The Russian Doll

by Marina Palmer

'I couldn't put it down and finished it in a day . . . Superb!' - Mara Timon, author of City of Spies

The Firm meets McMafia in Marina Palmer's thrilling and exciting novel, which opens the door on the Russian high life in London and corruption at the heart of British politics, reaching all the way into the Secret Services.

Packed with twists, intrigue, betrayal, romance and suspense, The Russian Doll constantly wrong-foots the reader and delivers a perfect narrative, right to the last page.

How much did she just say the salary was?

When Ruth Miller returns a dropped scarf to Elena Shilkov, she is whisked from a dreary shared flat to a world of unimagined luxury.

The super-rich Russian wants a new personal assistant and won't take no for an answer.

Ruth gets accommodation, a credit card, and a complete wardrobe makeover.

And she's good at the job; distributing gifts, attending galas, dealing with the high-society movers and shakers fighting for Elena's attention.

Then the sinister truth begins to reveal itself, that nothing is quite what it seems in Elena's dangerous, deceptive world.

Ruth should get away.

But it's already too late.

'Best book I've read this year' - Simon Conway, author of The Stranger

'The Russian Doll gripped me with layer upon dangerous layer' - Alison Bruce, author of The Moment Before Impact

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 25, 2021

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know the old adage, “If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is”? Well look no further than The Russian Doll, if you want proof of it!

Russian oligarchs are business oligarchs of the former Soviet republics who rapidly accumulated wealth during the era of Russian privatization in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.

This then is the backdrop for The Russian Doll. When Ruth is caught up in the bombing of a London cafe, she bravely intercepts a grenade that was heading towards two little girls, and effectively saves their lives. Their mother Elena Shilkov just happens to be a Russian Oligarch. Ruth was only there to return a scarf that Elena had dropped, and within a few weeks has been offered a job with the Russian and her family, a job that that made Ruth gulp in disbelief. The fantastic salary, the designer clothes, attending functions that money couldn’t buy. Can it be true? And what exactly will she have to do in return for this life of unbelievable luxury?

Well Ruth is about to find out. She can’t believe her luck - until the truth begins to reveal itself.

This one drew me in immediately, and thereafter, as it quickly revealed the dark side of the Russian elite, with lots of twists and unbearable tension at times. A riveting read that, (had the ending been stronger), would have been a 5 star rating for me. Terrific, all the same!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marina Palmer drops the reader into the murky world of Russian oligarchs living in London, giving us a glimpse into the machinery of political manipulation and their world of super wealth. 23 year old Ruth Miller is from a deprived and rough background, supported by foster parents in Middlesbrough, a northern girl who finds herself working as a temporary administrative assistant in London. She is lonely, exploring the city, when she finds herself inadvertently injured in a West End cafe terrorist incident, saving the life of Elena Shilkov and her 2 daughters. Several weeks later Elena makes Ruth an offer she can't refuse, working as her social and charitable PA, living in the Shilkovs well protected luxurious home in South Kensington, paid an extraordinary salary, with a new designer wardrobe and a credit card.

To Ruth's surprise, she turns out to be remarkably good at her job, her blend of street smarts and good memory hold her in good stead in the face of her naivety at the eyeopening heart of the world of extreme privilege and power that opens up. She develops a close relationship with Elena, the two of them intuitively recognise in the other the tough background each has experienced, and it is not long before Elena begins to view Ruth as her protege to be tutored in the world of business, whilst Ruth sees at first hand the corruption at the heart of the British government. However, Ruth is unaware of the dangerous realities of working for Russian oligarchs as she answers Elena's emails, dispenses largesse to the needy, organises conferences at exclusive hotels, researching and providing appropriate rewards for the 'Sir Tobys' of the British establishment for political favours.

Ruth finds herself in deadly danger, surrounded by disappearances, murders, extortion, blackmail, troll farms and fake news, and the presence of the intelligence services that begins to encroach on her life, leaving her feeling trapped, living in fear and terror. As she tries to find the truth of what is going on, Ruth is a woman with her own secrets, she doesn't know who she can trust, she is on her own, will she be able to survive against all the odds? This is a dark and intense exciting thriller that resonates with our contemporary realities. It makes for utterly riveting and compulsive reading, packed with suspense and tension, and with numerous twists and turns. I think this will appeal to many crime, mystery and thriller readers. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

[Ceecee · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up.

