The Russian Bride    by Ed Kovacs Order:  USA  Can Minotaur, 2015 (2015) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson As The Russian Bride opens, readers meet military intelligence agent Major Kit Bennings. Part of a secret army unit, he's working undercover (as an assistant defense attaché) in Moscow. He has been sent there by Secretary of State Margarite Padilla (who is at odds with the CIA Director) to uncover moles in the American Embassy. Soon Bennings is blackmailed by former KGB general Viktor Popov, who has had his beloved sister Staci kidnapped back home in California. Others are dead. So he weds a Russian bride, takes her back to the United States with him (as ordered), and goes off his organization's radar - he will do whatever it takes to save his sister. Who is his beautiful (of course!) bride? Russian weapons engineer Yulana Petkova is the single mother of Kala - and she will also do whatever it takes to keep her small daughter safe. Neither of the newlyweds trusts the other. Fortunately, Bennings has allies he can call upon - associates and a bunch of SEALs. As they all get into the act, the violence escalates. Of course, the big question mark behind all the blood and gore is, what is Popov's ultimate objective? And, given that Bennings can figure it out, will he be able to stop it and save the lives of two innocent hostages, with both Russian and U.S. government assassins trying to stop him? The Russian Bride is an engrossing read that looks like the opening shot of an exciting new military thriller series. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews