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Book Review: A Gentle Axe - A St Petersburg Mystery

8/22/2014

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Not fancying a dose of Dostoevsky or Chekhov? Why not give RN Morris a go? Morris' St Petersburg Mystery series is set in Tsarist Russia around the mid 1860s, during the reign of Alexander II. It follows the investigations of detective Porfiry Petrovich as he solves crimes in the new justice system set up by Alexander II. 

The first book in the series, "A Gentle Axe" sees Petrovich investigating the deaths of two people in suspicious circumstances. At first it appears that the a dwarf found hacked to pieces in a suitcase has been murdered in a fit of rage by another man found hanging nearby, but it quickly become apparent that there is more to the case than meets the eye. 

The investigation which follows sees Petrovich plumb the murky depths beneath St Petersburg's respectable veneer, meeting with aristocratic prejudice along the way. The book also deals with the issues of legal reform in Russia, as well as nihilism and dissidence, and therefore is a really good book to read for a sense of period. 

An enjoyable and pacey book - this is well worth a try. The book is available HERE

Have you read the book? Let me know your thoughts by commenting here or posting on Twitter @andallthatweb #bookreview

Mr F

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