White Nights, Red Dreams by John Morales

White Nights, Red Dreams by John Morales

St. Petersburg, Zurich, Shanghai, and Miami are the background for this extraordinary novel that takes place during the post-Soviet era. A large part of the Russian economy has criminal origins, and a number of former mafia heads have become the driving force behind many new business ventures. The end of the Cold War permits a new globalization of business, and international criminals have an unprecedented freedom to cross borders and to expand the range and scope of their operations.

While attending a conference in Russia, an American banker is lured by Chinese and Russian businessmen into participating in a lucrative financial scheme that promises to change the course of his life. During the conference, the American becomes charmed by a young Russian woman with ties to the mafia. As events unfold, the American soon finds himself the target of a powerful Chinese executive of a corporation that is ironically headquartered on Shanghai's Street of Eternal Happiness.