The Moscow Affair

Nancy Boyarsky’s novel, The Moscow Affair was truly a delight from start to finish. A lover of mysteries, my expectations were high for this book and Boyarsky did not disappoint. Nicole Graves, the protagonist of this novel, is unhappy at her job. Working as a private investigator has its upsides, but after her boss takes a turn for the worse, Nicole finds herself miserable. On one of these boring mornings at her desk, she receives a mysterious phone call from an unidentified man asking to meet her. With her fiancée missing for several months, she assumes it is about his disappearance. However, Graves is met with a surprise upon their meeting at a local museum. Shortly put, she soon finds herself on a cruise ship to Russia, identifying suspects for a foreign group on a secret mission. Things start to get nasty before she knows it, and Graves finds herself in immense danger. Much cannot be said about the plot from this point forward without spoiling the ending, but I absolutely loved the storyline Boyarsky plays forth. I read the entirety of this novel in one sitting and have plans to read more of Boyarsky’s novels shortly. I appreciated the creativity of this story; similar to an Agatha Christie novel, the ending is impossible to guess correctly which suffices for both an exciting and page-turning read. Boyarsky did a wonderful job conveying detail throughout her book. She included just enough context about Russian sites, culture, and political sphere for the reader to understand what Graves would be facing there as an American citizen. However, she did not drag out the factual information too much to where the extra knowledge became a bore. A sucker for a good love story, I also loved the underlying romantic plot between Graves and her lover. I think this aspect added even more excitement to the book and I appreciated the authenticity of Graves’ asides remarking on her uncertainty about him. The reader grappled with Graves’ thoughts with her, which made the ending even more meaningful. Apart from the plotline itself, the book cover was beautifully done, and the formatting of the novel was excellent. If you love thrillers, mysteries, and detective stories, I recommend this book as a worthwhile read. I also think this novel would be great for a book club read; with a nail-biting storyline and a strong heroine lead, this would be a perfect book to discuss with others as it is relatively short but very impactful.