Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jan 2012
352 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
Captain Alexei Korolev, unwavering in his outward party loyalty but internally conflicted, a dedicated policeman caught in terrifying circumstances, is one of the most intriguing figures in crime fiction since his literary ancestor Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko.
Now it is 1937, Russia, and Korolev finds himself on an airplane bound for Odessa after the suspicious suicide there of Maria Alexandrovna Lenskaya, a loyal young party member who had an intimate relationship with the party director, with instructions to find her killer and keep her ties to the director under wraps.
In Odessa, the girl was working on the set of a movie subsidized by the state, and between all those involved in the production, her journalist boyfriend, and nosy locals, there is a large pool of suspects. Korolev finds help from several quarters, including his writer friend Isaac Babel and an ambitious young local policewoman, but also Kolya, the head of Moscow’s thieves, whose appearance in Odessa comes as quite a shock. But it is not as surprising as the treasonous plot Korolev uncovers in this second gripping, devastatingly true-to-life thriller from William Ryan.
First published in the UK as A Bloody Meadow
"Starred Review. The plot is intricate, the action satisfying, and Ryan's use of period detail, including the brutal 'collectivization' of the Ukraine and that region's nationalist and anarchist movements, makes for exhilarating reading." - Booklist
"Though he's not quite as fully realized as Stuart Kaminskys Porfiry Rostnikov, the appealing Karolev in his second appearance invites comparison to him. That’s high praise indeed." - Kirkus
"While an ever-widening cast and a few too many twists tend to undermine the story's clear logic and atmospheric feel, readers will want to see more of Korolev, a weary but determined cop who puts justice ahead of Stalinist politics - at his peril." - Publishers Weekly
"Ryan's main characters are strong and believable, the dialog is crisply idiomatic, and Odessa's cityscape is grimly foreboding. Ryan's Korolev is on a brilliant trajectory to join the ranks of respected European detectives." - Library Journal
This information about The Darkening Field was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
William Ryan is an Irish writer, living in London. His first novel, The Holy Thief, was shortlisted for The UK Crime Writer's Association "New Blood" Dagger Award, The Irish Fiction Award, a Barry Award, and The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. For more information, visit www.william-ryan.com.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Stone Home
by Crystal Hana Kim
A moving family drama and coming-of-age story revealing a dark corner of South Korean history.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
