This book started out making me depressed because of it's look into human nature under the big government type scenario experienced by people under communism. Then I got into the mystery and things began to turn around to show another side of human nature that restored my faith in people. It's a good mystery and I am recommending it to my book club. Fodder for much discussion.
Leo is a war hero, he is married and lives in Moscow in a nice apartment and he is a memeber of the MGB, the state security agency which defends the system, thus however bad the crime is, the MGB is worse. But then a child is murdered but because the Soviet Union doesn't acknowledge that crime exists, this death is not investigated, the parents of the child are bullied into saying that the death is an accident. When Leo continues to investigate, he finds that this wasn't the first murder, Leo is ordered to let it drop when he defies the order, he is demoted and sent away. Since crime does not exist, the MGB is not about to admit that there is a serial killer on the loose. As Leo continues to investigate will he find the killer before they stop him. This is was a great book to listen too. A glimpse into a world that sounds like science fiction but is a world that thousands of people have lived and continue to do so.
