We’re all familiar with the Mafia, but although the Italians are the most well-known, they don’t hold a monopoly on organized crime. There’s the Yakuza of Japan, The Triads of China, and the Cartels of Mexico and South America. Lesser known are the Jamaican Yardies in Britain, as well as the Albanian, Serbian, and Israeli Mafias.
Second in size and influence to the Italian Mafia in the US is the Russian Mafia (Mafiya). Though they’re less prevalent in pop culture, they’ve made appearances in movies such as Eastern Promises, Boondock Saints, and Training Day. And while there are plenty of non-fiction books on the Russian Mafia, there are very few novels…until mine.
I drew on this particular group because of my own experience. They’re the only bad guys I’ve ever met personally. I was inadvertently privy to information they were interested in, info that could have endangered the wellbeing of a friend. I chose to withhold that info and was threatened as a result. It was only natural for them to become the antagonists in my book.
So when I set The Mistaken in my old hometown of San Francisco, I drew on that frightening experience. Just like in real life, my Russians, the Solntsevskaya Bratva (brotherhood), deal in human trafficking and offer my protagonist—who seeks revenge against the woman who killed his pregnant wife—a deal.
In exchange for this woman, the Russians agree to finally let his brother leave the business for good, with his debt wiped clean and his heart still beating. It’s a deal he can’t refuse, that is until he kidnaps the wrong woman. Now he must protect this innocent woman from the very enemy he’s unleashed. But the Russians are holding his brother as leverage to force him to complete their deal. Somehow he must find a way to save himself, his brother, and the woman, but with the Russian Mafia, even two out of three makes for very long odds.
Have you ever had to deal with any bad guys in your real life? If so, have they ever found a way into your writing? (If you want to learn more about my personal experience with the Russians, tune into Lisa Regan’s blog on Tuesday, 10/30 for the full story.)
Visit Nancy’s blog, follow, and leave a comment during her book tour for a chance to win an ARC of The Mistaken. Plus, 5 runner-up winners will each receive an ebook.
Purchase here: (I’ll send you the active buy links once they go live on 10/15 or 10/16.)
Amazon Books
Amazon Kindle
Barnes & Noble
Praise for The Mistaken:
“A deliciously slow burn that builds to a ferocious crescendo, Nancy S. Thompson's THE MISTAKEN kept me riveted until the very last page. Tyler Karras is a complex and flawed protagonist, and his redemptive journey makes him the perfect anti-hero. This psychological suspense is a standout, and I can't wait for Thompson's next book.”
~ Jennifer Hillier, author of CREEP and FREAK
“Nancy S. Thompson's debut novel, The Mistaken, is a first-rate thriller full of hair-raising twists and turns. Pursued by the police and the Russian mafia in San Francisco, brothers Tyler and Nick Karras are fascinating, fully-drawn, desperate characters. The action is non-stop. Thompson's taut, intriguing tale of revenge, mistaken identity, kidnapping and murder will keep you enthralled and entertained.”
~Kevin O’Brien, New York Times Bestselling Author of DISTURBED and TERRIFIED
“Fast-paced and emotionally gripping - once the ride begins, you won't stop reading until it ends." ~Alex J. Cavanaugh, author of CASSAFIRE and CASSASTAR
The Mistaken Blog
tour:
10/18: Mark Koopmans & Nancy S. Thompson
10/19: Alex J. Cavanaugh & Arlee Bird
10/22: Carrie Butler & Jeff O’Handley
10/23: Julie Musil
10/25: Matthew MacNish
10/26: LG Smith
10/27: Aimee Jodoin
10/29: Heather M. Gardner
10/30: Lisa Regan & Falling For Fiction
10/31: Jennifer Hillier
11/1: Angela Peart & Livia Peterson
11/19: Arlee Bird
19 comments:
No and I still want to know more about your encounter!
I did not know all that about mobs! Go you! And this book is truly awesome! I hope people will buy it!
I have dealt with lots of bad guys in my real life, but never the Russian mafia. Just diving into the novel and can't wait to see how this mob operates.
I know, Alex! That was an intriguing hint.
What does it say about me that I know most of those groups through Grand Theft Auto?
That must have been a frightening experience, running afoul of them, and you were quite brave for standing up to them.
I think your premise has already hooked me. I can't imagine the research you had to have done. Oh, right, I can. This is freaky but one of my WIP is about an assassin from Russia who defects to her friend in the United States. I spent 4 month researching the Vietnam War and the Russian Mafiya. Fascinating, so of course I'm anxious to read your book because I already know how intriguing these organizations can be. Bravo, Nancy for tackling such an intense subject matter.
Matthew, I hear you're an expert at query letter critiquing. That is so kewl because I just happen to be working on one. Okay, that's a lie, but I intend to write one soon. Any day now. And it would be so nice if I could come back and talk to you about it.
Later Matthew & Nancy. Happy Touring!
I try to avoid Russian mobsters. At least in real life.
Ooh! I can't wait to hear more about the real life encounter!
As for real life, our house was burgled in the middle of the night, and when i was in college there was a "flasher" outside our apt window (Flasher is being too polite for what he was actually doing...) but thats it
I've never encounted bad guys before in my life but I'm always scared that I will encounter them online.
And oh yeah, can't wait until that interview with Lisa! It's gonna be so intriguing to read.
Congrats to Nancy! Thanks Matthew for having her over here! Great guest post! :)
Yes, thank you, Matthew, and to everyone who's tuned in. :)
This looks so intriguing! Having lived in Baltimore City for so long, I am used to a different kind of bad guy. I'm interested to read this one.
Only the corporate kind, I think, but they're bad enough.
Great post! Dang, Nancy, I'm shivering!!! 0_0
So sorry you had to draw on scary personal experience Nancy. Good luck with your book. It sounds great.
A run-in with the Russian Mafia??? Oh.My.Word. *shudders*
Nancy! Happy Blog Tour!! I already loved the premise of your book...but now knowing that you had a run in with the Russian mafia??? That makes everything that much more terrifying! Looking forward to the read!
Thankfully I've never had to deal with bad guys of that caliber - just the usual school bullies, which was bad enough for me.
Congrats on your book, Nancy :)
Thanks guys! Fortunately for me, I didn't know they were bad guys at the time. Ignorance was a good thing then.
Sounds compelling! I wish you all the best with it. And kudos for getting endorsed by Jennifer Hillier!
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