Florentius and the Leprous Fire

An atmospheric detective story set in 19th-century Russia is now available in a carefully produced audiobook version.

“Florentines and the Leper Fire” by Yana Borisz opens a new detective series for fans of Count Averin and Vladimir Dashkevich’s novels. The audiobook is performed professionally by Ivan Buchkin, and the music accompanying the beginning and end of each chapter enhances the feeling of mystery and draws you into the investigation.

Life in a village of 1810 looks like stagnant water… The sculptor Florentiy Listaratov returns from Italy after long years of study and has no idea that he will be locked in his home village—also under suspicion of murder.

No one can explain why the respected Obukhovsky stepped into the burning bonfire and died. Florence, whose only “weapon” is a careful eye of an artist, is quickly marked as the guilty one. But it is he who notices oddities: the local “romantic villain” has a hiding place in his cluttered room, and in the family chronicles there is a connection to a very well-known person. Could all this somehow relate to the fiery death? Florence must find out who and why stirred up the quiet waters of the Monastery village—and what benefit lies behind it.

Ivan Buchkin, familiar to Trendbooks listeners from the narration of “What Persephone Laughs At,” conveys the characters’ traits and emotions with subtlety, helping you sink deeper into the story.

“Florentines and the Leper Fire” will appeal to readers who choose tense detectives with a mystical shade and are looking for adult prose (18+). The Clever detective line in Trendbooks edition features books with a dynamic plot that’s hard to put down.