Punishment of a Hunter: A Leningrad Confidential

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1930s Leningrad. As a mood of fear cloaks the city, Investigator Vasily Zaitsev is called on to investigate a series of bizarre and seemingly motiveless murders. In each case, the victim is curiously dressed and posed in extravagantly arranged settings.

At the same time, one by one precious old master paintings are going missing from the Hermitage collection.

As Zaitsev sets about his investigations, he meets with suspicion at practically every turn, and potential witnesses are reluctant to provide information. Soon Zaitsev himself comes under suspicion from the Soviet secret police. The embittered detective must battle increasingly complex political machinations in his dogged quest to uncover the truth.

Reviews

'Yulia Yakovleva's thrilling debut was a bestseller in her native Russia. It's not difficult to see why' - The Times, Best New Crime Fiction

'A masterclass in historical crime fiction set against the vividly-painted backdrop of 1930s Leningrad. It will pull you in and leave you breathless' - Chris Lloyd, author of The Unwanted Dead

'A serial killer is at work in 1930s Leningrad. Favourite line: "This is how we live, he thought. She's lying and so am I."' - Sunday Times Crime Club, Pick of the Week

'...a fascinating story... Beautifully translated... Punishment of a Hunter establishes Yulia Yakovleva as a talent to watch' - Irish Times

'Gritty and gripping, Punishment of a Hunter is top class historical crime fiction' - Will Ryan, author of The Holy Thief

Author Bio

Yulia Yakovleva is a writer, theatre and ballet critic, and playwright. She is the author of a nonfiction title, ABC of Ballet (NLO, 2006) and a series of fiction books for children, Leningrad's Tales. The first book in the children's series, The Stolen City, was shortlisted for the Yasnaya Polyana Award and won the In Other Words Award 2017 from BookTrust, who supported the English translation of the book, published by Penguin. Yakovleva received her MA from School of Creative Arts of the University of Hertfordshire. She lives in Oslo, Norway, with her husband and son.