The Sava Steps by Lee Lindauer
What's It About?
Amidst desolate mountaintops, a cast of characters find their fates entwined in this pulse pounding thriller“Where would one go to sell a kidney?” Hightower asked.
Vlad leaned back; his expression turned sour. “People get killed wanting to know.”
Author Lee Lindauer, an engineer by trade before turning to thriller novels, uses the tools and techniques of his original vocation to develop well-researched and tightly conceived stories and complex and well-defined characters, clearly evident in his most recent work, The Sava Steps.
Throw in a generous helping of history to get the narrative going. During the Bosnian War in 1995, in a period referred to as the Srebenica Genocide, a Dutch Battalion of the United Nations Protective Force, known as Dutchbat III, was charged with providing peacekeeping operations, protecting the “safe zone” and preventing the escalation of atrocities on local villagers. It is said that the Dutch did not live up to that responsibility.
The protagonist, Melika Zbanic, 17 at the time and one of those villagers, was forced into a long journey by foot with her younger brother against their will at the hands of armed soldiers. The battalion’s Dutch captain, Pieter Van Dere, made decisions and took actions that left lifelong scars on Melika – so hideous that she vows decades later to settle all scores and seek out revenge on Van Dere, regardless of the consequences.
Fast forward to present day, where Melika, a doctor, lives in a small village. On the grounds high above her clinic, there is a structure of a once-prominent hotel whose presence now is unclear. However, as she witnesses strange comings and goings, even the apparent nighttime burial of a body, she suspects something unsavory. Yet she is singularly focused to travel wherever she may to find Van Dere and bring about her personal justice.
THE PACE IS SWIFT, WRITING CRISP
Meanwhile, an analyst for Interpol in Lyon, France, is close to cracking a case and identifying a suspect in an apparent illegal kidney trafficking operation – the savage process of grabbing donors and taking vast sums from people in need of a transplant who can’t procure the organ through traditional means.
When the analyst is murdered, enter Thorne Hightower, a former disgraced FBI agent who happens to be the brother-in-law of the victim. Van Dere, whose current cover is a position at Interpol, now appears central to the kidney trafficking scheme.
Melika and Hightower, with seemingly different motives for seeking out Van Dere, become intertwined in the chase and subject to many dangerous twists, turns and circumstances in which they find themselves along the way.
The author introduces us to an intriguing cast of supporting characters representing both good and evil. Perhaps none is more curious than Melika’s daughter Valery, for the mere reason that she is stone deaf but also a virtuoso violinist. What role might she play close to home as her mother takes off in search of Van Dere and his accomplice?
INTRICATE PLOT WITH FINE DETAIL
Like many of the relationships, with that of Melika and Hightower at the forefront, the matter of trust is a constant theme. While some wavering confidences are apparent, even the two lead characters fail to easily establish what seems like a natural bond to work together. Perhaps Melika’s history, shrouded with shady characters and betrayal, forces her to question everything and anything.
Lindauer has truly taken to his new craft of writing thrillers: “They’re an easy way to escape, and someone is always in danger — it never is the reader. I was never a voracious reader growing up, but the books I did read were packed with adventure, thrills, and mayhem, with words and characters that got your blood flowing.”
The Sava Steps will indeed get readers’ blood flowing. The author has combined an intricate plot with fine detail and much to think about. He gives us complex, flawed characters for which we feel their anguish, fear, desperation and the focus on the specific objectives at hand.
Dare we say that Lindauer has “engineered” a masterful work with all the elements you’d hope for in a thriller. The pace is swift, the writing crisp, and the overall experience one that will encourage readers of this genre to proudly add this book to their shelves.
AUTHOR
Contrary to popular belief, Lee Lindauer, author of The Sava Steps and Irrational Fears, did not obtain an MFA in Creative Writing but did earn both BS and MS degrees in Architectural and Civil Engineering, respectively. From years of designing buildings and other structures, he now engineers fast-paced plots and creates intriguing characters in authentic technical and natural settings to produce emotional rollercoaster rides for the reader. A member of the International Thriller Writers, he and his wife, Teri, divide their time between Colorado and Nevada. Visit his website at www.leelindauer.com
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