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Porfiry Petrovich #1
The Gentle Axe
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"Stumbling through Petrovsky Park one cold morning in search of firewood, an elderly woman makes a horrifying discovery. A burly peasant twirls in the wind, hanging from a bowed tree by a rope about his neck, a bloody axe tucked into his belt. Nearby, packed neatly into a suitcase, is the body of a dwarf, a deep axe wound splitting his skull in two. It does not take long for the noted police investigator Porfiry Petrovich, still drained from his work on the case involving the deranged student Raskolnikov, to suspect that the truth of the matter is more complex that the crime scene might suggest. Why do so many roads lead to the same house of prostitution and the same ring or pornographers? Why do so many powerful interests seem intent on blocking his efforts? His investigation leads him from the squalid tenements, brothels, and drinking dens of the city's Haymarket district to an altogether more genteel stratum of society. As he gets deeper and deeper in, and the connections between the two spheres begin to multiply, both his anger and his terror mount. Atmospheric and tense from its dramatic opening to its shocking climax, The Gentle Axe is a spellbinding historical crime novel, a book that explores the darkest places of the human heart with tremendous energy, empathy, and wit. As lucky as St. Petersburg residents are to have Porfiry Petrovich in public service, we are equally fortunate to have R.N. Morris on hand to chronicle his most challenging case to date."
"Stumbling through Petrovsky Park one cold morning in search of firewood, an elderly woman makes a horrifying discovery. A burly peasant twirls in the wind, hanging from a bowed tree by a rope about his neck, a bloody axe tucked into his belt. Nearby, packed neatly into a suitcase, is the body of a dwarf, a deep axe wound splitting his skull in two. It does not take long for the noted police investigator Porfiry Petrovich, still drained from his work on the case involving the deranged student Raskolnikov, to suspect that the truth of the matter is more complex that the crime scene might suggest. Why do so many roads lead to the same house of prostitution and the same ring or pornographers? Why do so many powerful interests seem intent on blocking his efforts? His investigation leads him from the squalid tenements, brothels, and drinking dens of the city's Haymarket district to an altogether more genteel stratum of society. As he gets deeper and deeper in, and the connections between the two spheres begin to multiply, both his anger and his terror mount. Atmospheric and tense from its dramatic opening to its shocking climax, The Gentle Axe is a spellbinding historical crime novel, a book that explores the darkest places of the human heart with tremendous energy, empathy, and wit. As lucky as St. Petersburg residents are to have Porfiry Petrovich in public service, we are equally fortunate to have R.N. Morris on hand to chronicle his most challenging case to date."
1 pages, Audio CD
First published March 22, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
February 13, 2008
As a native speaker of Russian, I was suspicious of this novel at first. When Roger Morris, an Englishman, pulled out Porfiry Petrovich, the investigating magistrate of Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment,” from his literary hereafter, I was afraid of getting into yet another Potemkin village. And, of course, Dostoevsky is mine. What right do foreigners have to exploit his characters? After all, in their ignorance of Russia, they often create what we call “a spreading cranberry,” a tall story.
I’m glad I was wrong. The result of Morris’ impeccable work is a literary mystery, a matreshka doll with more sequentially smaller dolls nested inside than there are peas in a pod.
[Read the rest of my review in The Literary Review magazine]
I’m glad I was wrong. The result of Morris’ impeccable work is a literary mystery, a matreshka doll with more sequentially smaller dolls nested inside than there are peas in a pod.
[Read the rest of my review in The Literary Review magazine]
Read
February 23, 2019I'd somehow never even heard of this 2007 novel - in which English author RN Morris has the demented/inspired idea to use Porfiry Petrovich, the weirdly relentless detective from "Crime and Punishment," as his historical-mystery protagonist - and when I recently found it at a thrift shop, I had to give it a try! And amazingly, Morris makes the idea totally work: not only is this the SAME Porfiry Petrovich as in Dostoevsky (he's not strengthened or idealized at all), but the Morris also does an uncannily convincing job of re-creating not 19th-century St. Petersburg but DOSTOEVSKY's 19th-century St. Petersburg. And the book's actual mystery plot is very well done. I loved it.
June 2, 2021
I really enjoyed this atmospheric historical crime fiction set in turn of the 19th Century Russia. I haven’t read Crime and Punishment but am interested in doing so now. I am keen to continue this series.
August 16, 2013
An axe murder, a young student, a pawn slip, a young prostitute, a yellow ticket, the magistrate investigator, Porfiry Petrovich... is this Crime and Punishment Redux? Was this dèja lu [already read]? No, some of the same elements are present, but this author has stirred them together into a whole new stew.
This novel started out well. I thought the idea of using the Crime and Punishment investigator was a good one. After all, after Conan Doyle's death, how many books with Sherlock Holmes as hero have been written?
