Punishment of a Hunter

Description

The debut of the ultimate noir detective series: set in Stalinist Russia, riddled with corruption, informers, and purges that takes paranoia to the next level
Perfect for readers of John Banville, Philip Kerr, and Lara Prescott’s The Secrets We Kept, and for fans of the international Netflix sensation Babylon Berlin 
“Leads the hero (as well as the reader) through every circle of soviet hell, to a bright finale.” –Medusa1930s Leningrad. As a mood of fear cloaks the city, Investigator Vasily Zaitsev is called on to investigate a series of bizarre and seemingly motiveless murders. In each case, the victim is curiously dressed and posed in extravagantly arranged settings.
 
At the same time, one by one precious old master paintings are going missing from the Hermitage collection.
 
As Zaitsev sets about his investigations, he meets with suspicion at practically every turn, and potential witnesses are reluctant to provide information. Soon Zaitsev himself comes under suspicion from the Soviet secret police. The embittered detective must battle increasingly complex political machinations in his dogged quest to uncover the truth. Yulia Yakovleva is a writer, theatre and ballet critic, and playwright. She is particularly known for two types of historical fiction set in Stalin-era Leningrad: the award-winning children’s chapter book series The Leningrad Tales that confront Soviet history, and the thrilling new series of detective novels about Leningrad police investigator Vasily Zaitsev. Yakovleva received her MA from School of Creative Arts of the University of Hertfordshire. She lives in Oslo, Norway, with her husband and son.
Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp translates literature from Arabic, German and Russian into English. Her work has been shortlisted for many prestigious prizes including the Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize. GB