Set during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, gentleman sleuth Erast Fandorin must find the traitor in the Russian ranks before the war is lost. He finds himself travelling with Varvara Suvorova a 'progressive' woman whose views are directly opposed to Fandorin's, arch-conservative and loyal servant of the Tsarist government. Fandorin has a little of Poirot, Holmes and Bond and his stammer disappears when the going gets tough. A stylish page-turner which mixes crime and history and makes you think about 21st century Russia as well.