An old woman discovers a suitcase with a dwarf gruesomely murdered with an axe and then shoved inside. Ostensibly, the axe murderer has hanged himself on a nearby tree in remorse. Porfiry Petrovich's different ideas about the case drive him to investigate. The novel becomes a 19th century Russian police procedural, complete with astute medical examiner. The mystery got too complicated for me to follow. Porfiry Petrovich finally puts everything together and explains why the crimes were committed. Following his reasoning in his final explanation was of interest. Things finally made sense.
The author did an excellent job of conveying the atmosphere of 1866 St. Petersburg, Russia, but the clues leading to the solution of the crimes and the plot twists were too convoluted. All in all, I was disappointed; after a great beginning, the book didn't live up to its promise. I can't give it a glowing review.
This novel started out well. I thought the idea of using the Crime and Punishment investigator was a good one. After all, after Conan Doyle's death, how many books with Sherlock Holmes as hero have been written?
An old woman discovers a suitcase with a dwarf gruesomely murdered with an axe and then shoved inside. Ostensibly, the axe murderer has hanged himself on a nearby tree in remorse. Porfiry Petrovich's different ideas about the case drive him to investigate. The novel becomes a 19th century Russian police procedural, complete with astute medical examiner. The mystery got too complicated for me to follow. Porfiry Petrovich finally puts everything together and explains why the crimes were committed. Following his reasoning in his final explanation was of interest. Things finally made sense.
The author did an excellent job of conveying the atmosphere of 1866 St. Petersburg, Russia, but the clues leading to the solution of the crimes and the plot twists were too convoluted. All in all, I was disappointed; after a great beginning, the book didn't live up to its promise. I can't give it a glowing review.
October 5, 2024
An engaging crime drama set in 1860s St. Petersburg, Russia, starring Porfiry Petrovich, the police investigator from Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment," from which it borrows. The first of a short series, it includes great characters, but the mystery is complex, and if you aren't used to Russian names, you will probably become confused. Simon Vance narrated the audiobook (nuff said).
September 24, 2020
It's always a pleasure to discover a clever new series.
August 30, 2014
Orijinali Kitap Esintisi adresinde.
Balta şans eseri rastlayıp almaya karar verdiğim bir kitaptı. Elime geçtikten kısa bir süre sonra da okuyayım dedim başladım. Kitabın kapağında Raskolnikov'u sorgulayan dedektifin hikayesi diye bir metin var, önce bu yüzden Suç ve Ceza'yı okumadığım için acaba kopukluk olur mu diye korktum. Başladıktan sonra da GR puanına bakayım bari dedim, puanı 3.44 görünce aman tanrım didim. Neyse ki o puanı pek de hak etmeyen bir kitapmış da içim rahat etti.
Olay Rusya'da geçiyor, tabi karakterler de Rus; o yüzden de sıkıntı var. İsimler o kadar benziyor ki (bence), insanları karıştırdığım çok oldu. Porfiri Petroviç asıl dedektifimiz, Pavel Paveloviç isimli bir karakter daha var o da aç öğrenci kitapta. Neyse ki soyadı Virginski ile anlatıyor da kafanız sürekli karışmıyor; çünkü ara ara ben de hatlar koptu okurken.
Olay ise Petrovski parkında bulunan iki ceset. Çok kısa olan ve cüce diye tabir edilen bavula sıkıştırılmış ve kafası balta ile yarılmış, ağaca asılı olan adamın da karnında balta var. Petroviç bu durumun çifte cinayet olduğunu düşünüyor ama savcılık bürosundaki kafasız adam inatla ağaca asılanın diğerini öldürüp intihar ettiğini öne sürüyor. Böyle zor şartlarda ipuçlarını toplamaya başlasa da savcı davayı kafasına göre kapatıyor. Bir başka kayıp vakası bu durumla ilişkili çıkınca mecburen yeniden açıyor tabi.
Bir sürü Rus karakterle karşılaşıp ilginç bir hikaye dinliyorsunuz. Ama kimin neyi sakladığı ya da ne konuda yalan söylediğini anlamak kolay değil. Polis grubunun iç ilişkileri de garip olduğundan kafanız bulanabilir. Ama aslında güzel bir son ile bitiyor diyebilirim. Benim aklımdan geçen kişi çıktı, çünkü bütün bu olaylarla garip bir bağlantısı olduğu belli, içten içe de kıllandıran bir karakter. Ve kitapta kan gövdeyi bir hayli götürüyor ona da hazırlıklı olmak lazım.
Kısacası ummadığım kitap beni bir hayli kendine çekti. Kitaplığınızdaysa öne çekebilirsiniz.