Why is the sight of a blonde woman with her two girls looking in a jewellers window something which attracts Ruth Millers attention? The blonde drops are very expensive scarf, Ruth returns it and three months later she finds herself whisked away from her dreary flat share into a well-paid job as a personal assistant. Who is the blonde you may well ask? Well, she’s a Russian Elena Shilkov, a philanthropist and wife of Yuri Shilkov, accountant and adviser to oligarchs. Ruth has a makeover including a designer wardrobe, a good salary, accommodation under credit card. Too good to be true? Well, this is a thriller and a darn good one at that and so of course it is!

You are engaged in the clever, contemporary novel right from the jawdropping start. The characterisation is excellent, Elena is a tour de force but she’s met her match in Ruth who is no pushover, in fact she has all the smarts. Despite this being an intense and exciting thriller there are moments of humour especially in the dialogue between the two women. The fast paced plot is clever and very believable and it’s written so visually it’s like watching a movie! As the title suggests there are multiple layers to this but what little doll lies at the centre of this as you unwrap the layers? Naturally that would be a spoiler! We have enigmatic characters with pasts, the mystery of the Orlov‘s and their empire and the dynamics between the family, we have politics, conspiracies, dilemmas and the security services – every component and more of a gripping novel. It’s got tension, suspense and multiple twists and turns to keep you hooked. The ending is good but could maybe have been a bit more kapow.

Overall, I love this one and genuinely couldn’t put it down.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so absorbing! I got completely lost in the glamour, glitz and grime of the world Ruth got sucked into. This really reminded me of The Ozarks but set in London with the Russian mafia. I really hope there’s a sequel. I want to read more unique thrillers like this!!

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever thriller, set among the mega-rich of contemporary London. Not usually my thing, but I tracked this down because the author is Imogen Robertson. Robertson wrote some of my favorite historical mysteries and I was curious to see what she could do with a modern setting.
Not too shabby.
From the plot summary:
When Ruth Miller returns a dropped scarf to Elena Shilkov, she is whisked from a dreary shared flat to a world of unimagined luxury.
The super-rich Russian wants a new personal assistant and won't take no for an answer.
Ruth gets accommodation, a credit card, and a complete wardrobe makeover.
And she's good at the job; distributing gifts, attending galas, dealing with the high-society movers and shakers fighting for Elena's attention.
Then the sinister truth begins to reveal itself, that nothing is quite what it seems in Elena's dangerous, deceptive world.
Ruth should get away.
But it's already too late.

Ruth is 23, bright and chock-full of secrets of her own. She's willing, at first to take Elena (and her husband Yuri) at face value. She accepts the presence of full time security guards as the price the super-rich Russians need to pay to live in London. Even as she becomes interested in Michael, the head of their security squad, she senses something is 'off' with him. And when someone from MI5 tries to recruit Ruth to spy on the Shilkovs, she's torn between her loyalty to Elena and her deepest fears that the job was 'too good to be true'.
Ruth is a bundle of contradictions and I loved her. And I became engrossed in her story. This was a lovely, twisty, mystery/thriller.
I hope Robertson dons her Marina Palmer persona again. I'll gladly read the next one.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in modern-day London, amongst the lives of the obscenely rich, The Russian Doll is a novel that really too me by surprise. I was expecting the story of an ordinary girl who finds herself surrounded by the trappings of money and glamour, and that is what it is. However, there's so much more to this tense, complex and very entertaining novel. It's an eye-opening insight into what happens in those circles that most of us will never enter. It's about money, and power and control. It's about how humans will stop at nothing to protect themselves, and to rise higher. It's cleverly structured and quite fascinating.

Ruth Miller is from the North of England. She's recently moved to London. She's out of her comfort zone really and when she sees a woman drop an expensive scarf, she fleetingly considers keeping it. However, Ruth follows Elena Shilkov and her two daughters into an exclusive cafe, to ensure that the scarf is returned. Ruth then finds herself caught up in a terrifying incident and puts her own safety to one side, in order to save others.

