An extraordinary, angry Russian novel about poisons of all kinds - physical, moral, political - all rooted in the recent history of Russia's state assassinations and Putin's continuation of the most degraded traditions of his country's history.
Professor Kalitin is a ruthless, narcissistic chemist who has developed an untraceable, extremely lethal poison called Neophyte while working in a secret city on an island in the Russian far east. When the Soviet Union collapses, he defects and is given a new identity in Germany.
After an unrelated Russian is murdered with Kalitin's poison, his cover is blown and he's drawn into the German investigation of the death. Two special forces killers, with a lot of Chechen blood on their hands are sent to silence him - using his own undetecable poison. They have a brutal, working-stiff willingness to follow orders, get the job done and get home.
But they haven't reckoned for a disfigured priest in the small mountain village where the chemist has taken refuge. This priest is a former hero of the resistance to the communist state, and realises that his parishioner is not what he seems.
- ISBN13 9781939931900
- Publish Date 18 March 2021 (first published 2 February 2021)
- Publish Status Unknown
- Imprint New Vessel Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 242
- Language English