First published 1996
Paul Hussey travels to Leningrad to sell a cache of black market dresses. But his plans unravel as he gets swept up in a bizarre underworld of black marketeers, bureaucrats, and eccentrics. Meanwhile, his wife Belinda vanishes into the Soviet medical system, forcing Paul to navigate a disorienting maze of red tape and shifting alliances to find her. As the stakes climb, Paul's desperate quest becomes a riotous, tragicomic journey through the underbelly of the USSR.
Genres: 20th-century, adventure, crime, comedy
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, riotous, thought-provoking
Tropes: desperate-quest, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Russia, Soviet Union
Period: 1960s
Paperback · Penguin Group USA