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Vodka Express: A Dmitri Petrov Crime Novel
Vodka Express takes readers on a visceral journey into the raw and fractured heart of Saint Petersburg—a city where faded imperial grandeur clashes violently with the brutal realities of its present, where the mean streets hold life cheaper than a bottle of vodka. Amidst this stark duality, Inspectors Dmitri Petrov and Manislov Illich forge an unlikely yet formidable partnership. Petrov, a master of subtle observation in a world quick to resort to force, must navigate this treacherous urban landscape like a deadly chess match.
Alongside him stands his imposing partner, Manislov Illich, a man whose explosive temper and formidable presence have earned him the chilling moniker "Ivan the Terrible," adding a volatile, Russian-style edge to their relentless pursuit of justice.
From the decaying Soviet-era tenements of the Dygnizi Projects, where survival is a daily battle and violence commonplace, to the opulent villas of the nouveau riche, where power and secrets dangerously intertwine, Dmitri and Manislov tread carefully into a murky realm where the boundaries between law and lawlessness dissolve with alarming ease.
“Think Raymond Chandler meets Russian noir. Vodka Express delivers a visceral journey through Saint Petersburg's dark underbelly.”
“Vodka Express is guaranteed to satisfy fans of dark, atmospheric crime fiction, with a strong sense of place and unforgettable characters.”
“A searing portrait of modern Russia in the tradition of early Gorky, wrapped in a gripping crime thriller.”
“Griffith writes like Dostoevsky if he had lived in the 21st Century. Saint Petersburg's dark side unleashed. Vodka Justice served, Russian style.”
A Review of Vodka Express
A Dmitri Petrov Crime Novel
By Sally Stratso
Ralph Griffith has proven himself to be a multi-talented, prolific author, with books like Monkey House and The Real Bernie Madoff denouncing financial corruption. But Ralph’s imaginative prowess also shines through in numerous series, including The Harry Chin Murder Mysteries, The Johnny Walker Detective Novels, The Clyde Thomas Novels, The Too-Sweet Sagas, The Big Huna Novels, and now his latest series, Dmitri Crime Novels, beginning with the very impressive Vodka Express.
Griffith’s detailed descriptions lead to unforgettable characters. His smart and sophisticated storytelling, laden with nail-biting suspense, is set against the backdrop of the different identities of St. Petersburg, Russia - one is characterized by grayness, fog, faded imperial grandeur, poverty, and the lower depths - juxtaposed against the stunning architecture and opulent villas of the newly rich. He interlaces these descriptions with his depictions of the main protagonists – Inspectors Dmitri Petrov and Manislov Illich – as being polar opposites in terms of their personalities yet presenting a formidable force together.
Griffith has complete control of his story and his style. Beautifully written, superbly plotted, the story relentlessly pulls you in, immerses you in the investigations, and just when you are emotionally invested in the story, events occur that shock you to the core. As Inspector Dmitri stated, We are given considerable freedom to achieve our objectives.
Alongside him stands his imposing partner, Manislov Illich, a man whose explosive temper and formidable presence have earned him the chilling moniker "Ivan the Terrible," adding a volatile, Russian-style edge to their relentless pursuit of justice.
From the decaying Soviet-era tenements of the Dygnizi Projects, where survival is a daily battle and violence commonplace, to the opulent villas of the nouveau riche, where power and secrets dangerously intertwine, Dmitri and Manislov tread carefully into a murky realm where the boundaries between law and lawlessness dissolve with alarming ease.
“Think Raymond Chandler meets Russian noir. Vodka Express delivers a visceral journey through Saint Petersburg's dark underbelly.”
“Vodka Express is guaranteed to satisfy fans of dark, atmospheric crime fiction, with a strong sense of place and unforgettable characters.”
“A searing portrait of modern Russia in the tradition of early Gorky, wrapped in a gripping crime thriller.”
“Griffith writes like Dostoevsky if he had lived in the 21st Century. Saint Petersburg's dark side unleashed. Vodka Justice served, Russian style.”
A Review of Vodka Express
A Dmitri Petrov Crime Novel
By Sally Stratso
Ralph Griffith has proven himself to be a multi-talented, prolific author, with books like Monkey House and The Real Bernie Madoff denouncing financial corruption. But Ralph’s imaginative prowess also shines through in numerous series, including The Harry Chin Murder Mysteries, The Johnny Walker Detective Novels, The Clyde Thomas Novels, The Too-Sweet Sagas, The Big Huna Novels, and now his latest series, Dmitri Crime Novels, beginning with the very impressive Vodka Express.
