The Moscow Code
A Foreign Affairs Mystery
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- €5.99
Publisher Description
In Moscow, the truth can be a dangerous commodity.
Ottawa bureaucrat–turned-diplomat Charlie Hillier is back. Having barely survived his first posting in Havana, Charlie is eager to put what he learned there to good use. And it isn’t long before he's thrust into a fresh case — a technical writer from Toronto in a Moscow jail on dubious drug charges. Charlie has barely put a dent in the brick wall that is the Russian legal system when the jailed man turns up dead, the official explanation: suicide. And just when evidence to the contrary is discovered, the body is “accidentally” cremated by the authorities.
Undeterred by bureaucratic stonewalling and determined to help the victim’s sister get to the bottom of her brother’s death, Charlie follows the sparse clues available. But what he uncovers brings them both far too close to powers more dangerous than they could have imagined. Suddenly, getting at the truth is less important than getting out of Russia in one piece.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The lively second book in Wilkshire's series featuring the quick-witted Canadian diplomat and amateur sleuth Charlie Hillier (after Escape to Havana) sees Charlie posted to Moscow. A night out with an old high school friend takes an unexpected turn when their passports are stolen and then they are arrested as foreigners with no ID. But while spending the night in a police holding cell, Charlie meets a fellow Canadian, Steve Liepa, who says he is being detained on bogus drug charges. When Charlie is released, he promises to help, but, before he can even open an official file, Steve is found dead in his cell. While the authorities claim it was suicide, Charlie and the victim's sister, Sophie Duran, know it was murder. Wilkshire writes with confidence as the action moves from Moscow to Ottawa, Berlin, and the French Riviera. It's a fun ride for readers who like their international thrillers laced with humor. Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the title of the author's previous book.