Balta şans eseri rastlayıp almaya karar verdiğim bir kitaptı. Elime geçtikten kısa bir süre sonra da okuyayım dedim başladım. Kitabın kapağında Raskolnikov'u sorgulayan dedektifin hikayesi diye bir metin var, önce bu yüzden Suç ve Ceza'yı okumadığım için acaba kopukluk olur mu diye korktum. Başladıktan sonra da GR puanına bakayım bari dedim, puanı 3.44 görünce aman tanrım didim. Neyse ki o puanı pek de hak etmeyen bir kitapmış da içim rahat etti.
Olay Rusya'da geçiyor, tabi karakterler de Rus; o yüzden de sıkıntı var. İsimler o kadar benziyor ki (bence), insanları karıştırdığım çok oldu. Porfiri Petroviç asıl dedektifimiz, Pavel Paveloviç isimli bir karakter daha var o da aç öğrenci kitapta. Neyse ki soyadı Virginski ile anlatıyor da kafanız sürekli karışmıyor; çünkü ara ara ben de hatlar koptu okurken.
Olay ise Petrovski parkında bulunan iki ceset. Çok kısa olan ve cüce diye tabir edilen bavula sıkıştırılmış ve kafası balta ile yarılmış, ağaca asılı olan adamın da karnında balta var. Petroviç bu durumun çifte cinayet olduğunu düşünüyor ama savcılık bürosundaki kafasız adam inatla ağaca asılanın diğerini öldürüp intihar ettiğini öne sürüyor. Böyle zor şartlarda ipuçlarını toplamaya başlasa da savcı davayı kafasına göre kapatıyor. Bir başka kayıp vakası bu durumla ilişkili çıkınca mecburen yeniden açıyor tabi.
Bir sürü Rus karakterle karşılaşıp ilginç bir hikaye dinliyorsunuz. Ama kimin neyi sakladığı ya da ne konuda yalan söylediğini anlamak kolay değil. Polis grubunun iç ilişkileri de garip olduğundan kafanız bulanabilir. Ama aslında güzel bir son ile bitiyor diyebilirim. Benim aklımdan geçen kişi çıktı, çünkü bütün bu olaylarla garip bir bağlantısı olduğu belli, içten içe de kıllandıran bir karakter. Ve kitapta kan gövdeyi bir hayli götürüyor ona da hazırlıklı olmak lazım.
Kısacası ummadığım kitap beni bir hayli kendine çekti. Kitaplığınızdaysa öne çekebilirsiniz.
September 29, 2009
A brutally murdered dwarf is found inside a suitcase in St. Petersburg’s Petrovsky Park, while the frozen body of the man presumed to be his murderer swings from a tree-branch overhead. R. N. Morris borrows Fyodor Dostoevky’s famous Porfiry Petrovich to investigate these crimes in The Gentle Axe. Fresh from his pursuit of the student Raskolnikov, Porfiry realizes that all is not what it seems and through a process of trial, error and astute psychology, manages to expose the true nature of these crimes.
Although Morris borrows a bit too much from Crime and Punishment in this novel (we have another starving student – Virginsky – and Lilya, a prostitute who is not dissimilar to Dostoevsky’s Sonechka), he creates a wonderfully atmospheric nineteenth century St. Petersburg, complete with the horrific living conditions for the poor that made revolution seem so imperative. The solution to the mystery is ingenious and the characters memorable; if you’re looking for a historical mystery with a bit more depth than usual, this is a wonderful read.
Although Morris borrows a bit too much from Crime and Punishment in this novel (we have another starving student – Virginsky – and Lilya, a prostitute who is not dissimilar to Dostoevsky’s Sonechka), he creates a wonderfully atmospheric nineteenth century St. Petersburg, complete with the horrific living conditions for the poor that made revolution seem so imperative. The solution to the mystery is ingenious and the characters memorable; if you’re looking for a historical mystery with a bit more depth than usual, this is a wonderful read.
June 27, 2022
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Wat een kanjer van een boek!
Het verhaal speelt ver voor het CSI-tijdperk, toen we uitsluitend ons gezonde verstand gebruikten om misdaden op te lossen.
Toch ond ik de plot ondergeschikt aan de perfecte sfeertekening van St. Petersburg in wintertijd als ook het belang van de sociale verhoudingen aldaar in de tweede helft van de 19e eeuw.
Niettemin is het verhaal intrigerend en wordt het met de nodige humor gebracht.
En zeker ook spannend.
Wat een kanjer van een boek!
Het verhaal speelt ver voor het CSI-tijdperk, toen we uitsluitend ons gezonde verstand gebruikten om misdaden op te lossen.
Toch ond ik de plot ondergeschikt aan de perfecte sfeertekening van St. Petersburg in wintertijd als ook het belang van de sociale verhoudingen aldaar in de tweede helft van de 19e eeuw.
