The Romanian Connection

The Romanian Connection by Richard Roche

Published by Southern Georgia Freedom Press

ISBN  978-0615456430

This spy thriller about Romania in the 1990s was exciting from start to finish.  Our hero, Jack, is forced back into the ‘spy’ business when his wife, and one of his daughters, are killed because of a book his wife had been writing about Romanian politics.  He swears vengeance on their killer and heads to Romania to find him.

Jack has previously lived and worked in Romania and his contacts are willing to help him in his quest, but there are many others who are trying to stop him.  He teams up with a Russian spy called Ludvia, who has an agenda of her own which is unclear, but they work together and have many adventures along the way.

Reading this book at a time when the current president of Romania has just seen off a motion to impeach him, it looks like the changes that came about with the fall of the Ceausescu regime were not all for the good, and that the politics of the country are still fragile.

Jack and Ludvia are in search of nuclear warheads left over from the Ceausescu era, but they are not the only ones interested in them, and they clash with many adversaries.  Romania is still very much a state-run country - the iron fist is still alive and well in Eastern Europe.

A terrific insight into modern day Romania, well written and very entertaining.