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Sounds of Death
The bestseller among Russian detective stories. Nominee of Russian Detective award 2020 and 2022.
Six months ago, Nika lost her hearing. She went through hell and high water to return to her familiar world and got into an experimental program. Now, thanks to a pair of nondescript earrings, Nika can hear again.
She is invited along on a business trip to fairyland Barcelona. Nika is drinking in Catalonian sights and the world that is, once again, full of sounds. Yet she is unaware that the innovative solution is the target of a hunt.
Industrial espionage, theft, and murder, this is a far cry from Nika's expectations of the trip. Where to run? Who to trust in a strange land? And what to do if the only thing you can hear is the sounds of your own death?
Six months ago, Nika lost her hearing. She went through hell and high water to return to her familiar world and got into an experimental program. Now, thanks to a pair of nondescript earrings, Nika can hear again.
She is invited along on a business trip to fairyland Barcelona. Nika is drinking in Catalonian sights and the world that is, once again, full of sounds. Yet she is unaware that the innovative solution is the target of a hunt.
Industrial espionage, theft, and murder, this is a far cry from Nika's expectations of the trip. Where to run? Who to trust in a strange land? And what to do if the only thing you can hear is the sounds of your own death?
301 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 19, 2023
13 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Anna Orehova
3 books5 followersHello! I am Anna Orehova, a well-known Russian writer. My novels are at the TOP of sales on the Russian website Litres (analogous to Amazon), and I cooperate with the most prominent Russian publishing house, EKSMO. In 2022 my husband and I immigrated to Belgrade, and we now live in Serbia.
I love traveling, and I adore mysteries, which is why I’m writing mystery stories about different countries. I wrote 5 novels, two of which (Sounds of Death and Overheard Murder) were translated into English. Both of them are bestsellers among Russian detective stories and were nominated for the Russian Detective Awards, of which Overheard Murder became a winner in 2022.
I hope you’ll enjoy Travel and Mystery series. See you on the Author’s Note!
I love traveling, and I adore mysteries, which is why I’m writing mystery stories about different countries. I wrote 5 novels, two of which (Sounds of Death and Overheard Murder) were translated into English. Both of them are bestsellers among Russian detective stories and were nominated for the Russian Detective Awards, of which Overheard Murder became a winner in 2022.
I hope you’ll enjoy Travel and Mystery series. See you on the Author’s Note!
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 31, 2023
The good cozy mystery story
I rarely come across good cozy mystery stories, but here it is. The main character is alive, you believe her, and you sympathize with her. Sometimes she annoys you, but this makes her even more real like a good friend who does mistakes. I liked the detective line, but until the end, I didn’t know how to deal with antagonists and whether they should be considered antagonists at all. And well, Barcelona—oh, now I want to go there and feel the aromas and tastes described in the book.
I rarely come across good cozy mystery stories, but here it is. The main character is alive, you believe her, and you sympathize with her. Sometimes she annoys you, but this makes her even more real like a good friend who does mistakes. I liked the detective line, but until the end, I didn’t know how to deal with antagonists and whether they should be considered antagonists at all. And well, Barcelona—oh, now I want to go there and feel the aromas and tastes described in the book.
January 31, 2023
Intriguing
Very good detective story! An exciting plot does not allow you to go to bed after the end of the chapter, it makes you find out what happens next. It is interesting to read and guess who is the bad guy.
The book also is about the difficulties of people with disabilities. But, despite the very serious theme, the book gives you hope and makes sure that everything will be fine with the heroine. Also, I really liked the various marketing tricks described in the book. In the epilogue, the writer hints that it will be continued. I would like to read it as soon as possible. I recommend the book to everyone!
Very good detective story! An exciting plot does not allow you to go to bed after the end of the chapter, it makes you find out what happens next. It is interesting to read and guess who is the bad guy.
The book also is about the difficulties of people with disabilities. But, despite the very serious theme, the book gives you hope and makes sure that everything will be fine with the heroine. Also, I really liked the various marketing tricks described in the book. In the epilogue, the writer hints that it will be continued. I would like to read it as soon as possible. I recommend the book to everyone!
February 2, 2023
👌👌👌 Something new 👌👌👌
I liked it. Quite an interesting plot. The author skillfully inserts special information about marketing, and she does not look like a layman in the professional issues that she touches on.
