Death of the Red Rider

Reviews / Votes

Offers a brilliant interplay of Communist manipulation, Soviet terror, Tsarist survivals, military rifts and kulak opposition... A superb read, with some unexpected turns right at the end * The Critic, Crime Book of the Month * Yakovleva's previous novel was an international hit. The follow-up suggests her investigator may become something of a Russian Montalbano * The Times * An atmospheric police procedural set in 1931 Leningrad, a destabilized world where the streets have been renamed for communist leaders and the rules of justice are being rewritten at every turn... All the moral murk makes for fascinating reading, and Yakovleva never lets the historical detail crowd out the central mystery. This series has legs * Publishers Weekly * *** - Praise for Punishment of a Hunter * *** * Yulia Yakovleva's thrilling debut was a bestseller in her native Russia. It's not difficult to see why * The Times, Best New Crime Fiction * A masterclass in historical crime fiction set against the vividly-painted backdrop of 1930s Leningrad. It will pull you in and leave you breathless -- Chris Lloyd, author of The Unwanted Dead A serial killer is at work in 1930s Leningrad. Favourite line: "This is how we live, he thought. She's lying and so am I." * Sunday Times Crime Club, Pick of the Week * ...a fascinating story... Beautifully translated... Punishment of a Hunter establishes Yulia Yakovleva as a talent to watch * Irish Times * Gritty and gripping, Punishment of a Hunter is top class historical crime fiction -- Will Ryan, author of The Holy Thief This is the most successful reload of the retro-detective genre in Russian fiction since Akunin. * literratura * Yulia Yakovleva leads the hero (as well as the reader) through every circle of Soviet hell, to a bright finale that offers both satisfaction from how the plot wraps up as well as the suggestion of an opening for a sequel. * Medusa.io * Yakovleva writes with an expert and deep knowledge of the period, and she simply writes well. * Gorky * Yakovleva's unobtrusive art edutainment, which introduces paintings of Botticelli, Velazquez, Van Dyck, and Rubens, is one of the true pleasures this novel offers... For Yakovleva, it is more important to understand not how the crimes were performed, but why. The author is interested first and foremost in the mechanism of how the large state evil gives birth to a private, small evil. * Fontanka * The novel's main hero is the time period, a time marked by Petersburg's impotency and beauty, steel and blood * chaskor.ru * Outstanding... Yakovleva perfectly balances evoking the terror of living in a police state with her whodunit plotline. Fans of Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko will hope to see much more of Zaitsev. * Publishers Weekly starred review * 'There are fantastic comic elements to this dark novel of life under dictatorship in Stalin's Russia... On a more serious note, this story exudes the sinister atmosphere of the time, the insecurity and lack of freedom ordinary people faced.... [It's] well plotted and with intriguing characters' * NB Magazine * Yakovleva's historical realism is meticulous.. and sensually vivid * TLS *