Griffith’s detailed descriptions lead to unforgettable characters. His smart and sophisticated storytelling, laden with nail-biting suspense, is set against the backdrop of the different identities of St. Petersburg, Russia - one is characterized by grayness, fog, faded imperial grandeur, poverty, and the lower depths - juxtaposed against the stunning architecture and opulent villas of the newly rich. He interlaces these descriptions with his depictions of the main protagonists – Inspectors Dmitri Petrov and Manislov Illich – as being polar opposites in terms of their personalities yet presenting a formidable force together.
Griffith has complete control of his story and his style. Beautifully written, superbly plotted, the story relentlessly pulls you in, immerses you in the investigations, and just when you are emotionally invested in the story, events occur that shock you to the core. As Inspector Dmitri stated, We are given considerable freedom to achieve our objectives.
- GenresMystery
460 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2025
57 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Ralph Griffith
74 books95 followersA Life Lived in Ink
Ralph Griffith is an intriguing American author with a life story that reads like a gripping novel itself. Known for his crime and mystery novels, his literary career began during his incarceration, where he spent over 30 years, including a final 14-year stretch that inspired his memoirs "Monkey House" and "The Real Bernie Madoff".
Griffith's notable works include:
"The Harry Chin Murder Mysteries"
"The Johnny Walker Detective Novels"
"The Clyde Thomas Novels"
"The Too-Sweet Sagas"
"The Big Huna Novels"
“The Griffith Chronicles”
Today, he continues to write from his home in the Pacific Northwest.
His series have been translated into Spanish.
You can visit Ralph at:
amazon.com/author/ralphgriffith
https://www.linkedin.com/in/xak-media/
https://www.facebook.com/XAKMediaGroup/
https://x.com/XakMedia
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm16300273/...
Una vida vivida en tinta
Ralph Griffith es un fascinante autor estadounidense cuya historia de vida se lee como una novela apasionante. Conocido por sus novelas policiales y de misterio, su carrera literaria comenzó durante su encarcelamiento, donde pasó más de 30 años, incluido un tramo final de 14 años que inspiró sus memorias "Monkey House" y "The Real Bernie Madoff".
Las obras notables de Griffith incluyen:
Los misterios del asesinato de Harry Chin
Las novelas de detectives de Johnny Walker
Las novelas de Clyde Thomas
Las sagas Too-Sweet
Las novelas de Big Huna
Las crónicas de Griffith
Hoy, continúa escribiendo desde su casa en el noroeste del Pacífico.
Ralph Griffith is an intriguing American author with a life story that reads like a gripping novel itself. Known for his crime and mystery novels, his literary career began during his incarceration, where he spent over 30 years, including a final 14-year stretch that inspired his memoirs "Monkey House" and "The Real Bernie Madoff".
Griffith's notable works include:
"The Harry Chin Murder Mysteries"
"The Johnny Walker Detective Novels"
"The Clyde Thomas Novels"
"The Too-Sweet Sagas"
"The Big Huna Novels"
“The Griffith Chronicles”
Today, he continues to write from his home in the Pacific Northwest.
His series have been translated into Spanish.
You can visit Ralph at:
amazon.com/author/ralphgriffith
https://www.linkedin.com/in/xak-media/
https://www.facebook.com/XAKMediaGroup/
https://x.com/XakMedia
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm16300273/...
Una vida vivida en tinta
Ralph Griffith es un fascinante autor estadounidense cuya historia de vida se lee como una novela apasionante. Conocido por sus novelas policiales y de misterio, su carrera literaria comenzó durante su encarcelamiento, donde pasó más de 30 años, incluido un tramo final de 14 años que inspiró sus memorias "Monkey House" y "The Real Bernie Madoff".
Las obras notables de Griffith incluyen:
Los misterios del asesinato de Harry Chin
Las novelas de detectives de Johnny Walker
Las novelas de Clyde Thomas
Las sagas Too-Sweet
Las novelas de Big Huna
Las crónicas de Griffith
Hoy, continúa escribiendo desde su casa en el noroeste del Pacífico.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 29, 2025
There is something compelling about these stories. I had several books I was reading or wanting to read, but I started Vodka Express and found myself continually returning to finish it. I just wanted to keep following this odd couple of Russian police inspectors through the cold streets of Saint Petersburg.
