Summer 1880.
Lipetsk, a spa town in Russia.
The elderly and cantankerous Princess Belskaya suffers a violent reaction while taking a mud bath at the famous Lipetsk Sanatorium. Soon after, she dies. Dr Roldugin, the medical director of the sanatorium, is at a loss to explain the sudden and shocking death. He points the finger at Anna Zhdanova, a medical assistant who was supervising the princess’s treatment. Suspicion also falls on the princess’s nephew Belsky, who appears far from grief-stricken at his aunt’s death. Meanwhile, investigating magistrate Pavel Pavlovich Virginsky arrives in Lipetsk from St Petersburg, seeking treatment after a nervous breakdown.
Review
I love stories with damaged and interesting characters and Virginsky, the protagonist in this book is suffering from distress so severe that all he wants to do is to attend a sanatorium and rest. As it progresses we find out who he is and that something ‘in the past’ has unsettled him to the degree he needs help. But this being a murder mystery, of course as soon as he arrives at the sanatorium, a person is murdered. In this case it is the elderly Princess Belskaya who has supposedly suffered an allergic reaction to the mud bath that was meant to cure her eczema. Mila, one of the nurses, is suspicious and suspects foul play but it is not long before she is kidnapped by a cohort of revolutionaries who are residing nearby. More murders ensue, and Virginsky must unravel them all.
This is a gripping mystery with interesting and well-developed characters. The atmospheric location of Lipetsk with its rivers and gloomy factories sets the scene nicely for the revolutionaries intent on sabotaging the ironworks. The volatile relationship between these young rebels, all under false identities, and intent on a terrorist plot,explores the falsity behind Zotov’s idea that there ‘can be no crime under a criminal regime’.
The murders are gruesome and believable and there is the added bonus of drama, intrigue and a few explosions before we hit the surprising denouement. Pitted against all this is a man who is barely sane and residing in a facility for treating people with nervous disorders. The question of whether or not he should believe the evidence of his own eyes not only stymies his investigations with the magistrates and the local police, but also leads him to question his own deductions.
This is a great read with characters that feel real, and one that immerses the reader in a fascinating and unusual time and place. Want to escape the humdrum? Then this is highly recommended.
BUY THE BOOKAbout the Author
Roger (R.N) Morris is the author of 18 books, including a quartet of historical crime novels set in St Petersburg featuring Porfiry Petrovich, the investigating magistrate from Dostoevsky’s great novel Crime and Punishment. These were followed by the Silas Quinn series set in London in 1914. He has been shortlisted for the CWA Duncan Lawrie Gold Dagger and the CWA Historical Dagger.
A former advertising copywriter, Roger has written the libretto for an opera, modern retellings of Frankenstein and Macbeth for French school children. He’s also a scriptwriter for an award winning audio producer, working on true crime and history podcasts including The Curious History of your Home.
His work has been published in 16 countries.
Married with two grown-up children, Roger lives in Chichester where he keeps an eye out for seagulls.
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Website: www.rogernmorris.co.uk
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Thank you so much for hosting R.N. Morris today, and for your lovely review of Death of a Princess. I’m delighted you enjoyed the story.
Take care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club