Editorial Content for White Wolf: An Evan Ryder Novel

Eric Van Lustbader, the master of adventure and espionage, is back with the fifth entry in his outstanding Evan Ryder series. WHITE WOLF is perhaps the most personal story yet for his crafty female protagonist.

Why do I say this? It’s not because of the inevitable showdown between Evan Ryder and the unstoppable Russian operative Ilona Shokova (aka White Wolf). Evan’s mission is a last-ditch effort to save the life of a Russian boy she considers to be her son, Timur, who has fallen into dangerous hands. This will be a nearly impossible task for Evan as Ilona has been described by both her enemies and her handlers as something close to inhuman, a true killing machine as dangerous as anyone walking the earth.

"[Lustbader] is a well-renowned expert in crafting espionage novels that grab your attention and don't let go. The events that play out here continue to drive the series forward and should please his longtime readers."

At the start of the novel, Ilona is being held in a specialized maximum-security cell deep within Siberia. But it is only a matter of time before she seizes the opportunity to escape, leaving a string of bodies behind in her wake.

In an encounter that will strongly impact Evan’s life, an Asian operative meets with tech magnate Marsden Tribe, who is Evan’s sometime lover but is mostly using her to his own advantage. They are discussing Timur, whose mother is Evan's recently departed best friend who asked Evan to raise him as her own. The problem is that his father is a Russian sovereign, and Moscow wants him back badly.

Evan and Timur are attacked and held by a group that uses the boy as a political pawn. When Timur is taken from Evan, they blackmail her to find and take down Ilona if she ever wants to see him alive again. Evan has heard of the legend of White Wolf but always knew him to be a man. That man is actually Ilona’s father, whom Ilona has dedicated her life to emulating. As Evan learns more about her adversary, it becomes clear that this incarnation of White Wolf is far more deadly and dangerous than the original. Ilona has her own agenda and does not expect Evan to get in her way.

Not only must Evan locate Ilona, there is a bizarre item that Ilona allegedly is in possession of that she must retrieve --- a pair of human teeth, molars to be precise. This is almost akin to Dorothy obtaining the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West in THE WIZARD OF OZ, but Evan must pull this off in order to save Timur.

Behind these various missions and quests is a powerful and unhackable AI technology that will change the world as we know it --- and it turns out that Ilona may be the key to unlocking it. With that additional threat at play, the actions of every character are immediately amplified, and it becomes far more than personal vendettas or revenge tasks that will drive this story to its finish.

For the most part, WHITE WOLF is what you would expect from an Eric Van Lustbader book. That is certainly not a bad thing as he is a well-renowned expert in crafting espionage novels that grab your attention and don't let go. The events that play out here continue to drive the series forward and should please his longtime readers.