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Booktopia Comments
No one does Russian espionage like Ryan, and in this exclusive Booktopia offer, we have packaged his first two terrific titles together at one very low price.
Book Description
The Bloody Meadow
Captain Alexei Korolev returns...
Following his investigations in The Holy Thief, which implicated those at the very top of authority in Soviet Russia, Captain Alexei Korolev finds himself decorated and hailed as an example to all Soviet workers. But Korolev lives in an uneasy peace – his new-found knowledge is dangerous, and if it is discovered what his real actions were during the case, he will face deportation to the frozen camps of the far north.
But when the knock on the door comes, in the dead of night, it is not Siberia Korolev is destined for. Instead, Colonel Rodinov of the NKVD security service asks the detective to look into the suspected suicide of a young woman: Maria Alexandovna Lenskaya – Masha, a model citizen. Korolev is unnerved to learn that Masha had been of interest to Ezhov, the feared Commissar for State Security. Ezhov himself wants the matter looked into.
And when the detective arrives on the set for Bloody Meadow, in the bleak, battle-scarred Ukraine, he soon discovers that there is more to Masha's death than meets the eye...
The Holy Thief
Introducing Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev, and an outstanding new voice in historical crime fiction...
Moscow, 1936 and Stalin's Great Terror is beginning. In a deconsecrated Church, a young woman is tortured to death, 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 the Zone - the place where not only Russia's criminals are dispatched, but anyone deemed to be an Enemy of the State - doesn't seem quite so distant.
Committed to uncovering the truth behind this gruesome murder, Korolev, assisted by his friend, the poet Isaac Babel, enters the realm of the Thieves, who run Moscow's underworld; and discovers that the American woman's murder is tied up with the theft of a precious religious icon. But 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 pervades, are the real criminals. Soon, Korolev will find not only his moral and political ideals threatened, but also his life...
If you love Tom Robb Smith or Martin Cruz Smith, you will love William Ryan. No one does Russian espionage quite like him and his new one, The Bloody Meadow is a corker.
Better still is our exclusive two for one deal on The Bloody Meadow and The Holy Thief.
These books are absolutely perfect for this busy time of year when our heads are too full of stuff to have to deal with dull but worthy reads.
When we reviewed The Holy Thief last year, this is what we said:
Introducing Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev, and an outstanding new voice in historical crime fiction.
Moscow, 1936 and Stalin's Great Terror is beginning. In a deconsecrated Church, a young woman is tortured to death, 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 the Zone - the place where not only Russia's criminals are dispatched, but anyone deemed to be an Enemy of the State - doesn't seem quite so distant.
William Ryan is a great new talent. Enjoy this one - it's terrific! Like me you will be itching for the next.
Now Captain Alexei Korolev returns in The Bloody Meadow.
Following his investigations in The Holy Thief, which implicated those at the very top of authority in Soviet Russia, Captain Alexei Korolev finds himself decorated and hailed as an example to all Soviet workers. But Korolev lives in an uneasy peace - his new-found knowledge is dangerous, and if it is discovered what his real actions were during the case, he will face deportation to the frozen camps of the far north.
But when the knock on the door comes, in the dead of night, it is not Siberia Korolev is destined for. Instead, Colonel Rodinov of the NKVD security service asks the detective to look into the suspected suicide of a young woman: Maria Alexandovna Lenskaya - Masha, a model citizen. Korolev is unnerved to learn that Masha had been of interest to Ezhov, the feared Commissar for State Security. Ezhov himself wants the matter looked into.
And when the detective arrives in the bleak, battle-scarred Ukraine, he soon discovers that there is more to Masha's death than meets the eye...
ISBN: 9789991109053
ISBN-10: 9991109056
Format:
Paperback
Language:
English
Published: 15th November 2011
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