The Boy Who Stole from the Dead
Written by Orest Stelmach
4/5
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About this audiobook
Bobby Kungenook, a mysterious seventeen-year-old hockey phenom from the Arctic Circle, is accused of murder in New York City. Bobby’s guardian, Nadia Tesla, knows his true identity. If his secret gets out, it could cost him his life, and sports journalist Lauren Ross is in hot pursuit of Bobby’s story. Where did the boy with the blazing speed and magical hands come from? Why has no one heard of him before?
Nadia’s certain the boy is innocent, but the police have a signed confession and an eyewitness. To discover the truth about that night in New York, Nadia must dig into the boy’s past. Her international investigation—in New York, London, and Ukraine—will make her an unwitting pawn in a deadly game and reignite her quest for a priceless treasure, one that could alter mankind forever.
Orest Stelmach
Born in America to Ukrainian immigrants, Orest Stelmach spoke no English when he started his education. He went on to earn degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of Chicago. He has held a variety of jobs, including dishwasher, shelf stocker, English teacher in Japan, and international investment portfolio manager. The Altar Girl is his fourth novel in the Nadia Tesla series, following The Boy From Reactor 4, The Boy Who Stole From the Dead, and The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark. He resides in Simsbury, Connecticut.
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Titles in the series (4)
The Boy from Reactor 4 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy Who Stole from the Dead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Altar Girl: A Prequel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
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Reviews for The Boy Who Stole from the Dead
19 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unfortunately, I did not read the first book in this series. "The Boy Who Stole From the Dead" is the second book, and it feels like the middle chapters of a long book telling the story of Bobby, a teenaged hockey phenom, and his guardian, Nadia Tesla. Without reading the first book in the series and the third book (not yet published) you will not get the complete story. I think that a standalone book in a series is one that may have continuing characters from prior books, but tells a self contained story. In this book, there are so many references to occurrences in the prior book that they get in the way of the current action. You can either try to ignore the info dump from the first book or you can expend way too much energy trying to make sense of it.On the positive side, this book has a unique and interesting plot. The suspense and action really pick up in the last third of the book. You also learn a lot about the animosities between Russians and Ukrainians. On the negative side, I thought the storyline of the female sports reporter was pointless. Maybe it was a buildup for the next book. It also looks like the big reveal about the "priceless treasure that could alter mankind forever" that is referred to in the publisher's description will have to wait for the next book. I feel a little mislead by this description. This is a pretty good thriller, but it's only part of the story.I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I won this book on Goodreads and didn't know it was the second in a series. I only found out by reading what other people have said.
It is a book that can stand alone as I felt I understood what was going on and didn't feel like I was missing anything by not reading the first book. Bobby Kungenook is a 17-year-old hockey star who escaped from the Ukraine and his guardian/cousin Nadia Tesla helped him escape. The book is about Bobby killing someone and confessing but Nadia and Bobby's lawyer Johnny don't believe him. Nadia then goes on a journey to find out who the victim was and why Bobby would be in the meatpacking District to begin with. This is the start of a journey for Nadia that takes her back to the Ukraine and fighting for her life as she is chased by some of the people she is investigating. The author does a great job with details but gets to the point quickly. It's a fast-paced story where you learn a lot about Ukraine's customs, culture and food while you follow along with all the twists and turns the story takes. There is also a sports reporter, Lauren, who is hell bent on finding out who Bobby really is even though she promised Nadia she would wait a few more months for the full story, which causes Lauren lots of heartache. I would recommend this book. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Boy Who Stole from the Dead by Orest Stelmach is a very highly recommended mystery/thriller and the second book, after 2011's The Boy from Reactor 4, in what will be a three book series.
Reporter, Lauren Ross is up in Alaska trying to investigate seventeen year old hockey sensation Bobby Kungenook's true identity - or at least dig up some background information (or dirt) on him. Once again Nadia Tesla, the guardian of Bobby Kungenook, aka Adam Tesla, needs to save him, but Nadia has bigger problems than Lauren. While Lauren is trying to uncover the truth, Bobby has been arrested for murder.
