Book Review: The Holy Thief by William Ryan

The Holy Thief
William Ryan
Minotaur Books, 2010
ISBN 978-0-312-58645-4
Hardcover (ARC)

Get ready to immerse yourself into Russian history. Go on the trail of a serial killer. Avoid Stalin’s NKVD. Search for an historical icon of Russian heritage. This is the premise of The Holy Thief.  Filled with conspiracy, Communism, and unique characters, this is an excellent excursion to a foreign country and a bleak view of its culture.

1936. Russia. Stalin is in power. Churches are being demolished since religion is banned. The country is getting ready to celebrate its nineteenth anniversary of the Revolution. However, rations are short, queue lines for basics are long, and Captain Korelev of the Militia (Russia’s version of a police force) shares an apartment with a widow and her young child. On the day of his move to the new apartment, he begins an investigation into the torture and murder of a young woman found in a church. Almost immediately afterward, a Colonel from the NKVD (State Security), contacts Korolev and wishes to impart some vague information and to be kept updated on the case. The next day, a high ranking member of the Thieves (an organization of criminals working in Moscow) is found murdered. Then a member of the NKVD itself is found shot in a soon to be demolished church. Korolev finds himself caught up in a twisted plot to steal an historical religious icon. Who wants it? Who has it? Who can Korolev trust?

I’m a little skeptical to read historical mysteries but this one drew me in with a nice perspective of Communist Russia. A very well written police procedural with the added flavor of high government conspiracy, Soviet style,  the cultural views of Moscow life, and a basically good and decent man seeing the evil around him. Korolev is a Believer, a religious man, in a country destroying churches and  eradicating anyone remotely suspected of being against the State. Throw a vicious murder into the mix, and this tale is one sure to interest many murder mystery fans.

Reviewed by Stephen L. Brayton, September 2011.

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September 29, 2011  Tags: , , , , , ,   Posted in: Full Reviews

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