#Blogtour The Translator by Harriet Crawley

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Translator by Harriet Crawley.

About the Author

Harriet Crawley has been a journalist, writer, and art dealer, worked in television and radio, and stood for the Westminster and European Parliaments. For almost twenty years Harriet had one foot in Moscow where she launched a technical publishing business for a Russian oil and gas company. She speaks five languages and this is her fifth book. 

About the book

Moscow, September 2017. Clive Franklin, a Russian language expert in the Foreign Office, is summoned unexpectedly to the city to act as translator for the British Prime Minister. His life is turned on its head when, after more than a decade, he discovers that his former lover, Marina Volina, is now the interpreter to the Russian President. 

At the embassy, Clive learns of a Russian plot to cut the undersea cables linking the US to the UK which would paralyse communications and collapse the Western economy. Marina stuns Clive with the news that she’s ready to help stop the attack, betraying her country for a new identity and a new life.

Review

As the political climate stands at this moment in time I think it's fair to say that the Cold War never really ceased - it just evolved into a modernised version. A battleground that has also moved into the virtual sphere Where groundwork was laid for a more peaceful, less combative and more humane cohabitation between Russia and the West, certain warmongering leaders have destroyed that groundwork and created the basis for a possible third World War.

Serov imagines himself to be a figurehead and true descendant of the Stalin era, Old Mother Russia needs to be restored to her original boundaries, regardless of the toes he tramples on or the losses he causes. Clive is asked to step in to translate for the British PM in Russia where he finds himself drawn into the insidious intrigues of the Russians, and also surprised to find his ex-girlfriend in the midst of this dangerous game of political chess.

The author has taken the idea of such an incendiary and fragile political scenario, added a layer of intrigue and spycraft to the story, and drawn both a fascinating comparison and fast-paced read with an ending that allows for further stories with this fearless set of characters.

Buy The Translator at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press; 23 March 2023. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Bitter Lemon Press.