10 best Russian detective books

Detective is a fairly young genre in literature, as well as cinema, the essence of which is the constant investigation of crimes in order to find out who is behind all this, his goals and motives. The reader has the opportunity to develop the flexibility of thinking and observation, his deductive and analytical data. Boris Akunin, Elena Mikhalkova, Tatyana Ustinova and other equally talented authors are behind the promotion of detective stories in Russian culture today.

Detectives are classified into the following styles:

• Psychological (disclosure of crimes in the process of studying characters and psychotypes);
• Historical (events take place in the past or the focus is on events of past years);
• Fantastic (characters may have magical abilities; movement in temporary spaces is possible);
• Ironic (the work contains humor and witty statements);
• Action-packed (rapidly developing plot, keeping in suspense);
• Closed (actions take place in a closed space, where there is a group of people and among them a criminal).

We have created a rating of the best Russian detective stories of various styles, which have become leaders in literary resources.

TOP 10 best Russian detectives

10 Rose and Cross

The Rose and the Cross is the debut book by Russian writer Eleonora Pakhomova. This detective is an unusual mixture of realism, psychology, mysticism, gothic. Events are taking place in our time. A famous psychotherapist is found dead in his office. Everything points to ritual murder. Major Ivan Zamyatin and a psychotherapist, candidate of philosophical sciences, an expert on the occult, Miroslav Pogodin, take up the case.

Someone commits ritual murders according to the layout of the Tarot cards: "High Priestess", "Hierophant", "Fool". The search for the killer leads them to one of the Moscow sects. What is hidden behind a series of terrible murders? Each character attracts attention, each experiences deep trauma in its own way. Some break down, some get better, and some go crazy. The reviews write that the ending is predictable, but reading the detective story does not become less interesting.

9 The silence of the old cemetery

The mystical detective, authored by young writers Elena Obukhova and Natalya Timoshenko, has already managed to enter the ratings of the best Russian mystical detectives. The action takes place in our time in St. Petersburg. At the old Lutheran cemetery, two friends decided to take photos of the tombstones, but the entrance to the territory turned out to be closed, so another one had to be found. Finding the entrance, they decided to take a walk in the silence of the old cemetery. But besides them, there was someone else wandering around. He followed them, breathed down their necks, touched their hair.The girls did not return from the walk, they remained forever in the cemetery.

Someone kills girls in a cemetery, and then messages are sent to living relatives. Victims are found in a certain position, in special attire, with the same tattoo on the back of their heads. Perhaps this is a ritual murder? Fans of detective stories note that reading the book is a real pleasure, as it is difficult to understand who is behind everything.

8 Newsboy

The book is deeply saturated with the atmosphere of the 90s, so the reader who is not familiar with this time will be fully imbued with this "dashing" mood. The author skillfully describes the atmosphere of despondency and disappointment. The action takes place in 1996. A schoolgirl mysteriously disappeared in a small northern village. A journalist from a regional newspaper conducts a journalistic investigation in order to obtain information about this mysterious incident, during which he discovers a whole world with its mysteries and secrets.

Each inhabitant of the village has something to hide and they are ready to go to great lengths so that the truth is not revealed. Everything revolves around the disappearance of a schoolgirl, who did not disappear at all. This incident, as if on a domino principle, completely shakes the fragile balance between the locals. According to readers of literary forums, the plot of the detective constantly keeps in suspense; note that the work is easy to read and interesting.

7 Poison Mask

"The Poisoned Mask" - detective Valeria Verbinina about a dowry. The book is written in the genre of historical detective story. The main character, Amalia Tamarina, is a young girl of 17 years old.Her father died of consumption, so she is forced to return from France to Russia. At home, she is met by an arrogant mother and an uncle who lived. There is no money in the family, so they were temporarily given shelter by a relative of their father, a rich merchant's wife. But for her, three extra mouths is a heavy burden, so her main goal becomes to successfully marry Amalia, but Amalia herself does not even want to think about it.

Once Amalia goes to the country estate of her friend, and there attempts are made on her. One, two, three... The characters, the atmosphere of those times are excellently written in the book. According to reviews on literary forums, the detective has firmly taken a leading place in the ranking of the best modern Russian detective stories, book lovers read it in one breath.

6 Fifth sleepless

"The Fifth Sleepless" is a work by Russian writer Albina Nuri, who likes to add mysticism. New Year, a cozy country house, a family gathered in it and nothing portends trouble. The four heroes are Rose, with a failed personal life, her strange mother, always reading morals, grandfather - an underestimated writer and poet, and his haughty and proud sister - the mistress of the house. Each chapter is written from the perspective of one of them.