Niettemin is het verhaal intrigerend en wordt het met de nodige humor gebracht.
En zeker ook spannend.
October 26, 2019
Pretty good book, first I've read by r n Morris. Lots of great characters and the setting seems realistic. I like Mysteries that take place during this period though usually they are in Western Europe or the USA. It was fun to read a Victorian age mystery that takes place in Russia. The protagonist is the anti-hero Porfiry petrovich, an "Investigating Magistrate". It's a police procedural mystery. It has you guessing until the end with a few red herrings to flesh it out. The conclusion to the mystery is convoluted perhaps more than it needs to be but on the other hand life isn't tidy. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
March 26, 2008
For readers that have been yearning for a book that speaks with an older, wiser voice, written in a long forgotten style, with a classic fluidity that can only be penned by a select few…Here ya’ go! R. N. Morris has delivered a novel that embraces the historic elements of a true masterpiece, indulges the nostalgic desires of the quintessential reader and satisfies even the most discerning contemporary suspense-thriller lover!
Fyodor Dostoevsky first introduced readers to criminal investigator Porfiry Petrovich, in the 1866 novel Crime & Punishment. The book is centered around the murder of a pawnbroker and her half-sister by a deranged, impoverished student, named Raskolnikov. It is a year after this mind-numbing case that Morris picks up the story and takes the reader deep into the investigator’s life and of course, a brand new murder mystery.
Searching for firewood in St. Petersburg’s Petrovsky Park, a woman stumbles upon a dead body hanging from a tree. Nearby, a second body, that of a dwarf, is found in a suitcase. A laundry list of items were initially left at the scene, however, by the time investigator Petrovich is alerted, via an anonymous tip, anything of value is missing, thus complicating an already difficult case. The search for answers will take the rotund detective through many facets of Russian society, from the dark, dank squalid apartments of the slums to the elegant, sprawling homes of the sophisticated elite. As the Park investigation continues, other, seemingly unrelated murders occur, forcing the investigation in a surprisingly new direction. To solve the Park case, Petrovich will have to think outside the box…connecting the dots of this disturbing case will prove to be even more difficult than the case that had defined him.
Morris unravels the layers of St. Petersburg and its residents, slowly, like a delicious, blooming onion, allowing the reader to savor the flavor and enjoy each and every bite. There are strong, no-non-sense characters and those that bring a lighter, at times, humorous element to the story, thus eliciting a myriad of emotions from the reader. Gentle Axe is not littered with red herrings and preemptive spoilers, instead it is based on a clever plot, written with artistic flair. The characters are drawn with the kind of intimate detail one ascertains from a photograph and the settings are constructed with the artistic eye of a painter. The author took a significant, yet calculated risk- borrowing the lead character, setting and back story from the famous work of a beloved writer, which could easily garner a host of negativity. However, creating a sequel that feels Dostoevsky-like, that reads like a true Morris original, is a note-worthy accomplishment, indeed!
A spell-binding novel that will definitely keep you up late…reading! And you’ll want to share this one with friends and coworkers –it’s really that good!
Happy Reading!
Fyodor Dostoevsky first introduced readers to criminal investigator Porfiry Petrovich, in the 1866 novel Crime & Punishment. The book is centered around the murder of a pawnbroker and her half-sister by a deranged, impoverished student, named Raskolnikov. It is a year after this mind-numbing case that Morris picks up the story and takes the reader deep into the investigator’s life and of course, a brand new murder mystery.
Searching for firewood in St. Petersburg’s Petrovsky Park, a woman stumbles upon a dead body hanging from a tree. Nearby, a second body, that of a dwarf, is found in a suitcase. A laundry list of items were initially left at the scene, however, by the time investigator Petrovich is alerted, via an anonymous tip, anything of value is missing, thus complicating an already difficult case. The search for answers will take the rotund detective through many facets of Russian society, from the dark, dank squalid apartments of the slums to the elegant, sprawling homes of the sophisticated elite. As the Park investigation continues, other, seemingly unrelated murders occur, forcing the investigation in a surprisingly new direction. To solve the Park case, Petrovich will have to think outside the box…connecting the dots of this disturbing case will prove to be even more difficult than the case that had defined him.
Morris unravels the layers of St. Petersburg and its residents, slowly, like a delicious, blooming onion, allowing the reader to savor the flavor and enjoy each and every bite. There are strong, no-non-sense characters and those that bring a lighter, at times, humorous element to the story, thus eliciting a myriad of emotions from the reader. Gentle Axe is not littered with red herrings and preemptive spoilers, instead it is based on a clever plot, written with artistic flair. The characters are drawn with the kind of intimate detail one ascertains from a photograph and the settings are constructed with the artistic eye of a painter. The author took a significant, yet calculated risk- borrowing the lead character, setting and back story from the famous work of a beloved writer, which could easily garner a host of negativity. However, creating a sequel that feels Dostoevsky-like, that reads like a true Morris original, is a note-worthy accomplishment, indeed!
