Death of a Dissident

By Stuart M. Kaminsky

On the eve of a show trial, a Soviet dissident is stabbed through the heart.

On a frigid night in silent Moscow, Aleksander Granovsky paces the floor of his government flat. He has dedicated his life to exposing the brutality of the Russian penal system, and in two days he will be tried for the crime of smuggling essays to the West. Granovsky is drafting a speech to deliver in court when an assassin appears and pierces his heart with the point of a rusty sickle.

The case falls in the lap of Porfiry Rostnikov, a Moscow police inspector whose three decades on the force have made him an expert in navigating the labyrinths of the Soviet bureaucracy. But it will take every ounce of Rostnikov's skill to find the killer and survive the investigation, as every question he asks takes him closer to the heart of the KGB.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Release date: Jun 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781784086046

Stuart M. Kaminsky

Stuart M. Kaminsky was the author of more than 60 novels and an Edgar Award winner who was given the coveted Grand Master Award by the Mystery Writers of America. His series include the Lew Fonesca, Inspector Rostnikov, Toby Peters, and Abe Lieberman mysteries, which includes such titles as Terror Town, The Last Dark Place, and Not Quite Kosher. He passed away in the fall of 2009.

Reviews for Death of a Dissident

[fuzzi_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A dissident is murdered the night before his trial, and the KGB is anxious for the killing to be unrelated to his political views. In this scenario we meet police inspector Porfiry Rostnikov, a war veteran, and unconventional detective, involved in a mystery that immerses the reader in Soviet Russia of the 1980's. Very good characters, a believable plot, and a ring of authenticity make this an above average contribution to the mystery genre. Recommended.

[clara53_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great book. I am going to read the whole series. Takes me back to when I was growing up in the Soviet Union. Smart writing, some dark humor, loved it.