»Lush, and exceptionally compelling, but take your time . . . The Gentle Axe has a vast depth of Russian soul; mysterious, compassionate, and utterly irresistible.» Alan Furst, author of The Polish Officer
St Petersburg. The winter of 1866.
Two frozen bodies are found in Petrovsky Park – a dwarf neatly packed in a suitcase, and a burly peasant hanging from a tree. Police Detective Porfiry Petrovich 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 city»s darkest secrets.
»Vivid and convincing . . . Morris keeps the reader guessing until the end.» Virginia Rounding, Independent
»Tense, atmospheric and bristles with . . . intelligence.» Tom Boncza-Tomaszewski, Independent on Sunday