertaining hunt-and-chase thriller that races from the English countryside to a hidden valley in the Middle East…appealing and clever protagonists coupled with intriguing history.” —Publishers Weekly
“Exciting and gripping....[Beckers] intelligent mixture of fact with fiction really...gets your adrenaline racing.”—Euro Crime
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 mob 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 track down a priceless painting by Marcel Duchamp, the most influential artist of the twentieth century. The discovery of a womans decapitated body thrusts criminal investigator Alan Powell into a search for the same painting, with its enigmatic image of a headless nude. And a Russian thief and assassin known as the Scythian must steal the painting to save his reputation and his life. The murderous race is on. And in the lead is an insidious secret society intent on reclaiming the painting for reasons of its own and by any means necessary
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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
Synopsis
A Templar legend is revealed as one man’s obsession takes him on a globe-spanning quest into the jungles of the Amazon in the new novel from New York Times bestselling author Paul Christopher… Retired Army Ranger John Holliday has thwarted the plots of Rex Deus, the twenty-first-century incarnation of the Templars, all over the world. Now, the lost journal of explorer Percy Fawcett leads Holliday into the South American jungles—and a Templar mystery…
Trailed by an infamous tomb raider and menaced by a tribe of hostile natives, Holliday and his crew uncover a five-hundred-year-old society hidden in the cauldron of the Amazon. Descendants of the Templar Knights, they exist for one reason: to hide and protect the holy artifact taken from the original Temple of Jerusalem by the first Templars: the legendary Ark of the Covenant.
Synopsis
A single sheet of parchment, with the power to bring down an emperor and raze an empire. For seventeen centuries the scroll lay hidden away in the vast Vatican archives, guarded by a select, ruthless few who knew of its destructive potentialand would swiftly kill to contain its secrets.
When the parchment mysteriously turns up in the stall of a murdered Cairo market trader, authorities contact the British for assistance in identifying the document. Police detective Chris Bronson and historian Angela Lewis arrive in Egypt to take on the case, but quickly find themselves as targets, pursued by assassins. Stalked across North Africa and Europe, Chris and Angela must decipher the parchments tantalizing message before their time runs out.
Synopsis
A Templar legend is revealed as one man’s obsession takes him on a globe-spanning quest into the jungles of the Amazon in the new novel from New York Times bestselling author Paul Christopher… Retired Army Ranger John Holliday has thwarted the plots of Rex Deus, the twenty-first-century incarnation of the Templars, all over the world. Now, the lost journal of explorer Percy Fawcett leads Holliday into the South American jungles—and a Templar mystery…
Trailed by an infamous tomb raider and menaced by a tribe of hostile natives, Holliday and his crew uncover a five-hundred-year-old society hidden in the cauldron of the Amazon. Descendants of the Templar Knights, they exist for one reason: to hide and protect the holy artifact taken from the original Temple of Jerusalem by the first Templars: the legendary Ark of the Covenant.
About the Author
James Becker spent over twenty years in the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Throughout his career he has been involved in covert operations in many of the world's hotspots, including Yemen, Russia and Northern Ireland. He writes action-adventure novels under the name James Barrington and military history under the name Peter Smith in the UK. The Lost Testament is his sixth book in the Bronson Novel series which also includes Echo of the Reich, The Nosferatu Scroll, The Messiah Secret, The Moses Stone, and The First Apostle.