Suddenly, at six o'clock in the evening, frightening things began to happen. Each member of the family experiences their fear alone, without telling anyone. They all hold grudges against each other, however, when events cease to be explained, the heroes begin to draw closer. It seems that there is someone outside the house ... According to reviews, the most impressive part of the book is the story of Mother Rose. The book reads quickly thanks to the easy syllable.

5 Evil wind

The novel "The Evil Wind", written by the famous writer Arkady Adamov in 1970, is rightfully considered a classic of the Russian detective genre. Events are developing in Soviet Moscow and Odessa. Vitaly Losev, inspector of the UGRO, is investigating a series of hotel thefts and murders in Moscow. During the investigation, it turned out that the criminal group is engaged in theft and speculation on a huge scale: from building materials to women's clothing.

Here is a complete detective set: surveillance, chases, fights, analytical work. Each character has its own character, with its own problems, with its own attitude to life and work. The author captivates the reader with a rich plot line and an extremely interesting investigation. For many decades, according to readers' reviews, the book has been ranked among the best Russian detectives of the 20th century.

4 Fox footprint on the rocks

The detective "Trace of the Fox on the Stones" by Elena Mikhalkova was published in 2018 and has already managed to win the love of Russian readers. We have to follow the investigation of the extremely complicated case of private investigators Sergei Babkin and Makar Ilyushin. The story begins unexpectedly: the killer hires Babkin and Ilyushin to search for the corpse. But were there a killer and a victim at all? Maybe it's a wild imagination?

The book takes place in a small village with a dozen houses - Kamyshovka. The characters of the inhabitants are very well revealed. All the misfortunes of the village are connected with the ill-fated fire that occurred in 1991, as a result of which one person died, the second went to prison. The locals have something to hide. The matter is not easy, because each of the detectives has his own point of view on what is happening, they often argue.Will Babkin and Makarov be able to act alone or will they still come to a consensus?

3 Oligarch from Ursa Major

The Oligarch from the Big Dipper is Tatyana Ustinova's best-selling detective story and is easy to read. The book successfully combines adventurous-detective and fabulous-love lines. Elizaveta Arsenyeva, the main character, runs a successful advertising agency. She is waiting for positive and interesting changes in her life, but at the same time she is afraid of something new. Suddenly, a homeless Dmitry appeared in her life, and ups and downs begin. First, the heroine finds the corpse of her employee in the garage, it is not clear how it ended up there. Next - shooting at Elizabeth and Dmitry in the country, but it is not clear who exactly was shot at.

Dmitry was actually an oligarch in the past, and now he is forced to live in a dacha cooperative. But his unclean past began to haunt him, and now he must save both his life and the life of Elizabeth. The book has firmly taken the leading place in the ranking of the best-selling Russian detective stories.

2 No grasshopper in the grass

The book "There is no grasshopper in the grass" by Russian writer Elena Mikhalkova is a mixture of detective and social drama. The narrative is divided into two parts - the present and past life of Olya Belkina. A happy married couple goes on vacation to Greece. One morning Olya suddenly disappears...in pajamas, without slippers. Olya's husband asks private detectives, Sergei Babkin and Makar Ilyushin, to find his missing wife.

At the same time, the reader is told about Olya's past: about a despot father, a mother who is a slut, an evil grandmother and a small child who is trying to comprehend what is happening and survive in inhuman conditions. It is necessary to understand what unites the past and the present, to follow the two lines to the point of their connection. The sharply developing plot allowed the book to collect a lot of positive reviews, in which many recognize the work as one of the best modern Russian detective stories.

1 Azazel

Azazel is a famous Russian novel about the detective Erast Fandorin. The detective was the first book in the series about the extraordinary policeman. The main character is a young man, twenty years old. Good luck accompanies him due to his courage, nobility and charm. The story takes place at the end of the 19th century. The author pleases with elegant, slightly old-fashioned language, which is pleasant to read and the charming atmosphere of Tsarist Russia.

The hero of the book will have to investigate the mysterious suicide of a wealthy student. The protagonist could not imagine that this investigation would turn into a chain of deaths. Only disinterestedness, loyalty to the Motherland and luck will help to investigate the crime. The novel has been a leader in the ratings of the best Russian detectives for several years in a row. The plot grabs attention from the first pages and you do not want the book to end, especially since the author leaves the ending more or less open.

Popular vote - which Russian detective is the best?
Vote!

Azazel

No grasshopper in the grass

Oligarch from Ursa Major

Fox footprint on the rocks

Evil wind

Fifth sleepless

Poison Mask

Newsboy

The silence of the old cemetery

Rose and Cross

Total voted: 359

Vote results