Burned-David Hagberg

Burned
David Hagberg
Forge, Jun 9 2009, $24.95
ISBN 9780765317957

When their Russian business deal appears to be falling part, Americans Patti and David Monroe fly to Moscow to resolve the dispute. They are greeted by their Russian partners with a gun fired point blank into David’s head and Patti is abducted; they calmly inform her to cooperate or join her spouse.

The Russians take her outside Moscow demanding $20 million for her release; failure to deliver will result in her execution. As the FBI works closely with the Russian MVD, they begin to uncover an even more insidious scheme as the kidnappers-murderers plan to use the money to buy nukes for their Al Qaeda associates to bring a worse 9/11 to America.

The back cover explains BURNED is “inspired by the true story of Yvonne Bornstein” who along with her husband were kidnapped in Russia in the 1992 for “Eleven Days in Hell”. The story line is fast-paced from the moment their hosts murder David and never slows down. Although the metamorphosis of Patti from middle class businesswoman to super warrior seems unlikely, fans will relish this stirring thriller as the Russians are known for hunting down kidnappers at the cost of the life of the abducted.
Harriet Klausner