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Moscow in 1937 was a dangerous place to be with Stalin consigning people to exile or death on the slightest pretext. Police investigator Korolev does what he can to keep his head down, but unfortunately his expertise has brought him to the attention of a senior party member, Ezhov, who selects him to investigate the death of a young woman with whom he was having an affair. Korolov is aware that his findings need to exonerate of any crime both the girl, and by association, Ezhov. The girl was working as a production assistant on a film, titled as the book, which is being shot outside Odessa in the Ukraine. Korolev flies to the set to investigate and gradually discovers that the death was not a simple matter but part of a wide and very dangerous conspiracy. To solve the case without upsetting some important people requires a delicate balancing act, and a miss-step could prove fatal. THE BLOODY MEADOW is a sequel to THE HOLY THIEF, which was well received, and also features Korolev the detective. Korolev is an analytical investigator and we follow his thoughts exclusively as the case progresses. He interviews witnesses in much the same way as police detectives the world over, but the particular interest here lies in the range of his concerns - he has to consider not only how any new evidence may be relevant to the case, but how certain powerful parties may be affected, and how he can protect himself by controlling the release of information. The pressure on the detective is well conveyed and it is easy to imagine just how much strain he is under. In fact, of course, the whole of society is under great pressure. The shock waves of revolution are still relatively new, novel forms of political control and economic organisation are turning society upside down, and above it all is a paranoid monster who can turn on anyone without warning. The impact of all this on the characters brought into Korolev's orbit is convincingly described. Korolev's first interviews on arrival in the Ukraine help to set the scene but were somewhat reminiscent of Poirot's efforts in an Agatha Christie novel, where the reader may get the feeling that any clues are buried so deep as to be irretrievable. Korolev and the reader are in the dark about the circumstances of the death for much of the novel and the sense of frustration extends well beyond the protagonist. There is however always a fascination with the oddities of Soviet life at the time, which are well depicted, and this sustains the reader until the exiting denouement. No doubt THE BLOODY MEADOW will generate fans enough to ensure Korolev has another outing in due course. § Chris Roberts is a retired manager of shopping centres in Hong Kong, and now lives in Bristol, primarily reading.
Reviewed by Chris Roberts, May 2012
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