Solovyov and Larionov

A groundbreaking and gripping literary detective novel set in Soviet-era Russia. Solovyov, a young scholar born into obscurity, arrives St. Petersburg to have his thesis topic handed to him: the story of General Larionov. Dismissive at first, his subject soon intrigues the young scholar, even obsesses him: this is no ordinary general. Not only did Larionov fight for the monarchist Whites during the civil war but he did so with bloody distinction. So how did he manage to live unharmed in the Soviet Union, on a Soviet pension, cutting an imposing figure on the Yalta beaches, leaving behind a son and a volume of memoirs? The budding young historian sets off to Crimea to look for some lost pages from the general's diary and on his journey discovers many surprises, not least the charming Zoya, who works at Yalta's Chekhov Museum. With wry humor, philosophical seriousness, and a unique narrative style, Solovyov and Larionov is a genre-defying historical detective novel that explores a fascinating period of Russian history.