book cover of The Holy Thief
Added by 34 members
 

The Holy Thief

(2010)
(The first book in the Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev series)
A novel by

 
 
Moscow, 1936 and Stalin's Great Terror is beginning. In a deconsecrated Church, a young woman is found dead, her mutilated body displayed on the altar for all to see.

Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev, finally beginning to enjoy the benefits of his success with the Criminal Investigation Division of the Moscow Militia, is asked to investigate. But when he discovers that the victim is an American citizen, the NKVD -the most feared organisation in Russia- becomes involved. Soon, Korolev's every move is under close scrutiny and one false move will mean exile to The Zone, where the enemies of the Soviet State, both real and imagined, meet their fate in the frozen camps of the far north.

Committed to uncovering the truth behind this gruesome murder, Korolev,enters the realm of the Thieves, who run Moscow's underworld. And as more bodies are discovered and the pressure from above builds, Korolev begins to question who he can trust; and who, in this Russia where fear, uncertainty and hunger prevails, are the real criminals. Soon, Korolev will find not only his moral and political ideals threatened, but also his life . . .


Genre: Historical Mystery

Praise for this book

"Without doubt, The Holy Thief is one of the best historical mysteries I've read in the last ten years." - David Liss

"A subtle, superb mystery, a wonderful central character and a sense of place and period to rival even the greatest of Russian masters. More please!" - Kate Mosse


Visitors also looked at these books


Used availability for William Ryan's The Holy Thief


About Fantastic Fiction       Information for Authors