It is this one act of bravery that leads Ruth to a mansion in the wealthiest part of London. Elena offers her a job, with a fantastic salary and full board. Although it does take a little while for Ruth to decide, she takes the job and enters a world that she could never have imagined.

This author takes her readers into a world where corruption is normal. Ruth faces incredible danger; there's murder, blackmail and online bot accounts. However, Ruth has her own shady past and is far tougher than either she, or the family she now works for could ever have imagined.

This is full of tension and suspense and I was never quite sure who to trust. Totally entertaining and written with such style. Recommended by me.

[The Cookster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.0/5

Although this is the first novel that has appeared under the name of Marina Palmer, it is actually a pseudonym for Imogen Robertson, who has written a number of books in the historical fiction genre as well as collaborating with other writers on co-writing projects. Having recently completed a political thriller with former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson, she has now penned her first solo foray into the world of contemporary thriller fiction with "The Russian Doll". There was much that I admired and enjoyed about this book, but by the end I also felt slightly frustrated and disappointed that it hadn't lived up to its potential.

The novel opens very strongly and impressively with the author succeeding in creating a real sense of confusion around an incident that takes place - blurring events of the immediate past and the present. This opening is both disconcerting and intriguing. It grabbed my attention and drew me in immediately. The premise, too, was an interesting one and it is easy to understand why comparisons have been drawn between this and the television series, "McMafia". At times "The Russian Doll" also felt more like a screenplay than a novel.

The characterisation is generally pleasing. For the most part, I enjoyed the strength and charisma of the two lead female characters, Ruth and Elena. That said, I was much less taken with the rather sickly and unnecessary romance element that kept popping into the narrative, which I felt undermined Ruth's character and the story as a whole.

Sadly, in spite of all the aforementioned positive aspects, the quality did become somewhat patchy as the storyline progressed. Considering how impressively the novel had opened, the narrative, style and plot did subsequently become a bit ropey at times. There were sections that seemed inappropriately simplistic or rushed, and the plot developments came across as being excessively convenient or relying on leaps of faith.

On the whole, "The Russian Doll" is still an enjoyable and entertaining read, but it could have been so much better if the quality that was evident in the earlier sections had been maintained throughout.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Martin Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine contemporary thriller with some nice twists and turns.

First off, although Marina Palmer may be a new name to readers, her alter-ego Imogen Robertson will be well-known to readers of historical fiction books. So, this new venture into contemporary thrillers intrigued me.

When office worker Ruth Miller inadvertently saves the lives of a woman and her children during a terrorist attack on a London café, she has no idea what changes are about to take place in her life. Within weeks the woman has offered her a job as her PA, and she is swept up into the privileged life of Russian oligarchs, society events and cash-for-favours.

It's not long before Ruth begins to suspect there are darker things going on in the lives of her boss and her family, and soon she is involved in shady deals and suspect relationships. The story moves along at a fair pace, with twists, mysteries and revelations all served up in a timely fashion. There are some nicely observed scenes involving the rich and famous, the privileged and the not-so-privileged, and the world that is light years away from normal.

I enjoyed the book, and the characters are well rounded enough for me to love / hate / despise them as appropriate. And there's a nice sense of claustrophobia that's builds up as Ruth realises just what she's gotten herself into.

Definitely recommended for thriller and conspiracy fans everywhere.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audio. This is a gripping novel with two original and convincing female leads, Ruth from Middlesbrough and Elena from Russia / Kensington. It’s a clever and very contemporary plot with dark undertones and plenty of unexpected twists and turns. Very entertaining. There were a couple of scenes that didn’t work so well for me (notably Ruth’s encounter with an overly caricatured prime minister) and the ending was a little too nearly wrapped up - but overall this was an interesting, fun, fast paced read. Very well narrated on audio too.

