Compulsively readable. Review on Devil's Alternative, The - Frederick Forsyth

The Devil’s Alternative is another masterpiece spy thriller by the veteran of this field Fredrick Forsyth. It is a page-turner and provides genuine entertainment. Like in all his other books the last minute surprises leave the readers stunned. One is overawed after reading this book about the games that the spy world of CIA, SIS and KGB play and I am sure our old time smarty Sherlock Holmes will also have a hard time figuring it out.

The Storyline: I am in no mood in giving away the story of this suspense drama as it would make the book worthless for those who have not read it as yet, but would definitely like to give a glimpse of the storyline without letting the cat away.

Most of the crops in Russia are damaged due to a series of accidental goof ups and the country is about to face a major food shortage, the consequences of which may put Russian economy back by five years. The Politburo of Kremlin is divided into two groups: One led by the President Maxim Rudin who believes in taking the aid of the west for the present crisis and the other led by Yefrem Vishnayev who plans to attack the west and capture Europe. The satellite pictures of the crop pattern in Russia have meanwhile worried both the U.S.A and the British. They wonder as to what has gone wrong with the crops when the weather has been most favourable. The answer comes in the form of Adam Munro, a British SIS officer who is sent as an Ambassador of Britain to Russia to get the real facts. In Russia Munro finds his long lost love Valentina to his help. There is also a Ukrainian freedom movement going on in the background. The KGB chief is assassinated. A ship carrying tons and tons of oil becomes a time bomb ticking too fast for comfort.

There is confusion all over the world with world leaders looking for various alternatives. The American President is in a dilemma. Whichever option he chooses, men are going to die…He is only left with the Devil’s Alternative. The most interesting aspect of the book is the sudden dead ends it provides to a smooth running story. Each chapter ends with the following lines ”And he/she was left with no alternative”.The twist leaves you stunned and you can’t help but read on.

Caution: If you are a very busy person and not a fast reader the book is not meant for you because after a point you just can not leave the book without finishing it. I myself did not sleep a whole night just to complete the book.