Rowena Kinread
Review:
Well, I didn't expect to be thrown in at the deep end right from the start, but that's what happens when you dive into this thrilling treasure hunt.
When she tidies up her late grandparents' house, to prepare it for sale, young airport police officer Ivanna discovers an old map, hand-drawn by her grandfather during WWII. Having read about art treasure looted by the Nazis, and hidden underground, in salt mines or caves, she is intrigued, but unsure what to do with it. The map contains no place names.
She takes it to the local police station, but finds no support there. On the contrary, her idea is laughed off by the officers. She should find the treasure herself, then come back with it!
Frustrated, she ponders her next move when she realises that she's being followed by two bulky guys who are clearly not friendly. The 'apes', as she calls them, are everywhere she goes.
Did anyone overhear her story at the police station, and wants a share of whatever she might find?
Determined to escape her followers, she heads south to the German Alps to a police team training exercise, taking over her friend Alina's booking without revealing her real name. But to her horror, the apes are already there. How on earth did they know where she was going?
She forms a plan to escape during the hike up to the mountain hut where the group exercise is based, but her disappearance has been noticed by her two followers, and she is swiftly caught and locked in a car boot.
Unbeknownst to her at that point, other members of the group are also not who they seem. They are after the heavies. But just who are they working for?
Then there's Matteo, the trainer in charge of the team exercises. When he realises that there's something bigger afoot, he pulls out all the stops. He's highly likeable, and his strong sense of justice and fairness never wavers. The kind of guy you'd want by your side in times of trouble.
So, who are the apes, and how can Ivanna escape their clutches – alive? Well, you should definitely read this novel to find out!
The Alpine Fortress is a gripping suspense novel with a feisty, realistic heroine, a calm, determined hero, and a plethora of intriguing and suspicious secondary characters. Ivanna isn't sure who she can trust, especially as there seems to be a connection to a dangerous criminal called the ’Argentinian’, son of an escaped Nazi officer, who seems to be after the potential treasure.
The pace of this thrilling, dark adventure is relentless, as we traverse the breathtaking Berchtesgaden Alps in search of the map's location. The plot is utterly compelling, despite the often dark and brutal actions. The Alpine Fortress is not a light-hearted treasure hunt – it's a sometimes brutal, realistic story, where criminals do everything in their power to get what they want.
Ms Kinread portrays the dark side of 'humanity’ expertly, and in detail, so make sure to check the triggers (below the blurb). It is an eye-opener into a world most of us, thankfully, never encounter.
The scenic backdrop of the southern German mountains forms a great contrast to the dark events, in its stunning magnificence. We are traversing steep hills, hiding in lush forests, facing steep ravines... It's a paradise, but one with its own dangers and secrets.
I would recommend The Alpine Fortress to readers who enjoy bone-chilling crime fiction, with very dark twists, and with plenty of challenges for the protagonists and their environment. The compelling, fast-paced plot has you hooked from page one, and you won't want to put this novel down, for fear of missing something vital. It's that good a read!
Highly recommended.
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Blurb:
In the shadow of the Bavarian
Alps, a forgotten map leads to an unsolved mystery buried for decades. When
Ivanna discovers the sketch among her late grandfather’s belongings, she
stumbles upon a secret that connects her family’s harrowing past to the Nazi
regime's stolen treasures.
What begins as a curious
family discovery quickly escalates into a perilous adventure, drawing the
attention of law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and dangerous criminals.
The Alpine Fortress is a
thrilling tale of survival, betrayal, and redemption. From the chilling depths
of Nazi conspiracies to the breathtaking heights of the Alps, this story will
keep you on the edge of your seat as the past and present collide in an unforgettable
race against time.
Will Ivanna uncover the
truth—or will the secrets of the fortress remain buried forever?
Trigger Warning: violence, murder, stalking, rape, trauma
Praise for The Alpine Fortress:
"“The Alpine Fortress” by
Rowena Kinread is a captivating crime thriller that immerses readers in a
suspenseful narrative set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Alps."
~ Yarde Book Promotion
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
~~~
About the Author:
Rowena Kinread grew up in
Ripon, Yorkshire with her large family and a horde of pets. Keen on travelling,
her first job was with Lufthansa in Germany.
She began writing in the
nineties. Her special area of interest is history, after researching her
ancestry and finding family roots in Ireland with the Dalriada clan,
particularly this era. Her debut fiction novel titled “The Missionary” is a
historical novel about the dramatic life of St. Patrick. It was published by
Pegasus Publishers on April 29th, 2021 and has been highly appraised by The
Scotsman, The Yorkshire Post and the Irish Times.
Her second novel “The Scots of
Dalriada” centres around Fergus Mór, the founder father of Scotland and takes
place in 5th century Ireland and Scotland, and is published by Pegasus
Publishers.
The author lives with her
husband in Bodman-Ludwigshafen, Lake Constance, Germany. They have three
children and six grandchildren.
Connect with Rowena:
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