Red Reflections

Red Reflections, Mark Moorstein, Writers Club Press, 2000

Michael Berenson is a lawyer in present-day Virginia. He had a legal battle with a Russian defector named Alexei Ribakov. A body is found that may or may not be Ribakov's, and, finding, incriminating evidence in Berenson's private plane, the FBI is very interested.

Mike tells the story, in flashabck, how, at a lawyer's conference in Moscow, he met a beautiful young translator named Anna Severova. They immediately fall for each other. Later, Anna comes to the US on a fellowship. Trouble is, she's married to Peter Belarsky, who spends his time belittling Anna, when he isn't getting drunk. Anna and Michael see each other whenever they can.

Questions begin to be raised as to whether or not Anna really is a student on a fellowship and in love with Michael, or if she really works for the Russian Federal Security Bureau, the descendant of the KGB. Several different people tell Mike that they are the good guy, and everyone else would just as soon see him dead; each of their stories has enough holes to make Mike wonder who to believe.

Underlying all of this is the accusation that Ribakov may have been selling high-tech optical equipment, from a Russian camera factory, to Iraq, Iran, North Korea or anyone with the money.

Moorstein does an excellent job all around. It's a good love story, it's a very good spy story that will keep the reader guessing until the end, and the author does a fine job at getting inside the Russian psyche. It is well worth reading.