A spell-binding novel that will definitely keep you up late…reading! And you’ll want to share this one with friends and coworkers –it’s really that good!
Happy Reading!
November 18, 2007
A wonderfully written murder mystery with the literary twist of featuring a Dostoyevsky character (from Crime & Punishment),
police investigator Porfiry Petrovich. Researched and detailed in the Russian way, this compelling novel was hard for me to put down. (I read it in two sittings). I'm off now to find any interviews with Roger Morris that might answer some of my many questions about where he got this idea, how he researched it, and what he's going to write next! Wonderful work!
police investigator Porfiry Petrovich. Researched and detailed in the Russian way, this compelling novel was hard for me to put down. (I read it in two sittings). I'm off now to find any interviews with Roger Morris that might answer some of my many questions about where he got this idea, how he researched it, and what he's going to write next! Wonderful work!
March 2, 2012
This is a neat form of detective book, take a very famous literary investigator, one created by a great Russian novelist and turn him into a character with a world of his own. R.N. Morris has taken Porfiry Petrovich of Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky and turned him into a dark Russian investigating magistrate. It was a brilliant move and is the start of a series. It will be interesting to see how this evolves.
September 30, 2009
I don't like or dislike this book but I learned that I don't like reading Russian names, and that I only kept at it so long because the jacket design on my nice hardcover is so creamy and gorgeous, with a pleasing silky feel.
September 21, 2010
Very interesting premise. While I am not very knowledgeable about Russian literature I do think Morris captured the spirit of the times and St. Petersburg and I did enjoy Porfiry Petrovich, from Dostoyevski's Crime and Punishment, as the detective.
July 23, 2008
Really didn't do much for me. I read it just after Sister Pelagia and the Black Monk, and the plot and the style were both a big step down.
November 21, 2023
Autorul are doua carti celebre: "Taking comfort" (2006) si "A gentle axe" (2007). Cea din urma este un roman politist istoric in care autorul, pe langa faptul ca reproduce atmosfera si decorul specifice cartilor lui Dostoievski, imprumuta de asemenea si un personaj cheie din "Crima si pedeapsa" - detectivul Porfiri Petrovici. Pe langa acest amanunt o sa mai gasim de-a lungul operei multe elemente si similitudini cu celebra lucrare a scriitorului rus: crima dubla, studentul, prostituata etc.
Actiunea se petrece la Sankt Petersburg in iarna anului 1866. Evenimentele au loc la un an si jumatate dupa cazul studentului Raskolnikov. Intr-o dimineata in parcul Petrovski o batrana prostituata descopera un om spanzurat. La picioarele sale zace un geamantan de piele pe care, crezand ca e plin de bani, il deschide. Inauntru insa este un alt cadavru - corpul unui pitic ciudat fiind inghesuit acolo.
De caz se vor ocupa magistratul investigator Porfiri Petrovici si colegul sau, Ilia Petrovici Salitov. In urma anchetei reiese ca barbatul nu s-a spanzurat ci a fost omorat cu o secure si atarnat de copac post-mortem, iar arma crimei a fost varata la cureaua sa. Cat despre pitic, acesta avea capul zdrobit. La toate aceastea se adauga faptul ca politia fusese alertata de un bilet anonim.
Anchetatorul deduce ca se afla in fata unui caz extrem de greu, mai ales ca superiorul sau si procurorul sunt inversunati sa ignore probele medicale si materiale si sa inchida cazul:
"Asta este Rusia. Pe noi nu logica ne conduce ci autoritatea."
Avem de-a face cu un thriller politist foarte reusit, cu atmosfera sordida si oarecum claustrofoba a Rusiei din acea perioada, redata extraordinar de bine. De altfel punctul forte al romanului este faptul ca reproduce cu fidelitate si succes atmosfera din "Crima si pedeapsa". Este de asemenea foarte bine conturata si figura lui Porfiri Petrovici, nederanjand cu nimic faptul ca e imprumutat de la un alt autor, pentru ca se pastreaza fidel modul sau de gandire, felul de a fi, rationamentul si modalitatile in care ancheteaza crimele.
Intriga politista este incalcita, nefiind deloc usor de rezolvat, astfel ca autorul are o bila alba si in ceea ce priveste complexitatea cazul in sine.
Recomand aceasta carte in primul rand fanilor lui Dostoievski (care vor fi surprinsi cat de buna este, cu toate ca asteptarile sunt mari) cat si acelora care doresc sa desluseasca un caz de crima solid, realist si bine scris.
