The Velvet Interrogation By Stephen Kessel

Title:  The Velvet Interrogation
Author: Stephen Kessel
Publisher: Smashwords
Buy the book: Amazon, Publisher

Blurb:

U.S. diplomat Chet Bender saves young Nabil Shabili from a Palestinian refugee camp inside Lebanon, on the eve of a devastating Israeli attack. He subsequently accepts Nabil into his life, bed, and heart. Nearly twenty years later, Nabil is in the running to take the presidency of Lebanon and the forces promoting this rise are busy cleaning up any loose ends. And one of those loose ends is Chet.

Review:

Velvet Interrogation is a stunning short story that packs a heavy punch. Although a mere 45 pages, the characters are robust and instantly interesting and the conflict is engaging. Well written, intense, and emotional, Kessel provides great characters in sparse prose. There is a needed element of suspension of disbelief as the story drops the reader right into the action of international espionage and the romantic connection is perhaps the weakest aspect, but the story is worth reading and enjoying.

The story opens with an American ex-embassy worker giving what he thinks is a fluff interview piece. Chet Bender thinks he’s there to offer a human side to one of the Lebanonese presidential candidates, a man named Nabil whom he saved from a refugee camp many years before. However there is something much more sinister going on as Chet’s answers hold his life and Nabil’s life in the balance.

The delicate cat and mouse game reveals how the two men met and their deep connection through a series of first person memories. Told from both Nabil and Chet’s point of view, the two men remember how they met, their motivations, and how they perceived the other person. The story delves into the manipulations of both men and each feels they controlled the relationship while seducing the other. This makes for a fascinating telling as the question of who manipulated whom and what each man really knew shows the different facets of their personalities.

Initially Chet seems to have been manipulated and used by a politically hungry and ambitious Nabil. Though no one could blame the young man for trying to save his life and give himself a future, even if at the expense of using an American sexually and emotionally. However, through Chet’s internal musings the reader comes to understand that Chet had his own reasons and his view on Nabil’s actions is very different than what some may realize. The knife edge balance that Chet and Nabil walk, somewhat unwittingly, creates a fantastic suspense and carries the tension incredibly well. The constant threat to both men’s lives is very real and well drawn while keeping an element of subtly and sophistication.

The story does need readers to suspend their disbelief and delve into the world of international espionage as depicted. Perhaps the scenes are outrageous and could never happen but the skillful writing weaves a seemingly plausible story from start to finish. The one qualm I have is the ending is too pat and out of character. I didn’t believe Nabil’s final choices, though they were the only way for a happy ending of sorts. I can still easily recommend this quick delight. The well developed characters combine with a well written intense plot to deliver a really remarkable and unique offering. Get it today, right now!