The House with Seven Heads

When you stand on a cliff and the whole world lies beneath your feet, you have only two wishes—to settle accounts with life or… take refuge in a clinic for the insane…

Military engineer Jeffrey Thompson decided to end his life on a picturesque cliff in a deserted corner of Scotland. But something unforeseen happens: at the last moment, the residents of the only surviving house in the desolate, snowbound area literally forcefully save him. A hearth, hot dinner, and… a very strange community: an old deserter with a bullet in his head; an aging actress who forever changes her images; and an artist who paints bloody pictures. Jeffrey doesn’t immediately realize he’s ended up in a clinic for the mentally ill. The chief doctor is also suspicious, testing his patients with methods that are not quite ordinary. But the real horror takes hold of Thompson on the first night, when one of the residents falls out of the window. After the first strange death comes the second, then the third… The embittered company unanimously decides that the newcomer is to blame…

An entertaining novel in the style of the good old detective—from an emerging star of Russian high-tension fiction, Toni Branto. Deep psychological depth, an unexpected blend of tragedy and humor, and an unpredictable ending.

— “How I’ve longed for a good detective story. Staid, refined, soaked in noir romance and mysteries. This novel is a deep nod to the classics of the genre. In it, the ‘English’—starting from even the title—is everything. Don’t forget to pour yourself a mug of tea before you start reading.”

— Henry Cyril, author of bestsellers “The Script,” “80 Cigarettes,” and others.

“An incredibly atmospheric novel. Every new chapter is like turning a page in the medical history of the terrible house’s residents. Until the end, you don’t know what they’ll do in the next minute and who ultimately is guilty of all these crimes. There’s a feeling that at this moment you’re alone with a black void, while around you an endless blizzard sweeps and you can hear cautious footsteps…”

— Nikolay Prokofiev, editor of the book.