Actiunea se petrece la Sankt Petersburg in iarna anului 1866. Evenimentele au loc la un an si jumatate dupa cazul studentului Raskolnikov. Intr-o dimineata in parcul Petrovski o batrana prostituata descopera un om spanzurat. La picioarele sale zace un geamantan de piele pe care, crezand ca e plin de bani, il deschide. Inauntru insa este un alt cadavru - corpul unui pitic ciudat fiind inghesuit acolo.
De caz se vor ocupa magistratul investigator Porfiri Petrovici si colegul sau, Ilia Petrovici Salitov. In urma anchetei reiese ca barbatul nu s-a spanzurat ci a fost omorat cu o secure si atarnat de copac post-mortem, iar arma crimei a fost varata la cureaua sa. Cat despre pitic, acesta avea capul zdrobit. La toate aceastea se adauga faptul ca politia fusese alertata de un bilet anonim.
Anchetatorul deduce ca se afla in fata unui caz extrem de greu, mai ales ca superiorul sau si procurorul sunt inversunati sa ignore probele medicale si materiale si sa inchida cazul:
"Asta este Rusia. Pe noi nu logica ne conduce ci autoritatea."
Avem de-a face cu un thriller politist foarte reusit, cu atmosfera sordida si oarecum claustrofoba a Rusiei din acea perioada, redata extraordinar de bine. De altfel punctul forte al romanului este faptul ca reproduce cu fidelitate si succes atmosfera din "Crima si pedeapsa". Este de asemenea foarte bine conturata si figura lui Porfiri Petrovici, nederanjand cu nimic faptul ca e imprumutat de la un alt autor, pentru ca se pastreaza fidel modul sau de gandire, felul de a fi, rationamentul si modalitatile in care ancheteaza crimele.
Intriga politista este incalcita, nefiind deloc usor de rezolvat, astfel ca autorul are o bila alba si in ceea ce priveste complexitatea cazul in sine.
Recomand aceasta carte in primul rand fanilor lui Dostoievski (care vor fi surprinsi cat de buna este, cu toate ca asteptarile sunt mari) cat si acelora care doresc sa desluseasca un caz de crima solid, realist si bine scris.
January 7, 2022
This book has everything by way of good mystery; there is death by poisoning, yet the deceased was in a locked room by himself and none could enter or leave...so it seems. There is a dwarf found dead in a suitcase and a hanged man nearby where the briefcase was buried. Did he kill the dwarf and than hung himself out of guilt? This seems a reasonable way of viewing it...or so it seems.
These questions needs answering as well as plenty more...
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Two bodies are found and made to look like murder/suicide; death by hanging after the bludgeoning of a dwarf and placing the body in a briefcase. And when the coroner/Purveyor is brought to examine the bodies it is revealed that they’ve been poisoned with vodka laced with prussic acid. When the body of Govorov, (an actor) the man they had been searching for and had presumed to be the main suspect, he too died of poisoning in a locked room that may have had another person inside with him but only Govorov was found in this room dead, after having fallen on a guitar that he’d retrieved from a pawn shop. One person in whom Porfiry, the Investigating Magistrate had taken a fondness of, is name Pavel Pavlovich Virginsky; who is one interesting character and throughout this novel, he remains unsure of his action in that he never commits himself one way or that way; he describes himself as a coward by book’s end. Anyhow, he is addicted to Laudanum and suffers from hunger/malnutrition as the purveyor took note of this; he is one of the many starving students residing in Russia. His father is a wealthy landowner who took the love of his life away from him and married her and for this he could never forgive his father and so he goes around being miserably poor and starved. Virginsky’s name is as interesting as the premise for this book in that all of the characters have something in them that is impure and need reconciling.
These questions needs answering as well as plenty more...
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Two bodies are found and made to look like murder/suicide; death by hanging after the bludgeoning of a dwarf and placing the body in a briefcase. And when the coroner/Purveyor is brought to examine the bodies it is revealed that they’ve been poisoned with vodka laced with prussic acid. When the body of Govorov, (an actor) the man they had been searching for and had presumed to be the main suspect, he too died of poisoning in a locked room that may have had another person inside with him but only Govorov was found in this room dead, after having fallen on a guitar that he’d retrieved from a pawn shop. One person in whom Porfiry, the Investigating Magistrate had taken a fondness of, is name Pavel Pavlovich Virginsky; who is one interesting character and throughout this novel, he remains unsure of his action in that he never commits himself one way or that way; he describes himself as a coward by book’s end. Anyhow, he is addicted to Laudanum and suffers from hunger/malnutrition as the purveyor took note of this; he is one of the many starving students residing in Russia. His father is a wealthy landowner who took the love of his life away from him and married her and for this he could never forgive his father and so he goes around being miserably poor and starved. Virginsky’s name is as interesting as the premise for this book in that all of the characters have something in them that is impure and need reconciling.
