Unnamed Forces

In 1936 Germany and Japan sign a treaty with two oil companies: The two countries divide among each other the oil exploitation in Siberia. The diplomatic courier carrying the German ver­sion of the treaty from Tokyo to Berlin dis­ap­pears while crossing the Soviet Union tra­vel­ing on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Nearly seventy years later Jack Boulder, a Ca­na­dian living in the Swiss city of Basel, is asked by the German Foreign Office to trace the ori­gi­nal copy of the treaty. What is so important about an agreement that is outdated? Why does a German government office offer so much money for this task if they know exactly whom to ask for its whereabouts? Soon Boulder realizes that certain parts of the puzzle are not foreign to him. Driven by cu­rio­sity he follows the trails he discovers through Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, the Uni­ted Sta­tes and Russia; and others follow him. The circle closes in Siberia. Who gets the Rus­si­an oil? Who finances the pipelines? Who bags the pro­fits? A novel set in 2002 with a gripping story against both a colorful historical and con­­tem­­po­­ra­ry political background. The plot is full of peri­od detail, rapid, hu­mo­rous, and full of sus­pense; a mixture of intrigue and romance. At the same time it traces the attempts of the cen­tral character to come to terms with the en­tangle­ment of politics, bu­reau­cra­cy, and busi­ness. The book introduces protagonist Jack Boulder and presents his friends Laszlo Nagy, a former art forger, Annabel Conti, who is working for a Swiss bank, and Dr. Schall, who runs a small German secret service.