Into the Fire

When I learned that Vince Flynn was planning to partner with Brian Haig to write another thriller, I decided (partially due to Mark H.’s positive remarks) to read a Brian Haig novel. I picked up The Hunted because it was identified as Brian’s first stand-alone thriller. Published by Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, New York, The Hunted takes place over several years beginning in 1991 at the collapse of the Soviet Union.

I was shocked to learn this novel was based on a real couple and their horrific experiences with both the crooked and greedy beyond belief Russian politicians and Mafiya and the pompous and illegal activities of a few power hungry politicians in powerful positions in the United States.

Not sure which side of the political spectrum Brian Haig occupies, this particular novel showed unfavorable personalities in the FBI, the INS, the Judicial Branch, and the Federal Penitentiaries. In Russia there were literally no trustworthy individuals in the government. The class envy, the lying and scheming, the lust for power, and the insatiable greed of every politician and former KGB person set the mood for the plan to frame the wealthiest young entrepreneur in Russia, Alex Konevitch.

After a series of grisly murders to all of Alex’s closest staff members, against his better judgment, Alex hires an old former KGB general to handle security for his multi-million dollar enterprises. It doesn’t take long before Alex and his wife Elena are kidnapped and Alex is brutally tortured to make him sign over his businesses. With uncanny presence of mind for a very young man in his 20s and while severely injured from the torturous assault and branding, Alex is able to convince the man and woman who’ve secured his signature to allow him to complete his scheduled business meeting which will potentially net the criminals extra millions.

This begins the incredulous journey of Alex and Elena Konevitch as they escape their captors and head for the safety and asylum of the United States of America. However, the danger they hoped to elude follows them to this country, and the mountain of material the politicians who have stolen his money, possessions, and businesses, use to frame him is also used to negotiate with and entice a narcissistic FBI leader to gain extra positions for his people in the new Russia.

The brilliance of the young Russian and his gifting for making money turn out to be the primary way he is able to save his and his wife’s lives. He is incarcerated without conviction in our nation’s worst federal prisons in direct conflict with the INS Judge’s instructions.

I must confess some of the plot points had me shaking my head until I learned this story was based on the real couple’s 15 years of plight. Apparently the real Alex Konanykhin penned a memoir entitled Defiance which gives readers the whole ugly story.

Writing-wise, Brian has his own style. Those head-hopping headhunters will not appreciate his pension for many POVs within scenes and even paragraphs, but somehow it works splendidly. He even moves from first to third to omniscient. It’s unique, and that’s probably what I like about it.

The one inconsistency which felt off-kilter for me was with no evidence of faith—after all we’re talking about a couple from an atheistic country—the author described more than once how they “prayed” something good would happen. In one of the prisons Alex remarked how they must make their own “miracle”. Without any evidence of believing in God, I think it’s a stretch to portray them as praying about anything. No matter how much I might hope they did, it seemed odd to include it with no basis for it.

If you’re particularly interested in the time period of the fall of the Soviet Union, this thriller gives a despicable account of what Russia became and, unfortunately, is still experiencing without a clue about or the desire for the value of real freedom. Haig also doesn’t pull any punches in citing the corruption of politics and the simultaneous lust for power in our country. It’s an incredible story which would be quite unbelievable if it wasn’t fashioned from the real life horror of this couple.

Father, you know Brian and his intentions. You’ve given him his talents. Help him to continue to create meaningful stories. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.