September 12, 2023
A note, before I write this note, I have not read Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, Crime and Punishment. The British Writer R.N. Morris’s A Gentle Axe: A St. Petersburg Mystery is a mystery novel based on the character named Porfiry Petrovich from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s book, Crime and Punishment. Porfiry Petrovich is an investigating Magistrate. Many other police characters in A Gentle Axe appeared in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. R.N. Morris seemed to be a super fan of Dostoevsky. Morris jokingly apologizes to Fyodor Dostoevsky in the Acknowledgements (Morris 247). Morris seemed to do a lot of research to write A Gentle Axe. In the Acknowledgements, Morris thanks Yaroslav I. Tregubov “of the St. Petersburg Historical Society” (Morris 247). Morris’s book was published in 2007. The novel, A Gentle Axe starts when two bodies are found in Petrovsky Park. One body is of a small person who was killed with an axe. The other person is a large person who seems to have killed the small person and then he hanged himself. There is more to be bodies than first appeared. People who are connected to these bodies keep dying. A Gentle Axe is the first book in a mystery series based around the character of Porfiry Petrovich, a detective. The book takes place a year and a half after the events of Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment in December 1866. I enjoyed R.N. Morris’s book, A Gentle Axe.
August 29, 2024
Having enjoyed R.N. Morris’s ‘Empire of Shadows’ series featuring Magistrate Pavel Pavlovich Virginsky, I was keen to read Morris’s ‘Porfiry Petrovich Mysteries’ series where Virginsky is introduced and was not disappointed. In ‘A Gentle Axe’ R.N. Morris uses the clever device of taking a supporting characters from classic literature and turning them into the hero of their own story. In the same way George MacDonald-Fraser transformed Flashman, the school bully from ‘Tom Brown’s School Days’, into the most notorious coward of the Victorian era. In ‘Crime and Punishment’ Petrovich was the eccentric magistrate responsible for bringing the novel’s antihero Raskolnikov to justice. Morris uses this as his starting point, taking the setting and many of the characters from ‘Crime and Punishment’ and using them as a portal into pre-revolutionary Russia. Petrovich has been placed in charge of an investigation into a double murder, his first murder since the events portrayed in ‘Crime and Punishment’ and finds many similarities in the case, as he hunts the murderer through the kaleidoscope of the squalor and grandeur of St Petersburg in the Winter of 1866. Morris neatly brings to life 19th Century Russia, with its struggle to modernise while keeping true to its traditions and its need for individuality set against the growing bureaucracy of a modern state; creating an original, witty and at times dark story that engages the reader with sharp prose and perfectly portrayed characters.
July 30, 2021
I would recommend this book and give it four to five star because it truly has all the components that goes to a good crime solving and who done it; yet it does lack a conclusive ending and this is perhaps it is the first of four books and the characters remaining may be mentioned again in some of the other books; we can get better glimpse of them or not at all. This story had a man in a room and another came to visit him; while the original occupant left paying the bill for the other to stay for another week; yet none sees that other man left; so he disappeared and how did he do that? While yet, there was supposed to have been two in a room that was locked from the outside, while the person who locked it, stayed to guard the door so that none would leave; yet when the police arrived only one person was inside the room and presumably dead from what seemed like a stroke but he was poisoned as the dead Govorov did speak per se: ‘Let us see if, in death, he had any talent for ventriloquism.’ He unscrewed the cap of the last bottle and inserted the nozzle of a long pipette. Holding this over the test tube, he released a rapid drizzle of droplets. All at once, the contents of the test tube turned inky blue. ‘Well, there you have it,’ said Dr. Pervoyedov, ‘Govorov speaks. Or rather, his stomach does.’
April 2, 2019
In his novel A Gentle Axe, R N Morris develops the character of Porfiry Petrovich from Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment.
Petrovich is the investigating magistrate in the case of two bodies found dead in unusual circumstances in Petrovsky Park; a dwarf stuffed in a suitcase dead from an axe wound and a hanging man with a bloodied axe. As he investigates further we learn more about the state of the Russian nation in 1866. Petrovich comes up against the bureaucracy of the justice system as men above him seem keen to close the case quickly rather than investigate what might lie behind the unusual deaths. Petrovich perseveres and we see him successfully solve the case.
Morris succeeds in portraying a rigid society with the poor struggling to survive. We can already see the problems which will later lead to revolution at the beginning of the 20th century.
Petrovich is the investigating magistrate in the case of two bodies found dead in unusual circumstances in Petrovsky Park; a dwarf stuffed in a suitcase dead from an axe wound and a hanging man with a bloodied axe. As he investigates further we learn more about the state of the Russian nation in 1866. Petrovich comes up against the bureaucracy of the justice system as men above him seem keen to close the case quickly rather than investigate what might lie behind the unusual deaths. Petrovich perseveres and we see him successfully solve the case.
