The Bucharest Dossier by William Maz
What's It About?
“An accomplished debut — a love story inside an espionage thriller inside a historical record, with all three elements working together to maximum effect. Very impressive and very recommended.” —Lee Child, New York Times best-selling author“A smooth and scintillating mix of Robert Ludlum and John le Carré. … A masterwork of spy tradecraft. … Solid writing and superb storytelling make this one a must-read. … Blistering, bracing, and bold.” —Jon Land, USA Today best-selling author
“Part Bond, part Bourne, CIA analyst Bill Hefflin searches for stolen billions, solves puzzles, and dodges assassins amidst the chaos of a bloody massacre and a changing geopolitical world. Highly recommended.” —William Bernhardt, New York Times bestselling author
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December 1989, Romania. CIA analyst Bill Hefflin has been called back to his native country by “Boris,” a KGB mole who has been feeding him intelligence on an exclusive basis for some time. Boris says he wants to meet face to face — a first — and Hefflin agrees, although he has little experience with field agent work. Upon his arrival, it becomes clear that unrest is in the air and revolution is afoot. The oppression that citizens have endured under Ceausescu’s regime has begun to boil over, and it’s only a matter of time before this holdout Communist government in the Eastern Bloc comes crashing down.
This is the moment in history that debut author William Maz captures in all of its brutality and chaos in his new novel, The Bucharest Dossier (Oceanview). But it is more than just a Cold War-era thriller. It’s a history lesson on the real-life events that occurred in Romania during the bloody Christmas Revolution, a set of plausible theories that attempt to answer lingering questions still swirling around them, and a satisfying romance for good measure.
DISTRACTION, DOUBLE-CROSSING, DIRTY DEALINGS
The last time Hefflin had been in Romania was as a child, but that had come to an abrupt end with his family’s immigration to Greece as refugees. Left behind in the homeland was his first love, Pusha, and his longing for lost days now drives him to try to find her while on assignment. This will prove to be a nearly disastrous distraction from the spy game he finds himself enmeshed in — one in which motives and allegiances aren’t what they seem, and double-crossings and dirty dealings put Hefflin in harm’s way at every turn.
Sharing the stage with a well-crafted, twisty plot is Maz’s depictions of Romanian life under Ceausescu — the utter poverty, lack of supplies, food rations, the ever-present fear of the Securitate (secret police), propaganda and paranoia, the rampant corruption in the government. The effect is transportive.
As the revolution takes hold, Maz expertly weaves the historical and the speculative together in believable ways: What role did the West and Russia play in the events? Who had the most to gain from the collapse of Romania’s government? What became of Ceausescu’s billions in stolen money?
INTRIGUE WITH A SIDE OF INTROSPECTION
While there is plenty of action, intrigue and suspense, there is also a degree of introspection. There are moral dilemmas and big questions being asked. Hefflin himself is a complex hero in this regard. He and his family had eventually made their way from Greece to the United States, leaving him with lingering inner conflict over his identity. His last name is no longer Romanian by choice, and yet, he holds an almost mythical view of his childhood, much of which is relayed to the reader in a series of evocative flashbacks. While Hefflin has become disillusioned in many regards, there is still a kernel of idealism and sentimentality at his core.
The Bucharest Dossier is a satisfying read on so many levels — page-turning action, surprising revelations, depth of character, fascinating historical detail, romantic subplot. While the violence Hefflin witnesses is horrifying and inhumane, we also see beacons of hope and perseverance. Not the least of which is love.
