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Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Odyssey Moscow by Michael Calvey offers a gripping firsthand account of the author's journey from a respected American financier to a prisoner in one of Russia's most notorious detention centers. For decades, Calvey built a successful career navigating the complex and often unpredictable business environment of post-Communist Russia. His world collapsed when he was suddenly arrested on fraud charges in 2019 despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence. The memoir talks about his harrowing experience of imprisonment in a system designed to break your spirit and reveals the daily realities of Russian detention. The book also discusses the corruption, political maneuvering, and fundamental lack of judicial independence that characterize modern Russia's approach to foreign investors who fall out of favor with powerful interests.
Author Michael Calvey has surprising and moving clarity and emotional restraint as he lets the shocking events of his life speak for themselves. His direct narrative style shows exactly how he was able to keep his sanity and dignity under extreme circumstances, and I found myself completely absorbed by the tension of his strategic business mind trying to make sense of the situation. The book reads with the urgency of a thriller and it was sometimes easy for me to forget that these events actually happened to the author. Calvey's reflections on power and corruption are so cool and collected in hindsight that you have to admire his strength of will. It's when he describes the impact of his imprisonment on his family and colleagues that you feel the reality sinking in and how truly horrible and unlawful the experience was for him and everyone who cared about him. Overall, Odyssey Moscow is an important political read that sheds light on international relations and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the area.
