The Case of the Forest Monster

Private investigator Tatyana Ivanova, exhausted by endless stress, dreams of finally resting—but instead of vacation she gets a new investigation, far more cunning. A chance, unsettling encounter with a guy whose tattoo reminds her of a criminal Bogdan Ocheredniy who has been wanted for a long time becomes the starting point: Tania takes on a case about the disappearance of four girls from the settlement of Verkhnee Borykino. In the area, rumors whisper about a forest monster and a wizard—while the local police officer is convinced the girls simply ran away from the backwater. But Tania doesn’t believe in the simple explanation, and she feels more and more clearly that something truly dark is behind the disappearances.

Sorting through fears, rumors, and superstitions, she comes closer to secrets that can shake even her own confidence in common sense.

Marina Serova is a notable figure in modern Russian detective fiction. She graduated from the law faculty of Moscow State University, worked in the Office of the Prosecutor General, and took part in operational work. The author has written many plot-driven novellas with a total circulation of over twenty million copies.