Kaiserslautern · Mainzer Tor
Lord & Ledger — A Writer's Platform
Words that
carry weight.
A Cold War heist. Decades of exile. A fortune that can never be spent. And a past that never stopped hunting them.
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Lord & Ledger — A Writer's Platform
A Cold War heist. Decades of exile. A fortune that can never be spent. And a past that never stopped hunting them.
A novel · Available Now
"The money is real, the danger is imminent, and the choices ahead could change everything."
In the final days of the Soviet Union, three university students pull off the most daring heist in Cold War history — hijacking a military transport plane to steal millions of American dollars. But what begins as a calculated rebellion soon spirals into decades of exile, betrayal, and survival.
Now in Chicago, two of the last survivors, Mikael and Ilya, are living quiet but fractured lives, haunted by secrets and holding onto a fortune they can never safely spend. When a violent explosion shakes their neighborhood, the past resurfaces — as do the people who never stopped hunting them.
Caught in the fallout are two detectives whose own moral boundaries begin to crumble as they uncover the truth. Spanning from Leningrad to Istanbul, from forgotten airfields to cramped city flats, The Burden is a literary thriller about the weight of loyalty, the cost of freedom, and the thin line between justice and survival.
"Ilya was a beauty in every sense of the word — dark-haired, sharp-eyed, with a fierce intelligence that was as magnetic as her looks. She could drink most Russian men under the table and still recall every word spoken the night before. Where others saw vodka as an escape, Ilya wielded it like a tool — sharpening her wit, loosening her tongue, without ever tipping past the point of no return. She was, Peter often said, his match in every way.
"In the smoky cafes, in crowded student apartments, Ilya's laughter rang out like a challenge. She drew people to her — not just for her beauty, but for the fire in her words, the sharpness in her eyes. 'Don't bring me flowers,' she once told Peter. 'Bring me arguments worth having.'"
— The Burden
"The Politburo and their families were the new aristocracy, every bit as corrupt and insulated as the Tsars their ancestors had overthrown. For the rest of the Soviet people, life was an endless grind — hours in line for bread, no hope of advancement, no dream beyond survival.
"Peter heard the story, jaw clenched, and said softly, 'A system that can't make shoes doesn't deserve to last.' Mikael, seated in the corner, only murmured, 'Shoes or no shoes, people survive. What scares me is when they stop wanting to.'"
— The Burden
"Don't bring me flowers," she once told Peter. "Bring me arguments worth having."
— Ilya, in The Burden
"You're doing this because your father built a world that refused to see you. And now you want to burn it down with his name still on the mailbox."
— Taranov, in The Burden
"Written in a unique fast-paced style, the author immerses the reader into a world of secrets and intrigue. Filled with poetic details, and lines that leave you rereading them because they are so good, I'd highly recommend this book. You'll be awaiting his next novel."
"This is not usually my genre, but could not put this one down! I need a second and third book ASAP. Dying to know more about the characters. 10/10 read."
"Read this thriller front to back in one sitting. Thoroughly enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the character's time in Kaiserslautern, my home of nearly 6 years."
"The book was awesome...description in all ways, of characters feelings, thoughts, fears were done masterfully. Such a great quick read...can't wait for more..."
"I don't typically read thrillers, but this book just may have converted me. Each character is deeply complex and there are underlying messages and lessons throughout so much of the book. There is so much more to this book than the story itself."
"Lines that leave you rereading them because they are so good."
Get Your Copy on AmazonMikael, Ilya, and the world of The Burden are back — and the stakes are higher than ever. The emotional arc deepens, the world expands, and the questions left unanswered in Book One finally meet their reckoning. Unburden arrives April 20th, available in paperback and on Kindle.
"What happens when you finally put it down — and discover the weight was the only thing holding you together?"
Book Two · Available April 20th
The burden was supposed to be over. The money gone. The past buried.
It wasn't.
What was your favorite part of writing the book?
"My favorite part was building the characters' depth. I had a dream — literally — and it was so vivid I felt it all, I felt the characters. But not the depth of them. Not who they really were, their backgrounds. Discovering that was my favorite part."
How long did it take to write?
"I began writing in 2011. I woke from a dream, grabbed a pen and paper, and began scribbling. After that, I'd write a little and put it down — for years. Each time, I had to reread everything and felt like I was beginning anew. The current version has a different feel than those first chapters did. My life was different, and I think it reflected in the characters."
Is there a character you feel the closest connection to?
"I feel the most affinity with Nardone. I share much of his background, and have been through some of what he has gone through. I've felt, at times, like just chucking it all and going back to Europe — losing myself in a small Italian village. A summer I spent there in my younger years affected my life greatly."
Who would play Peter in a film adaptation?
"My neighbor Dimitry — yes, really, that's his name — would make a perfect mature Peter. As for who plays Peter fresh out of college... I'll have to think more on that."
Did you always know you wanted to write a book?
"Ask a few people I knew in high school — they might still have childish stories I wrote back then. I always loved creative writing, and have always been able to communicate better with pen and paper than with the spoken word. This wasn't a 'now' inspiration so much as finally having time to focus, get it all down, organized — to the point of wanting to share it. And here it is."
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Dennis Lord is a storyteller driven by a deep curiosity about human resilience, moral complexity, and the secrets people carry. With a background that spans creative writing, business, and independent publishing, Dennis blends cinematic pacing with emotional depth to craft gripping narratives that linger long after the final page.
His debut novel, The Burden, showcases his skill for weaving suspense with psychological insight, set against the backdrop of Cold War shadows and modern-day reckoning. Drawing from years of research into intelligence history and geopolitical undercurrents, Dennis brings a unique authenticity to his work — one grounded in realism yet propelled by imagination.
Outside of writing fiction, Dennis is a dedicated creator and entrepreneur with a passion for personal growth, strategic thinking, and helping others find clarity in a noisy world. Whether building tools for self-mastery, designing educational resources, or developing visual storytelling projects, his work consistently centers on impact, meaning, and transformation.
He lives in the Midwest, where the seasons are bold and the stories even bolder. When not writing, you might find him exploring historical archives, designing custom training logbooks, or sketching out his next big idea on a café napkin.
The Burden is the first in a planned series. Unburden, Book Two, is available April 20th — deepening the emotional arc of his characters while expanding the world they inhabit.
To connect or learn more:
@LordandLedger on Instagram
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[email protected]