"The depth of her fear for Bobby surprised Nadia. It shouldn’t have. He was her cousin, not her son, and she’d only known him for a year. But they’d shared a harrowing journey when she’d helped him escape from Chornobyl to New York. The experience had created a bond of such depth that here, in the police station, she wished she could swap places with him. For he was all she had, just as she was all he had." Location 237
Nadia needs to uncover the truth behind the man Bobby is accused of killing and find out what happened. Bobby isn't talking and he's locked up. She knows that for the time being the story about Bobby's past should stay intact. Bobby has a valid birth certificate, and a driver’s license, so the district attorney shouldn't go digging that deep into Bobby's past because he's already in custody. Nadia has no idea what information Bobby is trying to hide from her, but she is sure it is a misguided attempt to protect her from some information.
With help from her friend and attorney, Johnny, and heavily relying on her own intelligence and intuition, Nadia needs to turn to her own skill set to discover some answers - even if those answers send her back to the Ukraine.
While I have been planning to read the first book The Boy from Reactor 4, I haven't had a chance to read it yet. That didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying this second book in what will be a three book series. Enough background information is included along with the current story that I had no problem in understanding the salient points concerning what had happened in the first book and how that carried on into the plot in this second novel. The storylines between Lauren, the annoying reporter, and Nadia's search to uncover the truth were nicely balanced. At first it seems that Lauren is the real threat, but soon, as Nadia begins to investigate, the concern shifts to others. There are plenty of suspicious characters and as more questions are raised about what really happened and why, the intrigue and suspense also increase.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley for review purposes
Excerpt
oreststelmach.com/boy-who-stole-from-the-dead1.php - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5In The Boy Who Stole From the Dead, we re-enter the world of Nadia Tesla after she has become guardian to her young cousin, now going by the name of Bobby Kungenook. Bobby is a rising star in high school hockey and has garnered national attention for his talent on the rink. Sports reporter Lauren Ross thinks there is more to Bobby than meets the eye and she is determined to uncover his unknown background. When Bobby is accused of murder, he refuses to talk to Nadia or her friend and lawyer, Johnny. Bobby has confessed and there is a witness to the crime. Nadia refuses to believe that Bobby is guilty and returns to the Ukraine to uncover more of Bobby's past and find out the truth behind the alleged murder. Once again, I found myself enjoying the history given between the Ukraine and Russia. If this is not a region you know much about, this series gives you great background on the current conflicts happening between these two countries. I got a much better feel for the characters themselves in this book than I did in the first book. They seem to be slowly coming into focus. The relationship between Nadia and her family members is drawn in a little more and we learn that Johnny has the hots for her. A quick adventurous read!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is the sequel to The Boy from Reactor 4. When I happened across that novel, last year, I was amazed that I had read no rave reviews. It is a riveting story of mystery and suspense that would appeal to fans of The Da Vinci Code and other thrillers. So, imagine my excitement when I saw that the sequel was available. In this book, Adama, now known as Bobby Kungenook is accused of murdering English businessman Jonathan Valentine. Bobby walks directly from the scene of the stabbing to the police station and confesses to the murder. His guardian, Nadia Tesla, is convinced that Bobby is innocent. Bobby refuses to discuss the murder with her or to defend himself in any way, so she is left to discover the truth behind the incident on her own. She hires her friend, attorney Johnny Tanner, to not only defend Bobby but to try to get the truth out of him. Johnny knows the truth about Bobby's past and suspects, as Nadia does, that his current troubles are related to his past in Chernobyl.A tenacious sports reporter who travels to Alaska to try to find out the history of the mysterious high school hockey star, Bobby Kungenook, complicates matters even further. Her actions involve persons that Nadia and Bobby had both hoped to never see again. Nadia's brother insistence on tagging along as she digs for the truth also makes things more difficult things for her. Nadia's investigation takes her to London and then back to Ukraine. Her searching takes to luxury hotels, a complex of underground caves, and ultimately, back to Chernobyl. Along the way she solves some mysteries and discovers some new ones. She also meets an enigmatic millionaire who may just be the man of her dreams. The resolution of this mystery is satisfying and is not something the reader is likely to guess.As a bonus, this book gives a great deal of detail about the social and political relationship between Russia and the Ukraine. This information lends clarity to the events going on there now.I would highly recommend this book, and I can barely wait for the next installment of the adventures of Nadia Tesla.