[Kirstie Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I enjoyed this book, and enjoyed the storyline, I did struggle slightly with the flow of the book. Seemed to take me ages to read it, which I don't really know why - just wasn't a smooth read that gripped me where I couldn't put it down.
Regardless it was a good read, and enjoyed getting to know all the characters and their background.
Big twist at the end that I didn't see coming, and probably would never have guessed in a million years.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate how long it took me to read this because the book started so strong but due to mu job I couldn’t read it as quickly as i wanted to and i feel that if i did i would have enjoyed this a lot more. I admit i felt lost in some pages and my mind wondered a bit but the ending really pulled the story together and answered some questions.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was really cool but I had such a hard time following the writing style! Tons of sentence fragments, kind of stream of consciousness, I had to reread paragraphs over and over to understand what they were saying. Maybe I'm just dumb 🥲

[Sophie hj · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tension between Michael & Ruth… too much to handle in the best way. Cannot believe the final 4 chapters but so glad it ended the way it did so cutesy but mainly dramatic in a nail biting way

[Anne Barclay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book kept me guessing till the very end end.

[Alma (retirement at last) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Really enjoyed this as it was a totally different take on what could be, and probably is, going on in the higher echelons of businesses, politics and the aristocracy of different nations and how people’s greed makes it easy to manipulate and corrupt them.
Loved the protagonists and got a real feel for each character.
Easy to read and i flew through it. Hope you enjoy it too if you get the opportunity to read it😊

[Iris k · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was a slow read for me. There were a lot of grammatical errors. The ending was a disappointment. It was predictable. If you have a strong interest in true crime, corruption and murder, you will find many parts to be unrealistic. I would not recommend this to anyone I know.

[Kaveri BibliophileRants · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 ⭐

This was an intriguing read! I liked the fact that the air of mystery was maintained throughout. It was a little predictable at times but I found it an enjoyable read otherwise.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Expectations – it’s one of the patterns of the English novel, the magical device to break the class barriers. Note, a gal with a portion of 50,000 a year might have great expectations but doesn’t meet the pattern. What is missing is the patron, the person who confers on the deserving pauper the means to reach his rightful level. The eponymous Dickens novel is the 19th century paradigm, this (last) century perhaps the major example was the Magus. But is there really a rightful level, is the hero really deserving, or does he have desert thrust upon him, for him to find out that it’s slipping away at the end like the neiges d’, for he never really had it. This is a different kettle. Ruth is the modern day equivalent of the pauper – brought up in foster homes or in care or in the system, depending on your geo-loc. And she’s a girl, and does everything right, no matter how much it seems she does not. I must say the opening device by which she meets her patron is reminiscent of some other plot, I just can’t locate it. After that things go more than according to plan and she is loaded with Gucci and Fendi (understand that metonymically). And now the plot engages greater reaches than whether an aged convict is going back to the hulks or wherever. Impressively taking in GCHQ and the higher levels of British politics, strangely having T May as home secretary and Johnson as PM (neither named). Can Ruth get out alive, free and happy? Can she get over finding that Miss H is Magwitch and Satis House is not really the thing after all? Yes, it ends with an epithalamion on a sunny island. Quite why the groom on Korčula is Serbian, I don’t know, or why pošalji joj ime is also claimed to be Serbian (both, might be, not necessarily).

[Monika Armet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book, full of pace and action that gripped me from the beginning.

The reader meets Ruth when she survives a terrorist attack in a London’s café. Ruth is deemed a heroine: she picked up a grenade and threw it in the opposite direction and saved the lives of others, as well as her own.

One of the cafe’s guests was Elena Shilkov, a Russian oligarch, and her daughters. Elena tracks Ruth down and offers her a job, a place to stay, a new wardrobe and a credit card. For Ruth, a young woman brought up in the care system, it seems an opportunity of a lifetime. It would be silly to refuse.

Soon, Ruth finds herself living in Elena’s home and working for her. She seems to enjoy her new post and she proves to be an efficient and trustworthy worker. Elena and her family seem to like Ruth too.

Ruth seems dazzled by all the glamour and glitz of a rich lifestyle, something that she has never experienced. However, she soon discovers that things are not quite right in Elena’s household.

It also appears that Ruth has few secrets that she didn’t share with her new employer… If Elena finds out, then Ruth will be in deep trouble. Can Ruth get out before it’s too late?

