TRAFFYCK (Lazlo Horvath Thriller)
In the underground of contemporary Eastern Europe lies a treacherous world contaminated by more than Chernobyl radiation and industrial waste. As communism collapsed, the foothold of social order tolerated a lurking subculture of child pornography and human trafficking. TRAFFYCK, as they say.
A former runaway and Kiev nightclub stripper, Mariya Nemeth pulls herself from the dredges of wretchedness to attend school and marries a man she believes has abandoned his shady past. But Mariya learns her husband's past is still present. He is murdered, a consequence of sex trade operations. When she convinces Kiev private investigator Janos Nagy to take the case, Mariya discovers the real passion of her life, a lover immersed in the romance of Gypsy culture. Meanwhile, a world away in Chicago, Lazlo Horvath, having solved the Chernobyl Murders decades earlier, senses trouble brewing for his protege and is drawn back to his homeland. From Chicago's Humboldt Park to the Romanian Carpathian Mountains to the bleak abandonment of Ukraine, a frightening chain of events threatens countless lives when perversion, unacceptable to civilized society, is revealed. Savvy, outraged, and linked by ancestry, Mariya, Janos, and Lazlo pierce the underbelly of Ukraine's sex trade where power is more important than human lives. "As chilling as Kiev in winter, TRAFFYCK is a thrilling tale of crime and geopolitics, leaping from Ukraine to the U.S. and back again. Populated with complex and appealing--or terrifying--characters, the story offers up a glimpse of life in a ruthless but little-known underworld, in which specters from the past--among them Chernobyl--arise at every turn." ~Jeffery Deaver, Worldwide Best-Selling Author of The Bone Collector "TRAFFYCK pulls the reader into a bleak but fascinating world. The people and events ring true cover to cover and make us care. Author Beres takes us on a tour through the darkness, and makes us glad we came along." ~John Lutz, Shamus and Edgar Award-winner "The twin tragedies of human trafficking and Chernobyl are the compelling backdrops of Michael Beres' fascinating novel. Caught within the bleak and toxic environment of a Chernobyl village, the characters reveal the moral decisions that will either free or enslave their souls. TRAFFYCK is a great story with a captivating style that realistically illuminates dark forces tempered by the persistence of humanity." ~Irene Zabytko, Author of The Sky Unwashed "TRAFFYCK is a great novel, compelling characters and an in-your-face story that never lets up. This book exposes a world heretofore unknown to most of us, one that Michael Beres makes frighteningly real." ~Harry Hunsicker, Shamus Award-nominated author "Beres gets the bleak and threatening atmosphere just right. . . . This is a fine thriller sure to appeal to fans of Brent Ghelfi's Volk's Game and Volk's Shadow." ~Jessica Moyer, BookList Medallion Press ISBN# 1605421057 ISBN# 9781605421056 Author's Note: While researching CHERNOBYL MURDERS, I kept coming across disturbing information about human trafficking in Eastern Europe and especially Ukraine. The stories of victims stayed with me and eventually evolved into TRAFFYCK. Copyright 2009 Michael Beres |