First published 2008
Leo Demidov serves as a decorated officer in Stalin's security apparatus, crushing ideological crimes with unwavering loyalty to the Communist state. When a fellow officer's child turns up dead, Leo receives orders to silence the grieving family and deny that any murder occurred. In Stalin's paradise, such senseless violence cannot exist. But Leo knows the truth: a killer stalks children across Russia, and the government refuses to acknowledge the threat. His growing doubts trigger a cascade of consequences that shatter everything he believed. The state tests Leo's allegiance by accusing his wife Raisa of espionage. When Leo refuses to denounce her, he loses his rank and faces exile from Moscow. Stripped of position and abandoned by former allies, Leo finds himself with only Raisa at his side. His path to redemption leads through the investigation the state forbids: tracking the serial killer who butchers innocent children in Russia's remote forests. As Leo and Raisa pursue their quarry, they must evade government operatives while racing to prevent the next murder.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime, thriller, political-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, redemption, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Moscow, Russia
Period: Stalin's Regime
279 pages · Kindle Edition · Grand Central Publishing
Content warnings: child-death, murder, violence