That’s all I am willing to say about this book. I’ve read it in a space of two days, I felt that I had to finish it. Ruth and Elena were such strong female leads. I loved Ruth as a character: she was damaged, didn’t trust anyone, but at the same time she was fearless and wanted to make a better life for herself. Surprisingly, I quite liked Elena too: she was outspoken and thought that money could get her anywhere.

[Tom Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate 'spoilers', so much so that when I see a book that interests me, often from a newspaper review, I'll only read enough to establish the genre and the fact that it's recommended. Even if I'm reading a blurb, I'll only read enough to establish that I think I'm going to enjoy it. Then I put it away - often for months, until I've forgotten all about it.
I feel this gives the author the best chance to 'tell' their story without me already knowing that Goldilocks eats the porridge, breaks a chair, and falls asleep in the bed: what will happen next...?
I particularly liked the 'slow-burn' delivery of The Russian Doll, the way the story revealed itself and the descriptions of life in such a rarefied community took you somewhere you wouldn't usually go. I loved the way the story ywisted and turned; it was difficult to predict, and deliciously difficult to work out who to trust.
My favourite bit was the set-up of 'ordinary' person getting mixed up with criminals, spies etc. Reminded me of Gerald Seymour's Killing Ground (which I've also reviewed), another 'civvy' getting involved with cops and robbers. If you liked this aspect of The Russian Doll, I'd highly recommend Killing Ground.

[Kent L. Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

very compelling story

I was immediately immersed in the flow of the story. The twists and turns of the plot weren’t always predictable. The main characters were intriguing, showing themselves to be human and not black and white in their natures. The ending brought about as much justice as I the reader could ask for. Just like real life, some players get away with their bad deeds, while some act on a moral code that requires strength of character . Although not all who deserved a good ending got one, most did, which is a satisfying way to close the story.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marina Palmer is a pseudonym for bestselling author Imogen Robertson , and as big fan of her Gabriel Crowther and Harriet Westerman historical series , i was not surprised how good this contemporary thriller would be, The Russian Doll is a page turner of many twist and turns , as we are pitched into the dark world of politics and the very rich. The writing is of the highest quality from a talented storyteller and for me the best read of January 2022.

[Fiona Erskine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific, twisty-turny thriller that reveals its true colours in perfectly crafted steps, just like the Matryoshka wooden dolls with their hidden layers. The unusual protagonist (Ruth from Middlesbrough) is on a surprising mission (no spoilers) which draws her into the world of super rich London based Russians. The UK North-South divide is poignantly observed as the story gathers explosive pace. Heather Long's narration for audible is pitch perfect.

[Greville Waterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting, topical and accurate, this was an excellent thriller concerning the murky lifestyle and excesses of Russian oligarchs.

The leading characters were well drawn and credible and Ruth in particular is intriguing and copes brilliantly with everything that is thrown at her.

I read this in a couple of sittings and throughly enjoyed it.

[Pgchuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was intriguing: why was Ruth so ready to work for Russian oligarch's wife Elena? What was Ruth hiding about her past? Was Michael, the head of security, a good guy or not? I got a little lost at around the 75% mark, but the ending cleared things up (maybe a little too satisfactorily). A fun read.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it but found it a bit hard going I didn't feel like some of the reviewers that it was unputdownable and the best book they'd read all year. It took me ages to read and you sort of knew, in parts, what was coming though not all. Elena spoke to Ruth at times like she was not worth bothering about but perhaps that's just Russian oligarchs for you.

[Michael Garin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant novel

Marina Palmer has written a brillant novel, the foundations for which were torn from the front pages with not a false note or contrived plot line.
Great characters matched by the quality of the writing.
A compelling and entertaining read. Bravo !!!

[Isobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, enjoyable thriller. Ruth becomes embroiled in the household of the powerful, rich, beautiful, charming Elena. Can she trust Elena? Can she trust anyone? We all know life isn't black and white - how grey is Ruth willing to go?

[Maria Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well told story. Kept me interested at all times and with very good beginning and end. The fact that it’s placed in London doesn’t hurt either. Could not ask for anything better when looking to a bit of relax reading time

[Tracey Volrath · Rating 3 out of 5]

I began reading and got excited that it was going to be fantastic, unfortunately by the middle for me it was abit flat, maybe through alot of the political stuff I don't quite understand but it was alright overall.