SNOW WOLF

GLENN MEADE

Synopsis:

It is 1953. Joseph Stalin, the world'smost tyrannical dictator, is teetering on the edge of insanity, and about toplunge the world into nuclear chaos. Only one man and one woman can penetratethe Iron Curtain and stop this madman, before it's too late. But someone insidethe Kremlin knows. And as the KGB's deadly manhunter pursues these twoCIA-hired assassins, another dual unfolds, between secret warriors of the Westand East, with a U.S. agent caught in between. Now that agent must do theunthinkable: find his way to the heart of the Soviet Union and stop the missionhe himself set in motion before it ignites World War III.

RAVE REVIEWS FOR GLENN MEADE AND SNOW WOLF

"Meade's research is so extensiveyet unobtrusive, and his evocations of these grim, desperate times socompelling, that it's often easy to forget you're reading fiction and nothistory.

-The Washington Post Book World

"The sweep of a historical romanceand, the power of a classic heroic quest."

-The New York Times Book Review

"Enjoyable."

-San Francisco Chronicle

"An entirely believable andcompletely gripping thriller filled with intrigue, treachery and a wealth ofdark secrets ... Moves back and forth between American and Soviet operationswith deft ease and extreme tension."

-Cleveland Plain Dealer

"A young Dubliner to follow in thefootsteps of le Carré, Forsyth and Ludlum ... Vivid chase scenes, emotionpacked encounters ... A spellbinding thriller."

-Des Moines Register

"A heart-stopping thriller, partfact, part fiction, with a strong, passionate heroine at its center."

-Cosmopolitan

"I enjoyed Snow Wolf tremendously.It's as scary as a trip to Lubyanka Prison."

-Larry Bond, author of Red Phoenix ...

"Espionage afficionados will want toleap into the deep end of the pool with Glenn Meade."

-Christian Science Monitor

"Wonderful ... brings a whole newperspective to the world of spying."

-E. J. Applewhite, former operationsofficer, CIA

"A powerfully built and skillfullyexecuted plot ... Immerse yourself in the intricately woven intrigue andexplosive action, and enjoy it thoroughly."

GOLEG Kalugin, former head of the KGB'sFirst Directorate

"If you love a strong story, withcharacters that you can believe in, then I would highly recommend this veryintelligent thriller."

-Irish Edition (Philadelphia)

"Scintillating characterization anda brilliant plot ... Be assured, you will lose sleep-this book is extremelyunputdownable ... A worthy contender and successor to Forsyth and Ludlum."

-Time Out (London)

"If you were enthralled by The Dayof the Jackal and thrilled by The Eagle Has Landed, then there's a newblockbuster you mustn't miss ... It catapults Meade straight into theForsyth-Higgins league."

Evening Telegraph (London)

"Meade writes with a silken pen,inking unusually sympathetic leads. Vivid cameos of historical figures lendcredence to the story. The Cold War may be on ice, but through this literate,memorable story, Meade shows that it can still freeze readers' attention andchill their blood."

-Publishers Weekly

"Deft, dramatic ... Meade providesexciting, ingenious answers to questions that linger from a darker age ... Animpressive debut by a storyteller worth watching."

-Kirkus Reviews

"Glenn Meade appears to have donehis homework ... He deftly handles the novel's blend of fact and fiction, anenormous setting and a multitude of characters with dexterity ... A promisingnew voice in the espionage-thriller genre."

-Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"Propelled by a pair of fascinatingcharacters ... Cloakand-dagger at its best. If you enjoy internationalintrigue, aching suspense and rich characters, make reading this book yourmission."

-Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville

"Snow Wolf manages to skillfullycombine a great thriller with an endearing love story and an exciting blend offact and fiction."

-Irish Voice

For Geraldine and Alex, and in memory ofJulie-Anne

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Some of the events inthis book are documented history. Although mention is made of certainwell-known figures within the historical context of the period, this book is awork of fiction, and no reference is intended to any living persons. The termKGB is used to denote the Soviet State Security Organization, which wentthrough several name changes before and after the period in which this book ismainly set, until it finally adopted the name KGB in 1954. And although certainevents portrayed within these pages are historically recorded fact, they aretempered with a reasonable amount of artistic license, in time, place andcontent.

In the course of my research, there weremany people who gave their help and personal insights into these events, and Iwould like therefore to acknowledge the following:

In the United States: the Association ofFormer Intelligence Officers (AFIO).

In Finland: the staff of the US Embassy, Helsinki; the SUPO (Finnish Counter-Intelligence) for their invaluable help and courtesy,and allowing me access to certain archival material.

In Estonia: Arzeny Zaharov, Gulagsurvivor, for his memories of the period and background information; and AveHirvelaan for her kindness and support.

In Russia: certain former members of theKGB who, understandably, wish to remain nameless, but who will know the reasonswhy I thank them. For their expertise on the period and of certain historicalepisodes in this book: Alexander Vishinsky and Valefi Nekrasov.

Also, I would like to thank StevenMilburn; and the unfailingly helpful staff of the Finnish Embassy, Dublin, especially Hannele lhonen and Leena Alto.

There were many others, especially formerintelligence personnel, who gave of their time and expertise, but as I'vediscovered, such men and women prefer quiet anonymity in their retirement-toall, my grateful thanks.

"The most difficult thing to predictis not the future" but the past.

Russian proverb

"There is a wolf out there, bayingfor my blood. We must exterminate wolves."

Remark attributed to Joseph Stalin on 17February 1953, over two weeks before his death; to the Indian Ambassador in Moscow, the last foreigner to see him alive.

Moscow.

I had come to bury the dead and resurrectghosts and so it seemed somehow appropriate that the truth and the lies of thepast should begin in a graveyard.

It was raining that morning in Novodevichy Cemetery and I was burying my father for the second time.

It isn't often that a man gets to beburied twice, and as I stood alone under the dripping chestnut trees I couldsee the black Mercedes come in through the cemetery gates and brake gently to ahalt near the grave. Two men stepped out, one of them middle-aged andgray-haired, the other a bearded Orthodox priest.

It's a tradition in Russia to uncover the coffin before it's buried, a chance for friends and relatives to kisstheir dead and say their last goodbyes. But there would be no such traditionobserved this wet day in June for a man who had died over forty years before,just a simple ceremony to finally acknowledge his passing.

Someone had placed a red-flowered wreathbeside the grave, I remember that, and then I saw the flashes of forkedlightning illuminate the gray horizon, and heard the cracks of thunder.

The Convent of Novodevichy lies south of Moscow, an ancient sixteenth-century Orthodox church surrounded by white washed stonewalls. Five golden cupolas stand on top, and beyond the gates that lead to thecemetery are a maze of narrow roads, overgrown with weeds and crammed withmarble head stones and ancient vaults.