David Duffy - In for a Ruble

My thanks to Brendan Deneen, my editor at Thomas Dunne Books, as well as to Joan Higgins. I am grateful to Gwendolyn Bounds, Michael Bounds, Steve Heymann, and Bill Hicks, who read an early draft of this story, pointed out problems and suggested needed improvements.

Special thanks to Peggy Healy, Jonathan Rinehart, and Beverley Zabriskie for their generosity and hospitality. Thanks to my sister, Priscilla, and to Gerri Bowman and Katherine Page, two more generous individuals.

Once again, my love and gratitude to my wife, Marcelline, who so cheerfully puts up with me.

Last to Fold

David Duffy spent twenty-five years in the corporate and financial public relations business, based in New York and London. This experience turned out to be good practice for writing fiction. Along the way, he helped bring the Antiques Roadshow to PBS and income tax to Poland. This is his second Turbo Vlost novel. He and his wife live in New York’s Hudson River Valley.

“In Duffy’s gritty sequel to 2011’s Last to Fold , Turbo Vlost, a former KGB operative, has been hired by billionaire Sebastian Leitz to find security flaws in Leitz’s computer systems, but he quickly realizes that his employer has much bigger problems than he anticipated. Further investigation leads Turbo to discover that each member of Leitz’s family is hiding something, and some of these secrets lead to a malevolent Eastern European computer conglomerate, which has its sights set on Leitz and company. And as if becoming entangled in a family’s dangerously dirty laundry weren’t enough, Vlost’s ex has returned and is looking to reboot their old affair. Saturated with international intrigue and peopled by a cast of sordid characters—including mobsters, pedophiles, and shady businessmen—, Duffy’s latest is high-tension, meticulously plotted, and immensely entertaining. Readers will delight in Duffy’s handling of the thrilling proceedings.”

“A compelling, intelligent and witty take on the classic detective story. That the talented Duffy makes his ex-KGB tough-guy into a thoughtful, honorable and even charming protagonist is just one reason this book is terrific—it’s also fast-paced, unpredictable and completely original.”

“David Duffy has done it again: given us a smart, morally complex page-turner featuring ex-KGB agent turned New York City private eye, Turbo Vlost. Like Marlowe before him, Turbo dives deep as he tangles with Russian oligarchs and ghosts from Stalin’s gulag. He goes to some dark places but never wavers because truth matters. A fast-paced, witty, bruising, always thoughtful read.”

“I loved David Duffy’s first book, Last to Fold , and I’m here to tell you In for a Ruble is every bit as good. If you don’t yet know Turbo Vlost and his friends—and enemies—you’re a lucky reader, because now you get to meet them. Don’t wait!”

Praise for Last to Fold , which was nominated for the 2012 Edgar for Best First Novel by an American Author:

“One of the most original protagonists I’ve ever come across… Duffy knows his Russia inside and out, but most of all, he knows how to tell a story with flair and elegance. This is really, really good.”

“The dialogue is crisp and rings true, and the main character is easy to like and root for.”

“A new addition to the line of suspense stars at St. Martin’s, introducing an irresistible character and a very rich milieu—the New York City subculture of Russian émigrés, underworld characters and ruthless new-rich swashbucklers…. I’m looking forward to the next one.”

“From guns, drugs and espionage we get the full gambit in the fast and furious look within the Russian mob.”

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.

An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.

IN FOR A RUBLE. Copyright © 2012 by David Duffy. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

Cover design by Ervin Serrano

Cover photographs: man by Mark Owen/Arcangel Images; city scene by shutterstock

www.thomasdunnebooks.com

www.stmartins.com

ISBN 978-0-312-62191-9 (hardcover)

ISBN 9781250012449 (e-book)

First Edition: July 2012