In the Absence of the Boss

While the Russian Empire celebrated the three-hundredth anniversary of the House of Romanov, foreign spies were weaving their nets around the country. The new minister of the interior and his assistants began cutting back on expenses for maintaining the foreign agency. Even the security of Her Imperial Majesty Maria Fedorovna had to be reduced. Such a policy did not help strengthen security—and the spies took advantage of that.

State Councillor Lykov found himself at the center of these events. He was consulted on the most diverse matters, and he was asked to advise on how the police was organized from the inside. But truly important mission awaited Alexey Nikolaevich ahead. He would have to save his colleague and loyal comrade Azvestopulo from serious trouble—and at the same time identify and neutralize a major intelligence network that had decided to undermine the empire from within.