During the final days of the Second World War, Ben Kalninsh would search an abandoned coal mine tunnel for stolen guns the soldiers hid inside. Unfortunately for him, by entering the tunnel he sets into motion events which will follow him into his adult life. Ben travels to America with his veterinarian father, Edwards, and beautiful Latvian mother, Agnes, along with his two younger brothers, where they settle in the Nordic-friendly town of Forks, Minnesota. Ben is 14, tall, shy and often the brunt of the cruelty of his peers. The initial poverty of his family doesn't help. During his teen years, Ben decides upon boxing as a way to achieve the wealth he's determined to acquire. By the age of 20, he's managed to go from amateur to Pro, making more money than even he dreamt of—but his trainer claims he lacks the quality for championship—determination and the killer instinct. Ben knows better and intends to prove it. And he does just that during a fight with Europe's Swede champion. Author Ned Stevens has a knack for dialect and his characters come alive, vividly enhancing this fast-paced novel of intrigue buried under even deeper intrigue festering and about to erupt. Ben's excitement over beating the Swede is short-lived when FBI agents approach him with news of the murder of his father. His practical mother advises them not to tell Ben until after the fight. Special Agent Miriam Dokes and Agent Book are assigned to the case which includes the torture and murder of Edwards' Doctor turned farmer friend, Karlis Goulbis. The agents question his shaken widow, in particular, about a page from a notebook with ' RIGA' written in red and attached to Karl's body. Edwards and Agnes had lived near Riga during the war, the only connection to the deaths of the two men—so far. The agents take the relatives of the two slain men into protective custody, giving them new identities. Ben realizes it must be Karlis they are after, killing his father when he walked in on their torturous attempt to get information from his friend. When Ben decides not to leave, his mother gives him an envelope his father left for him, in the event of his death. It is sealed. FBI agents, Tom Mansfield and John Holt speculate that Edwards and Karlis were killed for information and that there is a third man, yet unknown. Allegedly, around the end of the war, in 1945, a Russian bank was robbed of an impressive amount of gold—gold they want back and aren't too fastidious as to how they get it. FBI manager, Sawyer, has a hunch there's something much more valuable than gold stolen as well. Due to so many secret projects and so many years gone by, it's become the proverbial" needle in a haystack". In order to find it John needs to go back to where it all started in Riga.

Nemesis is the second part of A Suitcase Mystery, its denouement. A deadly secret in a suitcase full of stolen gold leads to a series of unexplainable murders while the FBI hunts for a top foreign killer spy. The story starts in Latvia, near Riga, during the final days of the Second World War. A young boy Ben Kalninsh searches an abandoned coal mine tunnel for stolen guns the soldiers hid inside. Unfortunately for him, he meets an AWOL Soviet Army officer on the run instead. The officer is involved in a theft of a large amount of gold from one of his superiors and had it hidden inside the same tunnel. Unknown to him, one of the valises holds also a diary with top Soviet secrets related to espionage in the US. And so, by entering the tunnel, Ben sets into motion deadly events which will follow him into his adult life. Years later, in Minnesota, his father is gunned down. And no one knows why. FBI agents approach Ben with the news of the murder of his father. Special Agent Miriam Dokes and Agent Book are assigned to the case which includes the torture and murder of his father’s doctor friend, Karlis Goulbis. The FBI manager, Bob Sawyer, has a hunch there's something much more valuable than the stolen gold. Due to so many secret projects and so many years gone by, the affair becomes the proverbial search for a "needle in a haystack.” In order to find the answers, Ben, the principal character, needs to go back to Switzerland, to a bank where the gold is hidden. And, from there on, Death stalks Ben and all other participants in the gold heist. Nemesis provides the denouement of the story.