Little Red Riding Hood's Fiasco

From childhood, the writer and journalist Elena has been captivated by her aunt Ida—an impeccable woman from St. Petersburg and a true grand dame. Just as strong an impression is made on her by her aunt’s longtime friend, Marfa Zaretskaya, a former actress. It is Marfa who invites Lena and her best friend Irka to the theater—for the benefit performance of the famous actor Barabasov. But the festive evening turns into a tragedy: the actor missteps, falls into the orchestra pit, and dies. The incident is declared an accident, yet Lena and Irka can’t shake the feeling that this may not be just a fatal coincidence, but a murder. So it’s time to begin their own investigation. Especially since the case is ready to be taken up by observant ladies—not the sort you’d call “old women”—and by the magnificent gray cat Volka, who understands everything literally and almost knows how to speak.

Elena and her indefatigable friend Irka are the heroines of an entire series of Elena Logunova’s ironic detective novels. In the new dynamic novel “The Fiasco of Little Red Riding Hood,” they once again take up the case: these energetic ladies can’t sit still without riddles and dangerous adventures, and they invariably come down on the side of justice. And they’re supported by their relatives—bold local “Miss Marples”—and their astonishingly clever cat.