Two frozen bodies are found in Petrovsky Park – a dwarf neatly packed in a suitcase, and a burly peasant hanging from a tree. Investigating Magistrate Porfiry Petrovich, first encountered in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, begins his investigation in the city’s squalid brothels and drinking dens but is soon led into an altogether more genteel stratum of society – and to a shocking discovery which reveals the darkest reserves of the Russian soul.
“Lush, and exceptionally compelling, but take your time – R.N. Morris’s The Gentle Axe has a vast depth of Russian soul; mysterious, compassionate, and utterly irresistible.” Alan Furst.
“A satisfyingly grisly yarn… CSI: St. Petersburg.” The New York Times Book Review
“Vivid and convincing… keeps the reader guessing until the end.” The Independent