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Twisted Trilogy #1
Twisted Reasons
TWISTED REASONS, the first in a trilogy of international thrillers based on arms and human trafficking from a modern ‘rogue’ Russian state, is the tale of two college friends who get drawn into the heist of nuclear material from a former Soviet site. Arriving in Vienna to find his friend Adam Kallay, an official at the International Atomic Energy Agency, presumed dead, crime novelist Greg Martens teams up with Interpol Agent Anne Rossiter and Julia, Kallay’s Russian girlfriend, to solve the case and track the disappearance from a former Soviet nuclear site of enough uranium to make a bomb. The story moves from espionage entrepȏt Vienna to radioactivity contaminated Chelyabinsk and to front-line Georgia, as the three combat arms merchants allied to Russian secret police to prevent the stolen uranium from getting into the wrong hands. Along the way, Greg learns brutal truths about himself and his family.
285 pages, Paperback
First published November 16, 2014
2 people are currently reading
339 people want to read
About the author
Geza Tatrallyay
22 books292 followersBorn in Budapest, Hungary, Geza escaped with his family in 1956 during the Hungarian Revolution, emigrating to Canada the same year. He grew up in Toronto, attending the University of Toronto Schools, where he was School Captain. He graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Human Ecology in 1972 (after taking a break in his studies to work as a host in the Ontario Pavilion at Expo’70 in Osaka, Japan). Geza was selected as a Rhodes Scholar from Ontario, attending Oxford University and graduating with a BA/MA in Human Sciences in 1974; he completed his studies with a MSc in Economics from London School of Economics and Politics in 1975. Geza represented Canada as an epée fencer in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.
Geza’s professional experience has included stints in government (Department of Finance, Canada), international organizations (Inter-American Development Bank), commercial / investment banking (Royal Bank of Canada), private equity (MAVA Capital in Hungary) and environmental entrepreneurship (Vertis Environmental Finance). Since 2004, he has been semi-retired, advising a few firms mainly in the clean energy sector and devoting himself to his family, travel and writing. Geza is a citizen of Canada and Hungary, with an American wife, a daughter living in San Francisco and a son in Nairobi, and currently divides his time between San Francisco and Barnard, Vermont, with frequent visits to Montreal, Toronto, New York, Vienna and London.
Geza’s professional experience has included stints in government (Department of Finance, Canada), international organizations (Inter-American Development Bank), commercial / investment banking (Royal Bank of Canada), private equity (MAVA Capital in Hungary) and environmental entrepreneurship (Vertis Environmental Finance). Since 2004, he has been semi-retired, advising a few firms mainly in the clean energy sector and devoting himself to his family, travel and writing. Geza is a citizen of Canada and Hungary, with an American wife, a daughter living in San Francisco and a son in Nairobi, and currently divides his time between San Francisco and Barnard, Vermont, with frequent visits to Montreal, Toronto, New York, Vienna and London.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 16 reviews
May 3, 2018
One Word: Wow!
Twisted Reasons by Geza Tatrallyay was an epic, suspenseful thriller that kept me hooked at every turn!
This thriller novel follows an international story revolving around stolen uranium - trailing across Russia, Vienna, Georgia, and other beautiful landscapes. While I don't know much about those areas or the atomic bombs, I found Geza's retellings to be enough to get me really hooked to the story. Mix in Geza's skill of weaving a beautiful story, epic character arcs and the suspenseful twists and turns and you've got one awesome novel!
DISCLAIMER: There were some R rated scenes in this novel (both sexual and horrific in nature), so if you are not comfortable with brutal topics, this book might not be for you.
My pros: The chapters are short (which makes it great for little caffeine breaks for this reviewer!), relatable characters who grow over the novel, epic twists and turns (some I saw coming, but I've watched too many soap operas), incredible descriptions (landscapes, history, etc), and the story comes to a "close". There is a sequel, but I like when a book can be it's own entity and have an ending.
