10 best Russian books of detectives

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

Detectives are classified according to the following styles:

• Psychological (disclosure of crimes in the process of studying the characters and psycho);
• Historical (events occur in the past or in the center of attention of events of the past years);
• Fantastic (characters can have magical abilities; movement in temporary spaces is possible);
• Ironic (the work contains humor and witty statements);
• Extremely (rapidly developing plot, holding in tension);
• Closed (actions take place in a closed space where there is a group of people and among them a criminal).

We have created a ranking of the best Russian detectives of various stylistics who have become leaders in literary resources.

Top 10 best Russian detectives

10 Rose and cross

The Rose and the Cross is the debut book of Russian writer Eleonora Pakhomova. This detective story is an unusual mixture of realism, psychology, mysticism, gothic. Events occur in our time. The famous psychotherapist is found dead in his office. Everything points to ritual murder. Major Ivan Zamyatin and the psychotherapist, Ph.D., expert on the occult, Miroslav Pogodin, take up the case.

Someone commits ritual murders on the layout of the Tarot cards: "High Priestess", "Hierophant", "Fool". The search for the killer leads them to one of the Moscow sects. What lies behind the series of terrible murders? Each character draws attention, each experiencing deep trauma in its own way. Someone breaks, someone gets better, and someone goes crazy. In the reviews they write that the final is predictable, but reading a detective story does not become less interesting.

9 Silence of the old cemetery

The mystical detective, authored by young writers Elena Obukhova and Natalia 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 photographs of the tombstones, but the entrance to the territory was closed, so you had to find another one. Finding the entrance, they decided to walk in the silence of the old cemetery. But besides them there was still someone wandering around. He walked behind them, breathed them in the back of his head, touched their hair. From the walk the girls did not return, they remained forever in the cemetery.

Someone kills the girls in the cemetery, and then begins sending messages to living loved ones. Victims are found in a certain pose, in special attires, with an identical tattoo on a nape. Perhaps this ritual murder? Lovers of detectives say that reading a book is a real pleasure, as it is difficult to understand who is behind everything.

8 Newsboy

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

Every resident of the village has something to hide and they are ready to go to great lengths so that the truth does not open. Everything revolves around the disappearance of the schoolgirl, which did not disappear at all. This incident, as if by the principle of dominoes, completely undermines the delicate balance between the locals. According to reviews of readers of literary forums, the plot of the detective constantly keeps in suspense; They note that the work is easy and interesting to read.

7 Poison mask

“The Poisoned Mask” - Detective Valeria Verbinina about the bespredent woman. The book is written in the genre of historical detective. The main character, Amalia Tamarina, is a young girl, 17 years old. Her father died of consumption, so she is forced to return from France to Russia. At home she is met by a haughty mother and uncle-survivor. There is no money in the family, so a relative of the father, a rich merchant, temporarily sheltered them. But for her three extra mouths is a heavy burden, so her main goal is to successfully marry Amalia, but Amalia herself does not even want to think about it.

One day, Amalia goes to the country estate of her friend and there begins an assassination attempt on her. One, second, third ... Characters, the atmosphere of those times are perfectly written in the book. According to reviews on literary forums, the detective firmly took the leading places in the ranking of the best modern Russian detectives, book lovers read it in one breath.

6 The Fifth Sleepless

“The Fifth Sleeper” is a work by Russian writer Albina Nuri, who likes to add mystics. New Year's Eve, a cozy country house, a family gathered in it, and nothing foretells trouble. Four heroes - Rosa, with a failed personal life, her strange mother, forever reading morality, her grandfather is an underrated writer and poet, and his haughty and proud sister is the mistress of the house. Each chapter is written on behalf of one of them.

Suddenly, at six o'clock in the evening, frightening things began to happen. Each family member experiences his own fear, without telling anyone anything. They all hold resentment at each other, however, when events cease to be explained, the characters begin to converge. It seems that there is someone else in the house ... According to the reviews, the most impressive part in the book is the story of Rosa's mother. The book is read quickly thanks to the easy syllable.

5 Evil wind

The novel “Evil Wind”, written by the famous writer Arkady Adamov in 1970, is considered to be a classic of the Russian detective genre. Events develop in Soviet Moscow and Odessa. Vitaly Losev, inspector of the COUNTER, investigates a series of hotel thefts and murders in Moscow. During the investigation it turned out that the criminal group was 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 with its own character, with its own problems, with its attitude to life, to work. The author captivates the reader with a rich line of plot development and an extremely interesting investigation. For many decades, according to readers' reviews, the book is included in the ranking of the best Russian detectives of the 20th century.

4 Fox trace on the stones

Detective "The trace of the fox on the stones" Elena Mikhalkova was published in 2018 and has already managed to win the love of Russian readers.We have to trace the investigation of the extremely complicated case of the private investigators Sergey Babkin and Makar Ilyushin. The story begins unexpectedly: the killer hires Babkin and Ilyushin to search for the corpse. But were there any killer and victim? Perhaps this inflamed imagination?

The actions of the book take place in a small village for 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. Local has something to hide. It 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 common opinion?

3 Oligarch with Big Dipper

"Oligarch with a big bear" is the best-selling detective Tatiana Ustinova and it is easy to read. The book successfully combines adventurous detective and fabulously-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. Unexpectedly, a homeless Dmitry appeared in her life, and the vicissitudes begin. First, the heroine finds the corpse of her employee in the garage, it is unclear how it turned out there. Next - shooting at Elizabeth and Dmitry in the country, but it is unclear who exactly was shot.

Dmitry actually was an oligarch in the past, and now he has to live in a dacha cooperative. But his unclean past began to pursue and now he must save both his life and the life of Elizabeth. The book has firmly taken the lead in the ranking of the best-selling Russian detectives.

2 No grasshopper in the grass

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

At the same time, the reader is told about the past of Oli: about the father-despot, about the mother Klusha, about the evil grandmother and the 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. 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 detectives.

1 Azazel

"Azazel" - the famous Russian novel about the detective Erast Fandorin. Detective became the first book in the cycle about the extraordinary policeman. The main character is a young man, twenty years old. Good luck accompanies him thanks to his courage, nobility and charm. The story takes place at the end of the XIX century. The author is pleased with the elegant, slightly old-fashioned language that is pleasant to read and the charming atmosphere of tsarist Russia.

The hero of the book is to investigate the case of the mysterious suicide of a rich student. The main character could not imagine that this investigation will result in a chain of deaths. To investigate the crime will only disinterestedness, loyalty to the motherland and luck. For several years in a row, Roman has been the leader in the ratings of the best Russian detectives. The plot captures the attention from the first pages and I don’t want the book to end, the more so the author leaves the final more or less open.

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

Azazel

No grasshopper in the grass

Oligarch with Big Dipper

Fox trace on the stones

Evil wind

The Fifth Sleepless

Poison mask

Newsboy

Silence of the old cemetery

Rose and cross

Total voted: 77

Vote results