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I enjoyed this book and liked the main character. A good solid police procedural in an unusual setting in a time period and place I am unfamiliar with, and about which I would now like to learn more. Will definitely be reading the author's first novel and look forward to the next.

The Darkening Field by William Ryan is a wonderful murder mystery set in 1937 Soviet Russia. When Captain Alexi Korolev of Moscow's Criminal Investigation Division is sent to Odessa to investigate the murder of a young actress, he uncovers a plot much more twisted than he could have imagined. This is a first-rate mystery that perfectly captures the overriding fog of terror in Stalin's Russia, where even an innocent mistake or mishap is enough to doom you, your coworkers, and your entire family.

Thanks to Book Browse's First Impressions for a chance to read this advance readers' edition.

The Darkening Field gave me an insight into the transitioning period of Soviet culture through a well-written mystery with believable characters. I enjoy books that take an unusual view of a historical period. I recommend this book to others who like a suspenseful read with some historical perspective.

The USSR in the 1930's is the main character of this story of murder and political intrigue. Trying to solve a crime and keep the different entities from putting the detective in prison or the gulag. Very insightful into the suffering of the people in the name of a political system.

I enjoyed the book, quick read. Character development was well done. Not a book that I would have picked up at the store, but am glad that I had the opportunity to read about historical Russia. Solving the murder takes very interesting turns through rural Russia, with the help of a Moscow detective.

William Ryan has chosen as his milieu a most difficult period, the Soviet Union during the 1930s. What we know in hindsight of this period raises the bar considerably for the novelist, the "willing suspension of disbelief." He almost pulls it off with a clever plot, the death of a young woman, a Party member who is a "close" friend of a high ranking commissar. The mood is dark and the chill soon enters the readers bones as the Captain Alexi Korolev tired and worried about his role in the investigation navigates the treachery of the warring sides, the counter-revolutionaries, the Thieves, and his bosses. His character is sympathetic, but he is the only one even minimally fleshed out. The dialogue often sounds like a poor translation to depression-era American idiom. This is a shame because the blurring of good guys and bad, heroes and terrorists, winners and losers could have been terrific, just not quite there.

The characters were interesting and the plot has lots of twists and turns adding to the suspense. The author has a descriptive writing style that helps envision people and places throughout the book such as the extreme cold and the barren landscape of the steppes. He also does a good job with the dialogue - exposing the intrigue of an environment where you can't say what you really mean and must express yourself carefully to survive. I did feel the wrap-up was a bit long. Overall a good read - I will look for his first book to catch up on the adventures of Alexei Korolev.

Book started off as a typical foreign who-dun-it but the characters and the plot expanded nicely. The lead Soviet era investigator took on a full life and the plot had enough twists to keep the interest. Especially well written details about how some factions in The Soviet Union must have viewed their lives add an interesting historical touch. Not a great book but worth the time.