My cons: The cover is boring. I am the type of person who will pick up a book because the cover looks cool (yeah, I know, don't judge a book by it's cover but some covers are just SO awesome), so I might have skipped over this book. Luckily, I didn't, because this book is a real gem and a must read for those who love suspense and thrills!
Overall, this book was intense and awesome. I really enjoyed it and I want to read more! I liked it more than most famous/popular thriller novels are out there. It felt more real and not "typical". While it does have a "typical" story line - thriller, suspense, mystery, politics, war - it felt unique by the way Geza wrote it. He knows his material, he is clearly a very talented writer, and he makes characters we get invested in. Most stories follow the same old, same old path with the same story arc - Geza made this feel different, and I really enjoyed it. That being said, I will definitely be picking up the sequel!
Five out of five stars!!
I received a free copy of this book from the author Geza Tatrallyay in exchange for an honest review.
Twisted Reasons by Geza Tatrallyay was an epic, suspenseful thriller that kept me hooked at every turn!
This thriller novel follows an international story revolving around stolen uranium - trailing across Russia, Vienna, Georgia, and other beautiful landscapes. While I don't know much about those areas or the atomic bombs, I found Geza's retellings to be enough to get me really hooked to the story. Mix in Geza's skill of weaving a beautiful story, epic character arcs and the suspenseful twists and turns and you've got one awesome novel!
DISCLAIMER: There were some R rated scenes in this novel (both sexual and horrific in nature), so if you are not comfortable with brutal topics, this book might not be for you.
My pros: The chapters are short (which makes it great for little caffeine breaks for this reviewer!), relatable characters who grow over the novel, epic twists and turns (some I saw coming, but I've watched too many soap operas), incredible descriptions (landscapes, history, etc), and the story comes to a "close". There is a sequel, but I like when a book can be it's own entity and have an ending.
My cons: The cover is boring. I am the type of person who will pick up a book because the cover looks cool (yeah, I know, don't judge a book by it's cover but some covers are just SO awesome), so I might have skipped over this book. Luckily, I didn't, because this book is a real gem and a must read for those who love suspense and thrills!
Overall, this book was intense and awesome. I really enjoyed it and I want to read more! I liked it more than most famous/popular thriller novels are out there. It felt more real and not "typical". While it does have a "typical" story line - thriller, suspense, mystery, politics, war - it felt unique by the way Geza wrote it. He knows his material, he is clearly a very talented writer, and he makes characters we get invested in. Most stories follow the same old, same old path with the same story arc - Geza made this feel different, and I really enjoyed it. That being said, I will definitely be picking up the sequel!
Five out of five stars!!
I received a free copy of this book from the author Geza Tatrallyay in exchange for an honest review.
March 1, 2016
Geza Tatrallyay’s Twisted Reasons is not an easy read. While it is a work of fiction, it is fable interwoven with reality, a harsh, perhaps even prophetic reality at that. Greg Martens is an author of what was once called ‘penny dreadfuls’: crime novels devoid of literary merit. But he finds himself invited, by mistake as it happens, to a conference in Vienna hosted by the Austrian Literary Society. He is excited because he plans to visit a life long friend, Adam Kallay. Greg and Adam share Hungarian roots. They had grown up together in Cleveland and later attended Harvard. Now, Adam is an official with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Greg’s exhilaration is short lived however when he hears of Adam’s demise in a motor accident. Greg then teams up with Adam’s friend Anne Rossiter, an Interpol Agent and Julia, Adam’s Russian girlfriend, to solve a crime — theft of nuclear material from a former Soviet site, comprising sufficient uranium to make a dirty bomb. The adventure takes the reader from Vienna to radioactivity contaminated Chelyabnisk and to front-line Georgia. The pace quickens as the trio confront arms merchants, terrorists and human traffickers, all in an unwelcome, freezing climate. Entwined with the present day saga is the intriguing backstory of Greg’s own family; doubtless there are some older readers from that part of the world who will identify with it.
