Untraceable
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3.7 • 15 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"A thriller dipped in poison ... shares some of le Carré’s fascination with secret worlds and the nature of evil."
—The New York Times
The terrifying, lengthening list of Russia’s use of lethal poisons against its critics has inspired acclaimed author Sergei Lebedev’s latest novel. With uncanny timing, he examines how and why Russia and the Soviet Union have developed horrendous neurotoxins. At its center is a ruthless chemist named Professor Kalitin, obsessed with developing an absolutely deadly, undetectable, and untraceable poison for which there is no antidote. But Kalitin becomes consumed by guilt over countless deaths from his Faustian pact to create the ultimate venom. When the Soviet Union collapses, the chemist defects and is given a new identity in Western Europe. After another Russian is murdered with Kalitin's poison, his cover is blown and he's drawn into an investigation of the death by Western agents. Two special forces killers are sent to silence him―using his own undetectable poison. In this fast-paced, genre-bending tale, Lebedev weaves suspenseful pages of stunningly beautiful prose exploring the historical trajectories of evil. From Nazi labs, Stalinist plots, and the Chechen Wars, to present-day Russia, Lebedev probes the ethical responsibilities of scientists supplying modern tyrants and autocrats with ever newer instruments of retribution, destruction, and control.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The Russian government's poisoning of political enemies provides the backdrop for this timely thriller from Russian author Lebedev (The Year of the Comet). Professor Kalitin, a chemist who's working on developing an untraceable poison he calls Neophyte, had been a loyal subject of the Communist regime in its waning days. When the Soviet Union collapses, he decides to defect to the West. After another defector is killed using Neophyte, two Russian generals decide the chemist must be eliminated. Lieutenant Colonel Shershnev is assigned to direct an operation to assassinate Kalitin. Lebedev uses flashbacks to build complicated characters and intensify the plot, but these sometimes slow and confuse. Assured prose is a plus ("He wept with tears postponed for two decades, no longer salty; belated, warm, ugly, desired"), but the weak ending will disappoint genre readers, as will the lack of action and heroic characters. Those who prefer a more literary approach will enjoy the change of pace.
Customer Reviews
Untraceable
Did not like this book. The author deliberately confuses you with pronouns that could be anyone. Either a sloppy job or an attempt at being clever. Writing style is good though . Premise of story is interesting.