Nina’s Friends
Sophisticated, layered, and character-driven, Nina’s Friends is a fast-moving international suspense thriller of betrayal, secrets, and greed, for fans of Daniel Silva, Tana French, and John Sandford.
“Sometimes the friends of your friend are your enemies.”
Nina’s Friends is an explosive murder mystery by New Jersey writer James Irwin. It follows Dragan Markov, a disgraced former agent with a violent page who was the dead woman’s lover. He believes the killings are connected to the couple’s illegal side-hustles. He follows the trail to Denmark, where he contends with a money launderer seeking an exit strategy, a fledgling domestic terrorist, a pansexual outlaw biker, and a beautiful colleague who wants nothing to do with him or his mission.
Time is not on Dragan’s side. He’ll soon become the scapegoat for the murders… unless whoever is tracking him through the side streets and shadows of Copenhagen kills him first.
Teeming with deceptions and bad behavior, Nina’s Friends explores themes of identity and belonging, duty and obligation, and social injustice, featuring multifaceted characters with complex motivations. It is book one of the Tajna Circle series.
Praise for Nina’s Friends in reader reviews:
“Taut, fast-paced, full of intrigue and surprise. Dragan Markov’s perilous journey through the violent world of international deception and spycraft, from South Philly to the streets of Denmark, is captivating throughout. Those who love the classics – Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, for instance – will recognize the author’s influences, but this is an entirely modern thriller. The writing is clever, efficient, and engaging.”
“The plot is tight, the tension constant, and the setting richly atmospheric. Irwin delivers smart twists and a compelling lead character. A must-read for fans of espionage and political thrillers.”
“The only reason I put it down was an appointment I had to keep…The story moves along quickly with plenty of intrigue.”
“The story is full of twists, shadowy allies, and tense moments. James Irwin does a great job blending action with intrigue, and the European setting adds a cool atmospheric edge.”
“Under the guise of an intense spy thriller, this book has that essential driving dialog of classic detective fiction DNA (think Chandler, Parker, Lehane), mixed with the wit and intrigue of great crime character narratives (in the tradition of Elmore Leonard). The result is a completely new, modern and refreshing story swaddled in tradition that makes it all hang together and work well. As a result, the novel is a literate and worthwhile– yet relaxing– read.”
“It kept me guessing.”
“The novel’s strength lies in its sharp, efficient, and evocative prose, which keeps the tension high and the pages turning. Through Dragan’s keen yet understated perspective, the story unfolds with a blend of mystery, action, and deep character exploration.”
“An intelligent and entertaining whodunit.”
“When is a spy story not a spy story? When the spies are up to no good, but for other reasons. Dragan is, as they might say in Boston or Bayonne, an interesting character, and it’s through his low key yet observant eyes that the story unfolds. The writing style is deft, clever, efficient, and evocative. The globetrotting, the clues, the secrets of the art business, all the “friends” with their own agendas, makes for an engaging narrative.”
Publication date: 25 March 2025
Format: eBook, paperback
Page count: 364 pages
ebook ISBN: 978-1-967223-00-8
paperback ISBN: 978-1-967223-01-5
5.5” x 8.5” quality paperback
Publisher: Vague Apparatus Press
ABOUT THE TAJNA CIRCLE SERIES
The Tajna Circle series is a collection of stories featuring Russian agents embedded in the northeast United States, and some of their associates. They are an anachronism, leftovers from an old way of doing things, in a program that still exists because someone high up in government doesn’t want to lose that line item in their budget. Some have lived in the USA so long they are no longer Russian, but not long enough to be Americans, either. Their true selves exist in a shadowy, liminal border between cultures where violent crime, personal betrayal, lust for power, and international intrigue also dwell.
PRESS KIT