Morris succeeds in portraying a rigid society with the poor struggling to survive. We can already see the problems which will later lead to revolution at the beginning of the 20th century.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2023
Ολοκληρώθηκε και η ανάγνωση αυτού του βιβλίου. Έγκλημα στην Αγία Πετρούπολη του Ρ.Ν. Μόρις. Το βιβλίο αυτό το επέλεξα γιατί η υπόθεση διαδραματίζονταν στην Αγ Πετρούπολη, το έτος 1867. Για τον συγγραφέα δεν ήξερα τίποτα. Πράγματι μας μεταφέρει σε μια άλλη εποχή και σε μια πόλη που δυστυχώς είναι απίθανο να μπορέσω να επισκεφτώ. Ξεκινά αρκετά δυναμικά με την άμεση παρουσία δύο φόνων αλλά για τις επόμενες 200 σελίδες κουράζεσαι λίγο από νέα πρόσωπα, καταστάσεις και νέους φόνους που γίνονται ένα κουβάρι. Η ένταση ανεβαίνει στις τελευταίες 100 σελίδες και μαζί με την ατμόσφαιρα που μας μεταφέρει της Ρωσίας του 1867 κερδίζει τελικά το 4/5 από εμένα. Δεν πρόκειται για ένα δυνατό και έντονο αστυνομικό αλλά για ένα μυστηριώδες μυθιστόρημα που μας δείχνει την ψυχή του Ρωσικού λαού!
Θα ήθελα να ακούσω εντυπώσεις από κάποιον που το έχει επίσης διαβάσει.
Θα ήθελα να ακούσω εντυπώσεις από κάποιον που το έχει επίσης διαβάσει.
January 10, 2024
Immensely satisfying and hugely enjoyable
This intricate and powerful murder mystery takes place in St. Petersburg in the 1880s, and the time and place are lovingly evoked in fascinating detail. The author borrows his investigator, Porfiry Petrovich, from “Crime and Punishment,” but you don’t need to know that book in order to appreciate the way Morris brings the character to life in his own distinctive way, and the effect is like reading a detective thriller featuring the secret love-child of Dostoevsky and Agatha Christie. But there’s more to this story than a compelling murder mystery, and true to the spirit of the classic Russian literature to which it pays playful but worthy homage, this novel has plenty to say about the soul, and does so in ways that manage to be both entertaining and thought provoking. Highly recommended.
This intricate and powerful murder mystery takes place in St. Petersburg in the 1880s, and the time and place are lovingly evoked in fascinating detail. The author borrows his investigator, Porfiry Petrovich, from “Crime and Punishment,” but you don’t need to know that book in order to appreciate the way Morris brings the character to life in his own distinctive way, and the effect is like reading a detective thriller featuring the secret love-child of Dostoevsky and Agatha Christie. But there’s more to this story than a compelling murder mystery, and true to the spirit of the classic Russian literature to which it pays playful but worthy homage, this novel has plenty to say about the soul, and does so in ways that manage to be both entertaining and thought provoking. Highly recommended.
August 29, 2023
This is a fascinating historical crime thriller with a rich and lyrical slow-burn feel about it. The main character Porfiry Petrovich is very interesting and I liked his relationships with his police colleagues, as well as how he handles the suspects in what is a very violent crime. There's a great deal going on and almost everyone is keeping secrets of one sort or the other. The tension begins to mount as the ending approaches and I enjoyed the way the very complex crimes are solved. The final page where Porfiry is standing alone with his thoughts is very powerful indeed. A good start to this series.
January 2, 2021
A great read from, for me, a new name. I especially liked the plot and its gradual unravelling set against the backdrop of 19th century St Petersburg.
I had great fun keeping tabs on the pairs of Russian First names and Patronymics with the characters' Family names!
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
I had great fun keeping tabs on the pairs of Russian First names and Patronymics with the characters' Family names!
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
November 2, 2018
Confusion confusion 🤯. What a great beginning! The rest of the book did not follow. They’re too many complex plot twists and clues that lead to nowhere. Once I got to the conclusion I was more or less disappointed.
November 23, 2019
This would be 3.75 if partial stars were allowed. An interesting take on an older story. The concept was what started me reading, but I was not able to connect to the main character enough to really settle into it.
May 28, 2022
This takes place in 19th century Russia and is a murder mystery. Kind of hard to follow because I don't know much about Russia and it is hard to keep track of characters because the names are difficult. In general, it is a good story and the author was very creative in how the mystery is resolved.
November 25, 2017
This book is quite a fascinating read. Keeps you engaged in the book. I am reading the rest of the series.
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