NIKOLAI DELOV

"Dante has crafted an engrossing novel with an evocative and authentic sense of place and an engaging protagonist facing myriad challenges." ---Kirkus Reviews

Nikolai Pavlovich Delov is a New Russian, one of the fortunate who acquired wealth since the breakup of the Soviet Union. At forty-eight, Nikolai is at the height of his career as head of the now-nationwide company that his father, brother, and he had started in 1993. Unfortunately, all other aspects of his life are a wreck. He finds himself divorced, alone, and at odds with his only son.

One morning a foundation director named Inessa Zorina goes to his office to solicit money for a new rehab house in the Moscow region for sex-trafficking victims. His contribution gains him access to the lovely Inessa. She soon tricks him into assisting her with the rescue of a seventeen-year-old girl held captive by a violent pimp. Gradually, Nikolai and Inessa’s relationship draws him into a dark world that he would’ve preferred to ignore.

Furthermore, their affair throws Nikolai into a war with Vladimir Konstantinov, the powerful son of a former oligarch. Nikolai battles not only Konstantinov but also mobsters and corrupt law enforcement. He recognizes only two possible outcomes: the complete happiness he’s always sought or the destruction of his own life and the lives of those he loves.