Angels on Ice Do Not Survive. Volume 1

Jump. Another jump. The cold steel of the skates slices through the blue ice like lightning… Figure skating — a beautiful and graceful sport. Millions of people with bated breath watch our figure skaters' performances. And now, into this fairytale world, a brutal murder bursts in like a dark shadow. Mikhail Valentinovich Boltenkov has been shot — a top-level coach, a legendary figure, a master who has nurtured more than one champion. The body is discovered near the home of his colleague Valery Lamzin. Witnesses confirm: the coaches met before the murder, they quarreled and threatened each other… The case, as they say, is in the bag. But Nastya Kamenskaya and her friends from Petrovka — Anton Stashis and Roman Dzyuba — have their own opinion on this matter. They uncover the truth about the inhumanity and cynicism that have soaked into the blue ice. Ice on which angels do not survive… -------------------------------------------------- Marina writes not only detective novels but also answers eternal questions. The author treats her readers as a kind and experienced teacher treats students who need support, hints, and guidance along the right path. Optimistic and practical in her didactic approach, Marina poses the question of “how to live” and tries to help the reader find their way to a better life in today’s world. With her detective stories, Marina writes a modern novel of “moral upbringing”: the primary goal of the author is education through entertainment. — Anatoly Vyshevsky, Grinnell College, USA Many of Alexandra Marinina's novels have been adapted into films in Russia and reworked into radio plays in Germany. Given that the goal of these adaptations is to capture audiences and listeners in the same way readers are captivated, both the film and the radio play are not only additional artistic works but also intriguing interpretations that penetrate the mystery of Alexandra Marinina's success. — Sarah Heggie, University of Cologne, Germany In the dialogues of artistic and trivial literature, one can discover various ways of stylization of “orality” to achieve