Vodka Express is a classic buddy story, more than anything else, about the relationship between two men. The lead investigator is the diminutive Dimitri Petrov, a single man, living alone with a pet hamster named Lenin. He is thoughtful and methodical with wry understated humor and patient tolerance that reveals years of experience with the seamy underside of the city he loves. His younger partner, Manislov Illich is a married caffeine-fueled emotional hothead. Unlike Dimitri, Manislov is tall, powerfully built, and intimidating, but he inevitably defers to Dimitri, because he knows he needs to be calmed down and slowed down by his older partner. Together these two jostle each other and occasionally disagree, but they remain united in pursuing their cases.
The book is really two novellas. And in each, Petrov and Illich are faced with multiple crimes to solve, as their superior seems to relish dumping new work on them rapidly before whatever case they are already working on is solved.
In the first book, they deal with a series of murders of homeless men and also with the murder of a wealthy restaurateur. With persistence and luck they juggle and solve these unrelated crimes. Then in the second more complex book, they deal with the theft of six Faberge eggs. These valuable treasures belong to a wealthy industrialist and his much younger, extraordinarily beautiful wife. Lurking somewhere within their estate is the perpetrator, but more intriguing is the buyer of the eggs, a man of violence and ultra-intelligent competence. He is double-crossed and many are murdered as a result. One gets the impression life is cheap and easily lost in Russia.
In fact some of their suspects or witnesses are dispatched casually by the investigating professionals, through a kind of street justice. Other crimes are settled with more conventional (Western-style) police procedures. Perhaps it is more typical of Russian police work than American, but there is a casual disregard for human life that is sometimes shocking. In one story, a suspect who doesn’t cooperate is simply thrown to his death in a river.
I enjoyed the insights into Russian culture and in particular, Russian police work. A solid four stars.
Vodka Express is a classic buddy story, more than anything else, about the relationship between two men. The lead investigator is the diminutive Dimitri Petrov, a single man, living alone with a pet hamster named Lenin. He is thoughtful and methodical with wry understated humor and patient tolerance that reveals years of experience with the seamy underside of the city he loves. His younger partner, Manislov Illich is a married caffeine-fueled emotional hothead. Unlike Dimitri, Manislov is tall, powerfully built, and intimidating, but he inevitably defers to Dimitri, because he knows he needs to be calmed down and slowed down by his older partner. Together these two jostle each other and occasionally disagree, but they remain united in pursuing their cases.
The book is really two novellas. And in each, Petrov and Illich are faced with multiple crimes to solve, as their superior seems to relish dumping new work on them rapidly before whatever case they are already working on is solved.
In the first book, they deal with a series of murders of homeless men and also with the murder of a wealthy restaurateur. With persistence and luck they juggle and solve these unrelated crimes. Then in the second more complex book, they deal with the theft of six Faberge eggs. These valuable treasures belong to a wealthy industrialist and his much younger, extraordinarily beautiful wife. Lurking somewhere within their estate is the perpetrator, but more intriguing is the buyer of the eggs, a man of violence and ultra-intelligent competence. He is double-crossed and many are murdered as a result. One gets the impression life is cheap and easily lost in Russia.
In fact some of their suspects or witnesses are dispatched casually by the investigating professionals, through a kind of street justice. Other crimes are settled with more conventional (Western-style) police procedures. Perhaps it is more typical of Russian police work than American, but there is a casual disregard for human life that is sometimes shocking. In one story, a suspect who doesn’t cooperate is simply thrown to his death in a river.
I enjoyed the insights into Russian culture and in particular, Russian police work. A solid four stars.
December 22, 2025
Enjoyable Reading But In Need of a Good Editor
The various plots and stories were entertaining enough to distract from the shallow character development. But the flow was interrupted by occasional grammatical and word usage errors. A real boneheaded gaffe is placing Saint Basil’s cathedral in Saint Petersburg; another is calling the Metro a subway. Those are underground pedestrian ways.
The various plots and stories were entertaining enough to distract from the shallow character development. But the flow was interrupted by occasional grammatical and word usage errors. A real boneheaded gaffe is placing Saint Basil’s cathedral in Saint Petersburg; another is calling the Metro a subway. Those are underground pedestrian ways.
October 8, 2025
phenomenally bad. from the lack of proof reading to detectives who miss the obvious, same phrases repeating over and over and same scenes laid out without any apparent reason apart from filling in the pages. and all this - comrade.. bear shit , where is that coming from? no one speaks like that in Russia.
September 26, 2025
I understand this being a first novel however I felt the plot and storyline a bit thin. I guess I was hoping for better.
October 27, 2025
Solving murder crimes in a different venue.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews