In 2016 I read and reviewed the first three books in Nik Krasno’s Oligarch series. I rated them successively with 5, 4 and 3 stars. I finished my review of Be First or Be Dead, the third book in the series, with a suggestion that the series had run its course and that maybe it was time for Krasno to use his skills on some new work.

Four years later, €$CA₽€? appeared and I was intrigued. Was this a new story, had Krasno re-found the magic of his first novel Rise of an Oligarch? No, €$CA₽€? cannot even be termed a sequel of Be First or be Dead, it is a continuation. Any reader who has not read the previous novel will struggle to follow the story or the characters.

And just like the second and third books, €$CA₽€? is light on plot and heavy on action. If you like non-stop violence, much of it extreme, you may well enjoy the novel. Krasno’s text is easy to follow. The events take place in Russia, Ukraine, Canada and London; much of it simultaneously, with switches chapter by chapter. We follow Mikhail and various members of his team with the narrative of Mikhail’s story in the first person and the others in the third person.

Krasno has repeated his earlier process of including a chapter written by a guest author although I still cannot understand the value of this.

I have to ask why Krasno is continuing with this story and I can only assume that he is reacting to demand for his previous work. If you have enjoyed the previous three books then you will probably enjoy €$CA₽€? but if you have not read the others then my advice is to read the excellent Rise of an Oligarch: The Way It Is: Book One by Carlito Sofer and Nik Krasno. If you follow the series from there and progress until €$CA₽€? you will probably rate it higher than the three stars that I have awarded.

Nik Krasno is one of those writers who never thought he would end up authoring a book. He just knew that he had a story that apparently waited for the right moment to break out. Krasno was born in Kiev, USSR (Ukraine). Seeing the enormous Soviet Empire crumbling around him as a teenager, Nik immigrated to Israel, where he became a lawyer and after the Big Bang of the USSR returned to already independent Ukraine as an Israeli citizen.

For many years Nik had been sharing his time between family in Israel and work and business mostly in former Soviet republics, virtually living on the plane between Middle East and Eastern Europe. Witnessing the meteoric rise of a small number of individuals from modest citizens to mighty billionaires, Nik felt compelled to expose to the world the unique phenomenon taking place in this less familiar part of the globe. In the fictional plot of his Oligarch series he combines real and imaginary events with some ‘lawyers’ folklore’ and known corruption and criminal schemes customary for Ukraine and other former USSR republics.

The author also shares some insight into the glorious and simultaneously tragic events of 2013 uprising in Ukraine resulting in ousting of the president, ensuing Russian aggression in Crimea and tensions and war in the Eastern regions of Ukraine. The imaginary characters are designed to reflect real behaviour and mentality and provide decent entertainment for the readers.

Besides writing the series, Nik currently resides and works as an independent legal practitioner in Israel.

What did you think of Escape? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!