Silk Children

Lake Como. Rain, fog, and silence. In the back seat of a car, police find the body of an eight-year-old boy. The police have never seen such a strange and cruel murder… Psychologist Margo Dorfman is accidentally drawn into a tragedy that hides something bigger than what’s reported in the news. Silk magnates, wealth and power, secrets kept for decades, madness, loneliness—and one more forgotten dead child.

“Silk Children” is a novel about family guilt passed down like an inheritance. About the vulnerability of women and children in a world where silk is valued higher than truth.

“After two historical novels, Natalya Solovieva created a detective story—and did it brilliantly! A quiet town on Lake Como, its residents, their passions, habits, and even the encyclopedic details about butterflies that produce silk— in the novel every detail works toward an unexpected twist. It’s impossible to guess who the killer is until the very last page!” — Lenta.ru

“A gripping and masterfully written detective! The main heroine, an experienced psychotherapist, finds herself drawn into an investigation. But before she unravels someone else’s secrets, she must sort out her own… Special praise for the author’s style: light and precise, full of vivid characters and bright details of modern-day Italy.” — Izvestia

“Cruel, intriguing, and educational! All families are unhappy in their own way—and the silk magnates’ family from Como is proof. A chain of deaths and filthy secrets hidden under silk cocoons… The plot unfolds in the Italian city of Como. The book starts with the discovery of a child’s body in the car trunk: his hands and legs are tied, and his mouth is stuffed with cocoons of silk moths. The investigation is led by the elderly detective Enzo and psychologist Margo, an emigrant from Russia, with her own deviations and her own skeletons in the closet. The author brilliantly conveys the atmosphere of a small Italian town, life of the elite with all its quirks. The investigation of this murder unfolds into a dense string of secrets, like a silk moth cocoon falling into a cup. The book touches on many important themes: unequal relationships, living with guilt, family squabbles, marital infidelity… With a high likelihood, this book will appeal to lovers of Tana French. But sensitive readers should be careful—especially those for whom the death of children is a triggering topic. I liked the dark vibe of this story, a genre-true ending, and the idea itself. Special thanks to the author for educational work about silk. I love when a work of fiction can give you not only new emotional experience, but also a bit of enlightenment. In short, I recommend it.” — Alexandra Rait, writer