A stylish series by the fashionable author of retro-detectives Nikolai Svechin. The magazine "Afisha" called Svechin the hope of Russian detective fiction! A bright alternative to B. Akunin. This book will be a gift for all fans of the thriller genre! Nikolai Svechin is one of the most famous authors of historical detective stories, a nominee for the "Russian Detective" award and a leader in his niche. Svechin's most famous series is the one about the investigations of Alexei Lykov. It already consists of more than 20 novels and collections, each featuring a separate story of crimes, but with recognizable characters. The effect of a thriller series. Summer of 1879. The famous Nizhny Novgorod Fair attracts not only merchants and industrialists from all corners of the Russian Empire, but also criminals of all kinds - the wealthiest fair acts as a magnet for con artists, thieves, and murderers... A day before its opening, the first corpse is discovered. In the heel of an unknown person, a page from the precious manuscript of Archpriest Avvakum is found, which both dissenters and robbers from Osya Dushegub's gang are hunting for. The best forces of the police are deployed to hunt down the criminals, but the case turns out to be incredibly complex, and it remains unsolved while the brutal murders continue...