It is said you should not judge a book by its cover. I nearly passed over Twisted Reasons because I did not find the cover very alluring. I’m glad I took a second look. The pace is swift as the action wrenches the reader from one scene to the next. Geza Tatrallyay is either a walking encyclopaedia on the Chelyabnisk disaster and the highly secretive Mayak atomic weapons site, with an impressive working knowledge of the geography of the places visited in the story or he had to undertake an enormous amount of research as he worked his way through the manuscript. This is a good, old-fashioned, page-turning adventure story blended with the modern – and very real – menaces of terrorism, human trafficking, and underworld arms dealing. Right from the prologue, which describes in movie-like imagery life inside a 1949 Soviet nuclear facility, with despair and hopelessness reminiscent of Solzhenitsyn’s A Day In the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Tatrallyay has wonderfully captured the dreadful scene, the wretchedness of those forced to work in harsh and horrid conditions. Even when the action jumps to present day, none of the imagery is lost. There is page after page of mystery and intrigue. Characterization is excellent, every facet of each of the lead characters laid bare as the story moves forward. I suspect the book has been professionally edited, something you cannot take for granted these days of factory-like book production. This is intelligent writing at its best (not surprising when you come to the author’s profile at the end); Twisted Reasons is a joy to read.
Darryl Greer review for Readers' Favorite
It is said you should not judge a book by its cover. I nearly passed over Twisted Reasons because I did not find the cover very alluring. I’m glad I took a second look. The pace is swift as the action wrenches the reader from one scene to the next. Geza Tatrallyay is either a walking encyclopaedia on the Chelyabnisk disaster and the highly secretive Mayak atomic weapons site, with an impressive working knowledge of the geography of the places visited in the story or he had to undertake an enormous amount of research as he worked his way through the manuscript. This is a good, old-fashioned, page-turning adventure story blended with the modern – and very real – menaces of terrorism, human trafficking, and underworld arms dealing. Right from the prologue, which describes in movie-like imagery life inside a 1949 Soviet nuclear facility, with despair and hopelessness reminiscent of Solzhenitsyn’s A Day In the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Tatrallyay has wonderfully captured the dreadful scene, the wretchedness of those forced to work in harsh and horrid conditions. Even when the action jumps to present day, none of the imagery is lost. There is page after page of mystery and intrigue. Characterization is excellent, every facet of each of the lead characters laid bare as the story moves forward. I suspect the book has been professionally edited, something you cannot take for granted these days of factory-like book production. This is intelligent writing at its best (not surprising when you come to the author’s profile at the end); Twisted Reasons is a joy to read.
Darryl Greer review for Readers' Favorite
November 21, 2018
I first conceived of, and started writing, TWISTED REASONS, when I was living in Vienna and traveling throughout the former Soviet Union. I had read a great little book called THE ATOMIC BAZAAR, by William Langewiesche, that talked about the ease which with terrorists could get their hands on nuclear material from one of the secret cities where Stalin developed the atomic bomb. Delving further into research on the Soviet bomb, I learned about the many accidents and the utter disregard for human life and the environment in the Russian nuclear program right through to this day. With the International Atomic Energy Agency headquartered in Vienna, and its role in monitoring the disposition of nuclear material from the various sites in the former Soviet Union, I thought this could all form the basis for a great thriller set at least partly in a a city I knew well and loved. In thinking about it further, I found that Graham Greene’s novel, THE THIRD MAN, and Carol Reed’s wonderful film based on it, set in post-War Vienna, which takes the story of two friends, one of whom gets involved in trading tampered antibiotics, would serve as an excellent template for the beginning of my thriller. The two friends in my book have Hungarian-American backgrounds, and this adds an extra layer of depth as I am able to weave some of my own family’s experiences in to the novel.
I hope you enjoy the book!
I hope you enjoy the book!
October 2, 2017
To be honest, this book was difficult for me to read. I had a hard time even getting past the prologue. It recounts the horrible experiments that were done on prisoners in Russia concerning radiation poisoning. It was sad, disgusting, and horrifying. But after I made it past that, the rest of the book was an action-packed thriller spy drama. It's intense and well written. It's the first book in the Twisted Trilogy by Geza Tatrallayay which will also include human trafficking in future books. Check it for a good read.
