Darkening Field
December 2013
Writer William Ryan was born in 1965 in London, England. An Irish citizen, he went to boarding school at age six He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and the University of St Andrews and worked as a lawyer before taking up writing full-time. His first novel, The Holy Thief was shortlisted for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year, The Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award, The CWA John Creasy New Blood Dagger and a Barry Award. His second novel,The Bloody Meadow, was shortlisted for the Ireland AM Irish Crime Novel of the Year. He has written for television and film; he lives in London with his wife and son.
When asked about his fascination with Stalin's Russia, Ryan said in an interview on the Pan Macmillan Web site, "The gradual shift away from the early ideals and hopes of the Revolution to the absolute oppression of the thirties was a tragedy for many Soviet citizens, and one that was repeated around the world."
author’s web site: http://www.william-ryan.com/
For history, background, pictures -- check the section ‘Korolev’s World’
Series: Investigations of Captain Korolev (Most Recent: Jul 2013)
Alternate series name: Alexei Korolev mysteries
The Holy Thief (2010)
(First book in series) As Stalin's great terror begins, a killer strikes. Moscow, 1936. A young woman's mutilated body is found on an altar in a deconsecrated church. Korolev is asked to investigate. The victim is discovered to be an American citizen, and now one false move will mean exile to the Zone, the frozen camps of the far north.
The Darkening Field ( 2012)
In 1937, Captain Korolev of Moscow's Criminal Investigation Division looks into the suicide of a young loyal party member who was intimately involved with a party director, a case that is unexpectedly linked to a treasonous plot.
Series: Investigations of Captain Korolev, 2
The Twelfth Department (2013)
Captain Alexei Korolev endures threats against his family when a high-level murder is tied to corruption in State Security and the NKVD.
Series: Investigations of Captain Korolev, 3
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