The Genius of the Capital Detective

A historical detective story about a crime at the beginning of the last century. The author immerses us in the atmosphere of that time so vividly that we can literally hear the roar of the cobblestones, the noise of the city bazaar, the ringing of bells, and the piercing whistles of constables…

In late autumn of 1903, a townsman named Kolobov applied to one of the police units in Moscow and demanded that he be arrested for the murder of an old general and her maid, committed by him in Ryazan. He was so convincing that the police immediately carried out his request. The next morning, Kolobov was found dead in his cell…

Whether the deceased was involved in the double murder is entrusted to a judicial investigator on especially important cases, Ivan Fedorovich Volovtsov. He travels to Ryazan and resumes the investigation. But none of the witnesses recognizes Kolobov from a photograph. The case already has a defendant, and soon a trial will be held. However, Volovtsov is alarmed by such haste. He understands that the accusation was put together in a rush, many facts contradict each other, and the motive is not fully clear… Ivan Fedorovich decides to re-examine the details of the crime and soon—unexpectedly for everyone—reaches a stunning conclusion…