December 6, 2014
A suspenseful thriller for the modern time! The book kept taking different twists and turns that would keep you guessing as to who was really in the conspiracy and who wasn't. A great book.
December 4, 2014
The twists and turns along with the history in this book make for a very interesting read. This is not the usual genre that I would read and I was very pleasantly surprised.
May 17, 2018
Twisted Reasons, the first book of Geza Tetrallyay’s Twisted trilogy, is a thriller with a strong historical and political base. It concerns both the creation of Russia’s first nuclear weapons and the later attempts by terrorists, with the help of Russian insiders, to steal enough weapons-grade material to build their own bombs. It’s also a tale of friends and lovers and how these relationships become somewhat twisted. To say it puts the Russian government and the people working for it in a bad light would be a vast understatement, as there are sufficient examples of cold-blooded murder and other crimes against humanity to keep the International Criminal Court busy for years. And it should be said that this is not a book for the squeamish, as Tetrallyay does not hesitate to describe many of these incidents in explicit detail. That said, the book keeps the reader turning pages as the story moves quickly along and the characters become more and more developed. The story has enough detail and description to place the reader squarely into each scene. This is definitely a book that will be enjoyed by fans of fast-moving spy thrillers with plenty of action, not to mention a substantial element of romance and human interest.
January 28, 2022
A writer travels to eastern Europe and becomes embroiled in mystery and danger in this story about stolen nuclear materials, the Stalinist nuclear bomb program and a terrorist plot.
This story kept me on the edge of my seat most of the way through. It has a lot of graphic brutality including murder and rape but they aren't gratuitous and the story, turning on the hero's friendship with and concern for an old school buddy is well written and impeccably plotted.
It's definitely not light reading, but this one was well worth the time.
Narration is well done with convincing voices using several accents.
This story kept me on the edge of my seat most of the way through. It has a lot of graphic brutality including murder and rape but they aren't gratuitous and the story, turning on the hero's friendship with and concern for an old school buddy is well written and impeccably plotted.
It's definitely not light reading, but this one was well worth the time.
Narration is well done with convincing voices using several accents.
May 11, 2015
A real page turner. Not really sure why I picked it up, as I don't read this genre (well not usually) but I am glad I did pick it up ans I truly enjoyed it.
The twists and turns along with the history in this book make for a very interesting read. As I mentioned, this is not the usual genre that I would read. But I was very pleasantly surprised. I would definitely consider reading the next book of this series when it comes out.
The twists and turns along with the history in this book make for a very interesting read. As I mentioned, this is not the usual genre that I would read. But I was very pleasantly surprised. I would definitely consider reading the next book of this series when it comes out.
November 29, 2014
This is a fascinating tale of intrigue bridging the atrocities under Stalin with modern criminality in Russia. It is very well researched and written.
December 31, 2014
Twisted Reasons was a well researched and thought provoking thriller. The book was a real page turner right up to the very end.
December 1, 2017
This novel is an exciting political thriller full of suspense.
Bravo to the author for his extensive background research into the former Soviet Union.
Bravo to the author for his extensive background research into the former Soviet Union.
October 25, 2018
Twisted Reasons tells one of the many horrors that came from the Soviet Union and how it could reach out and hurt us even today. In the modern day, nuclear-grade uranium has been stolen from an IAEA team trying to get it out of the former Soviet Union. An American with plans to find the thieves has died in Hungary, and his friend and a fellow IAEA agent struggle to find out what has really happened. Then, the worst happens.
This is a very good and smart thriller. If you like Mission Impossible-type stories, this is one for you. It’s much less silly, however, and the investigation elements are pretty well grounded. Exploring the former Soviet Union’s seedier side is always an interesting time and I really feel like the author has a good handle on the culture there.
