Cupid with Fried Onions

Alisa Pestrukhina bought a house in a village where her relatives already live: her Aunt Vera and her cousin Mityai, who works as the local district officer. But even here she didn’t find the peace she wanted.

One morning, a stranger burst into her home—but Alisa quickly got her bearings and stunned him with a broom. Her brother came to her aid, and it turned out to be Andrey Sokolov, recently released from prison, serving time for stealing an icon from the local chapel during its restoration.

But that was only the beginning: a rare antique ornament disappeared from Alisa’s neighbors—a pearl kokoshnik. Suspicion fell on Sokolov again, but Alisa feels that the matter is more complicated than it seems.