The Butterfly Forged from Steel

At the request of a girl he is very fond of, the best detective in St. Petersburg, Lieutenant Colonel Goncharov, is investigating a strange case involving the detention of her stepfather. A respected man, a doctor of science and former rector of a prestigious university, has been held in a cell for almost a year. The grounds for his detention were the testimonies of the rector of a provincial branch, caught in bribery and embezzlement. Both this lady's statement and her very identity raise doubts for the experienced detective, which he attempts to dispel or confirm. As a result, he himself finds himself in great trouble…

Tatiana Ustinova recommends: “Ekaterina Ostrovskaya doesn’t just invent and record detective stories. She possesses a rare ability to create entire worlds on the pages of her books — mesmerizing, mysterious, enticing, but somehow a little bit unreal. And this unrealness only benefits the works… Moreover, I like all of Ostrovskaya's books because she uses the full extent of her power over her imagined worlds to restore justice in reality.”