There’s a lot of history here, history that is all too often left forgotten in favor of more fashionable causes. People end to brush over all the awful things the Soviet Union did to the people of Eastern Europe and the scars it has left. The accounts given to the main characters by older people are very striking and resemble actual accounts very closely.
It is very Hollywood to have the terrorists be who they are, but it’s not particularly disruptive. Another brief note: Glocks do not have external safeties in the way described in the book.
Twisted Reasons is a very good thriller novel and is a great read or anyone who loves the genre. Action, adventure, romance, history, justice, far-away places, and high stakes—this novel has it all.
This is a very good and smart thriller. If you like Mission Impossible-type stories, this is one for you. It’s much less silly, however, and the investigation elements are pretty well grounded. Exploring the former Soviet Union’s seedier side is always an interesting time and I really feel like the author has a good handle on the culture there.
There’s a lot of history here, history that is all too often left forgotten in favor of more fashionable causes. People end to brush over all the awful things the Soviet Union did to the people of Eastern Europe and the scars it has left. The accounts given to the main characters by older people are very striking and resemble actual accounts very closely.
It is very Hollywood to have the terrorists be who they are, but it’s not particularly disruptive. Another brief note: Glocks do not have external safeties in the way described in the book.
Twisted Reasons is a very good thriller novel and is a great read or anyone who loves the genre. Action, adventure, romance, history, justice, far-away places, and high stakes—this novel has it all.
March 18, 2015
Twisted Reasons
4/5 stars
This is a good, solid read. A thriller with politics, nuclear bombs, beautiful agents, and a regular Joe caught in the middle. Set in current day Vienna, the story loosely follows the film “The Third Man”, adding current politics, terrorists, and morals.
The backstory is revealed through the main character’s family history, many times in first person and set in WW2 and just after. Painstakingly researched for the history of the nuclear research project in Russia, and the Russian annexing of Hungary and Austria, and also the modern day situations there, this book is a treasure trove for anyone interested in those subjects.
The long descriptions, which would be fascinating to those mentioned above, do slow the story down a couple of times, but are necessary to follow the twists and turns of the plot.
It’s an exciting story, kicked off by the main character arriving in Vienna to visit and old friend, only to find him dead in a car accident hours before. From there he gets tangled up in missing uranium, terrorists, a beautiful Interpol agent, hidden agendas, secret deals, and a fight for his life, which he may lose.
Even if history isn’t your thing, I still recommend you get this book. It’s filled with strippers, Russian mobsters, and intrigue.
4/5 stars
This is a good, solid read. A thriller with politics, nuclear bombs, beautiful agents, and a regular Joe caught in the middle. Set in current day Vienna, the story loosely follows the film “The Third Man”, adding current politics, terrorists, and morals.
The backstory is revealed through the main character’s family history, many times in first person and set in WW2 and just after. Painstakingly researched for the history of the nuclear research project in Russia, and the Russian annexing of Hungary and Austria, and also the modern day situations there, this book is a treasure trove for anyone interested in those subjects.
The long descriptions, which would be fascinating to those mentioned above, do slow the story down a couple of times, but are necessary to follow the twists and turns of the plot.
It’s an exciting story, kicked off by the main character arriving in Vienna to visit and old friend, only to find him dead in a car accident hours before. From there he gets tangled up in missing uranium, terrorists, a beautiful Interpol agent, hidden agendas, secret deals, and a fight for his life, which he may lose.
Even if history isn’t your thing, I still recommend you get this book. It’s filled with strippers, Russian mobsters, and intrigue.
December 28, 2014
Through treatment of a Cold War era time when nuclear bombs were covertly under construction, "Twisted Reasons by Geza Tatrallyay pulls the reader in with every page. Set against the backdrop of Russian/Interpol spy games, the two main characters Anne and Greg race international theft investigations and an every increasingly complicated set of related events to find the solution to the murder of their mutual friend, Adam. "Twisted Reason" is a compelling, fascinating journey worthy of a first, and possibly second look.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 16 reviews