The Gordian Knot

“The Gordian Knot” is the first Bernhard Schlink detective novel about the secrets of industrial espionage to be translated into Russian. In 1989, the novel won the prestigious Friedrich Glawzer Prize, and since then it has been repeatedly republished and translated into different languages.

Former lawyer Georg Polger agrees to head a translation office in a small town in southern France, whose previous director died under mysterious circumstances. At first everything goes wonderfully: a profitable project, a passionate romance with a beauty named Françoise, the secretary of his business partner. But one day, Georg notices something strange about her behavior, and the next day Françoise disappears. Georg is ready to do anything to get her back. But does he know the real Françoise? Will he be able to untangle the Gordian knot—or will he decide to cut through it with a single blow?