Calumet Editions

The Hidden One

Book 1 of 2: People of the Blood

In 1993, fifty-year-old Ashley Cooper seems to have everything: elite law work on post-perestroika Russia, a Fifth Avenue penthouse, fast cars, and a faster mistress. Then people begin dying—his wife among them. With his teenage daughter Annie, Ashley deciphers diaries from his true father and grandfather, revealing the WWII atrocity of the “Iron Cage” and supernatural forces shielding—and hunting—him. A hidden prince, he must endure brutal trials against the Polinkov, ancient rivals of the Iskandarov. Book one of People of the Blood.

Genre-busting giant of a debut

—Ian Graham Leask, author of House of Large Sizes

Description

It is 1993 and Ashley Cooper, in his fiftieth year, loves his work at a prestigious law firm, dealing with post-perestroika Russia. He has it all: a 5th Avenue penthouse overlooking New York’s Central Park, membership in all the right clubs, fast cars, and an even faster mistress. But people start dying, including his wife and some close family and friends. With the help of his beloved teenaged daughter, Annie, he begins studying diaries written by his real father and grandfather, which expose the World War II atrocity of the ‘Iron Cage’ and the presence of supernatural forces working to hide him from those who would assassinate him. He is the hidden prince, destined to lead the Iskandarov clan into the 21st century, and he must be severely tested by the formidable forces of the Polinkov—the deadly rivals of the Iskanderov for millennia. This is the first novel in a series called People of the Blood.

Product Details

PublishedDecember 27, 2022
ImprintCalumet Editions
LanguageEnglish
Print length440
ISBN-13978-1959770909
Dimensions6 x 0.98 x 9 inches

Norm Mitchell’s book, The Hidden One, is a “genre-busting debut novel,” as advertised. This makes it interesting, as well as challenging. I found I couldn’t put it down. The challenge is keeping all of the characters and their relationships with each other straight.

—Reader, review on Amazon

Norm Mitchell has woven together a complex narrative spanning most of the 20th Century and has made it easy to read, extremely entertaining and full of interesting sidelines set in the US, Europe and Russia. For anyone who enjoys history, human relationships, culture and excitement this is an excellent read. I am looking forward to the second book to find out what happens next.

—RB, review on Amazon

This book kept you engrossed as you follow the twists and turns in the story. The history is fascinating and the characters even more so. I enjoyed the blending of the real and supernatural, which didn’t feel forced. I finished the book wanting to know what happens next. I will be waiting not so patiently for book two in this trilogy.

—Reader, review on Amazon