Blog Tour: The Translator – Harriet Crawley

A passionate love story, centred on a devastating Russian plot to sabotage the undersea communication cables linking the US to the UK.

Clive Franklin, a Russian language expert in the Foreign Office, is summoned unexpectedly to Moscow to act as translator for the British Prime Minister. His life is upended when he discovers that his former lover, Marina Volina, is the interpreter to the Russian President.
Together they will try to stop the attack that could paralyse communications and collapse the Western economy.

A fluent Russian speaker and former journalist, Harriet Crawley lived and worked in Russia for twenty years. She sent her son to state school in Moscow which, until 2016, was her second home.

My thoughts: set in a fictional version of the real Russia, with stand in names for real people, and our translator protagonist thrust into the heart of high level negotiations between the British and Russian governments.

Having taken a sabbatical to translate Chekhov, Clive Franklin is summoned to Whitehall, the usual translator having had a nasty accident. He’s reluctant to return to Moscow and the delicate balance that is diplomatic work but it isn’t optional.

There he meets former lover Marina Volina, working in the same role for Russian president Surov. Her proximity to the throne means she’s the perfect person to assist in getting information the British need about Russia’s plans.

But it is incredibly dangerous, especially as the head of the FSB (the Russian secret service) is gunning for her. She needs to stay one step ahead of him even as she and her foster son hacker Ivan act to neutralise the general and provide the information Clive needs to satisfy his bosses.

Tense, gripping and bang up to date as the targets are vital data cables in the Atlantic, there are emails and texts whizzing around and secure apps are used to organise protests and spread news that the Kremlin doesn’t want shared.

As someone with a long fascination with Russia and its history (and present) this was totally compelling reading and written by someone who knows the country well, having lived and worked there adds authenticity to the story. It’s hinted at the end that there will be more for Clive and Marina and I hope there is as I thoroughly enjoyed this.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.