The Foreign Service Journal, November 2010

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 39 Authenticity: A Novel of Art, Crime, Love and Diplomacy David Siefkin, XPat Fiction, 2009, $12.50, paperback, 262 pages. For U.S. consul general in St. Petersburg, a visiting art exhibit is the perfect, if rather routine, diplomatic mission. But on the eve of the opening, Peter May dis- covers a masterpiece of crime whose clues lead him to the secrets of the Hermitage Museum, backstage at the ballet, and into the world of spies and counterspies, bal- lerinas, art forgers, and Russian billionaires. With romance, intrigue, humor and snappy dia- logue, Authenticity tells the story of a man and woman separated by their political and social cultures but com- pletely connected in the love they share for art and life. How far must they travel to restore a set of authentic paintings to their rightful owner? And who is the right- ful owner? David Siefkin — who wrote the original script for the popular computer game Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? before joining the Foreign Service — is currently the press attaché in Moscow. He has served previously in Brussels, Yerevan, Sofia, Paris, St. Petersburg and Washington, D.C. A Modest Silence Sheila Coral Grimes, Dog Ear Publishing, LLC, 2009, $12.95, paperback, 176 pages. In A Modest Silence , Sheila Coral Grimes draws on her child- hood in Alexandria, Egypt, and a lifetime of experience as the wife of an FSO to weave “an exotic tale with conflict, suspense, innocence, budding love, and determination amid chaos.” Gaby is a feisty and musically talented young woman living with her Sephardic Jewish parents in Egypt dur- ing the turbulent reign and abdication of King Farouk. As she copes with the country’s political upheaval and her father’s unjust incarceration, she must make a diffi- cult and life-altering decision: choosing among three po- tential suitors for her hand in marriage. The author’s Continued on page 45