Novel Of The Week - One Night in Winter by Simon Sebag Montefiore

                                  
Russia based novels have been an obsession of mine lately...Not sure why, but yet I just finished reading
One Night in Winter by Simon Sebag Montefiore. It's like reading the Winter of the World' spin off!

Here's the plot:
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Moscow, 1945: World War II is finally over and Stalin is ready to celebrate with his closest ministers and generals. After the whole Parade of Victory has ended, people celebrated in the streets and squares when two gunshots are heared.
Two young students from School 801 (same where Stalin's children went) are found dead on a bridge right near the Kremlin, but the strange fact is they both wore theatrical costumes and near the corpes were found two ancient pistols.

So police inspectors and detectives arrests the students' group of friends and take them to the infamous prison Lubianka for questioning them. They're all part of the Muscovite elite: George Satinov is Hercules Satinov' son, one of the closest Stalin's confidant and Secretary of the Communist Party. Minka Dorova, daughter of Daska and Genrich Dorov. Minka's mother is a doctor and current Health's Minister and her father works for the General Committee. Serafima Romaskin is daughter of one of the moment's most acclaimed writer and his wife, the greatest actress that Russia has ever had.

And then Andreji Kurbskji, the only outsider, son of an Enemy of the People.

What happened to those kids on that brigde? Was just a unfortunate event or has it been planned? And if so, who could want those kids dead and why?
Not only the children, but also theri parents and two teachers from the school are questioned and the more they dig to uncover the truth the more come to the surface secrets, mysteries, cospirare plans and clandestine love affairs...but who's responsible for all?

The first three chapters are almost incomprehensible if you're not a Puskin's, Russian geography and history expert but eventually things get a bit less complicated. And when it happens...OMG! It's a love/cospiracy novel that will blow your mind!
The research job is very detailed and fictional characters are well mixed with the real ones.
You will experience (and find in the novel) the whole range of human emotions: love, hate, revenge, naivety....

This is a novel worth reading!

My vote: 9/10