Meeting the Author Rebecca Strong

This month we read Who Is Mr. Plutin? by Rebecca Strong. Since this month had school starting and a lot of changes, a few of us didn't quite finish the book. But, with kids now at school, we are all hoping to have it completed soon.

So, we talked with Rebecca Strong over Skype. She has a beautiful, subtle Russian accent, and an array of stories to tell from her well-traveled life. She explained that she came up with the concept of the story when, after years living abroad, she returned to Russia and found herself a little confused by the changes that had occurred since she left not long after the fall of the Soviet Union. So, she devised the concept of a Russian woman waking up lost and confused in St. Petersburg and how she overcomes the struggle.

We learned that there will be a sequel, and we're quite excited to see that when it comes out. We also discovered that Rebecca Strong writes non-fiction under her normal name, since Rebecca Strong is a pen name. We will be checking those out!

Mostly, we enjoyed listening to Rebecca's stories about her travels and experiences in foreign lands. She's definitely an interesting person to hear speak, with so many wonderful tales to tell.


This month we will be reading Deceptive Cadence.

Team Reviews of Who Is Mr. Plutin? by Rebecca Strong

From Goodreads:
Yesterday Vika Serkova was in New York, eating takeout alone in her closet-sized apartment. Today she wakes up with a wedding ring on her finger, next to a man who claims to be her husband. In a designer flat in St Petersburg, Russia. Huh?

Her new reality is full of surprises. She owns only stilettos but can’t take a step in them without falling. People around her seem to think she’s lived in Russia her entire life. Her daily routine includes thousand-dollar spa visits with caviar and Dom Pérignon. And her husband is a handsome oligarch who buys her jewelry without any occasion. This new Russian life seems to be as different from the old American life as two countries’ views on Crimea. 

Has reality blown a fuse? Vika won’t worry about it now that she is a living Cinderella story. At least not until her husband drops an ultimate bomb about why she’s forgotten everything, about the work she does with her father, and about her current assignment for the Russian President. The assignment, which, as she discovers a day later, sets her against her husband in a conspiracy big enough to cost them not only their Breguets but very possibly their lives. To save herself and the family she is beginning to remember Vika needs to fool them into defecting. A perfect plan but only if she can manage it with her Russian memory MIA and her opponents set on destroying each other even before Vika’s manicure dries.

Fun and fast-paced, WHO IS MR. PLUTIN? is set in modern day St. Petersburg, Russia where your chances in life are only as good as the car you drive, the clothes you wear, and the people you stay away from.

Team Reviews:

Katie:
What a fantastic book! From the very first page I was completely hooked. Vika has such a wonderful voice, and as a reader, following her discovery of who she is after the hypnosis wiped her memories is mesmerizing. There are so many twists and turns, intrigues, complications, the book kept me turning page after page to find out what was going on.
Each character has their own agendas, and their personal twists and interactions with Vika are fantastic. Vika's conflict between her husband and father is truly a difficult one, and shows her strength and courage.
I loved this book so much that when it ended I literally said "no!" out loud, and flicked through for just a hint of more. I just Loved it! 

Jackie G:
Interesting political plot

Interesting behind the scenes spy story. I wonder how often hypnosis is used in the spy world? Russia is an interesting setting.