Winner of the National Indie Excellence Award for 2019, and Finalist in the 2019 NGIBA, “the Sundance Film Festival of the publishing world.”

1995: Having grown up in America during the Cold War, young Peter Turner’s idealism has led him to study Russian. Brilliant and driven, he dreams of building bridges between the decaying Russian system and Western ideals. When the opportunity for a university exchange in Nizhny Novgorod falls in his path, Peter jumps at the chance to go and help build the new Russia.

American businessman Del Sanning has also set up shop in Nizhny. A real cowboy with a smart mouth, Del is a sly opportunist who can sniff out any advantage, but also knows when to back away. His introduction to Peter is fortuitous for both—Del benefits from Peter’s access, while Peter depends on Del’s hard-earned experience.

Though Russia has made room for democracy, the power vacuum has also allowed a den of expert thieves to take control. Even former Soviet agents have become involved with the new network of organized crime, having simply changed their loyalties, not their tactics.

As Peter pokes the bear of the Russian underworld with his research, threats to his safety begin to mount, and he quickly learns that he’s a marked man. Finding that his idealism has been misplaced and that malignant forces much greater than him are at work, he realizes that trusting a new friend to help him get out of Russia is his only option.

• A post- Cold War novel that gets at the heart of 20th century Russian politics and history.
• Book one in The Deceit of Riches Trilogy
• Book length: approximately 140,000 words