The Secret of the Silver Cross

A young and talented actress, Alisa Vorontsova, is found dead on the theater stage one day before the premiere. The police quickly puts an end to the case, declaring it a suicide caused by nervous strain. But Alisa’s mother is certain: it was murder. Almost immediately, private detective Tatyana Ivanova understands that the girl’s death is a skillfully staged performance, with too many oddities and contradictions. The trail leads to the mysterious criminal leader known by the nickname Seraphim, to the secret behind the death of Alisa’s real mother, to a vanished inheritance and documents hidden in a stolen icon—and it all turns out to be parts of one dangerous story. Someone influential is ready to commit new crimes so that long-buried secrets remain in the shadows.

Marina Serova is a bright name in contemporary Russian detective fiction. She graduated from the Law Faculty of Moscow State University, worked in the Office of the Prosecutor General, and took part in operational work. The author of many fast-paced, suspenseful works, whose total print run exceeded twenty million copies.