"An astonishing story, excitingly told, and all too close to the reality of Russia in the murderous 1990s."
Description
After the demise of the Soviet Union, the newly-established Russian government privatized its industry by issuing vouchers to all of its citizens, allowing them the chance to be shareholders in the country's burgeoning businesses. The slips are distributed among the population and auctions are arranged where they can be exchanged for actual shares. For the country's rural populations living in abject poverty, the vouchers appear to be little more than pieces of paper, totally separated from the far-off concept of potential future fortunes.
But for Texas businessman John Mills and his Czech companion, Petr Kovac, the seemingly-valueless chits suggest a lucrative potential, worth much more than what the current owners are willing to sell them for. They travel to the furthest, coldest reaches of the country to acquire vouchers for the country's national oil company, Gazneft, roving from town to town with suitcases full of cash. But they quickly learn that the plan has complications — for example, the fact that the auctions at which these vouchers are traded for actual shares have been planned at the most remote, inaccessible locations possible to deter outsiders from buying in. And when the Russian mafia and the oligarchs in charge of Gazneft catch wind of their successes, the stakes become suddenly more deadly.
A thrilling adventure inspired by true events, The Siberia Job charts a course through one of the most impactful periods in recent Russian history, whose reverberations continue to be felt in the present day.
Reviews
"The Siberia Job is one of the most original, well-written, and best-plotted post-Cold War stories I've read in years. Should be required reading for Washington's policy makers. A ground-breaking novel that redefines the conventional action/adventure, chase and escape genre."
"A terrific post-Soviet thriller, distinguished by its portrayal of the wild potential of 1990s Russia and the subversion of that potential into pure corruption, the consequences of which continue to reverberate in the present day."
"A colorful depiction of recent history wrapped in a comic caper. Think Donald Westlake with a Slavic accent."