For me, there are too many experiences of the heroine, but maybe this is connected with her "feature".
I liked it. Quite an interesting plot. The author skillfully inserts special information about marketing, and she does not look like a layman in the professional issues that she touches on.
For me, there are too many experiences of the heroine, but maybe this is connected with her "feature".
February 2, 2023
Mystery in Barcelona
When I read the description of the book, I thought it would be a typical teardrop about a deaf girl with a difficult fate. But as the plot develops, the main character’s hearing loss fades into the background, because she has enough other troubles. I won't spoil it, I'll just say that the ending will surprise you. Recommended reading for all detective lovers!
When I read the description of the book, I thought it would be a typical teardrop about a deaf girl with a difficult fate. But as the plot develops, the main character’s hearing loss fades into the background, because she has enough other troubles. I won't spoil it, I'll just say that the ending will surprise you. Recommended reading for all detective lovers!
February 3, 2023
Great! I need the next story, please.
I haven’t had such a weekend for a long time, I’ve been reading since Friday evening, finished on Saturday and I want more! The book keeps you in suspense, it is interesting what will happen next, and there is something new in each chapter. At the same time, you enjoy Barcelona, and even learn something new about advertising.
I haven’t had such a weekend for a long time, I’ve been reading since Friday evening, finished on Saturday and I want more! The book keeps you in suspense, it is interesting what will happen next, and there is something new in each chapter. At the same time, you enjoy Barcelona, and even learn something new about advertising.
April 9, 2023
With this book, Anna Orekhova had taken two pieces of what we call “literature” to the next level – detective and self-publishing. Honestly, I was negatively biased regarding detectives before reading this book, as I've understood a classic "detective” book as a superficial and mediocre "shocker” – but I didn't feel it at all, when I was reading her "Barcelona”. Regarding self-publishing, I've got stuck into its reputation of "second-class” fanfiction – instead, in this novel, Anna marks a high standard for the whole self-pub community which I want to pursue being a self-pub author myself.
So, this was my first detective I've ever read, apart from the common inspiration by crimi movies, such as "Pulp Fiction” and now, after finishing this book, I feel good about reading it. Orekhova's writing style is clean, nice and tidy, punctual, and I felt like I can learn something from her as a writer. Her research during the writing of "Barcelona” deserves a huge respect, as it has to be hard to write about the city you never lived in and also covering the "hear loss” topic in the nutshell.
I appreciate the way she described Barcelona and the way a typical tourist sees it. While Barcelona is actually a badass city with its own complex history, partially covered by my beloved Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia”, partially being great on its own after Olympics-1992, visitors don't care about it at all. While majority of Barcelonians take a stand to fight for the Catalonian independence from Spain, tourist sees the Barcelona as a generic part of Spain, where protesters are just a huge assholes waving their stupid flags disturbing normal people's enjoyment of life. And it's sad – but it's actually true, cause that's how a normal tourist thinks. Anna perfectly covered a common Barcelona's issue with the theft and the picture of tourist “facing the reality”, even though it's still a sort of unusual situation where gangsters objectively hunt your fancy earrings. Also one observation worth mentioning: the book has been originally written in 2018, and now, in 2023, it's impossible to imagine a "Russian caviar exhibition” in Barcelona or anywhere else in Europe. What a twist, huh?
Another topic she perfectly covered in her "Barcelona” is marketing. As a seasoned marketing manager herself, Anna gives us few secrets on how to convince the consumer to buy things he/she doesn't need at all, how to manipulate people's minds. This sort of capitalism critic wasn't as brutal and harsh as it was in Palahniuk's "Fight Club” or it wasn't as crazy as Pelevin's "Generation P”, which all Russian readers know about, but still – good job! I didn't expect that strong accent on the phenomena of consumerism.
In the end, this book makes me want to read her next travel detective, which is "The Overheard Murder in Istanbul”.
So, this was my first detective I've ever read, apart from the common inspiration by crimi movies, such as "Pulp Fiction” and now, after finishing this book, I feel good about reading it. Orekhova's writing style is clean, nice and tidy, punctual, and I felt like I can learn something from her as a writer. Her research during the writing of "Barcelona” deserves a huge respect, as it has to be hard to write about the city you never lived in and also covering the "hear loss” topic in the nutshell.
I appreciate the way she described Barcelona and the way a typical tourist sees it. While Barcelona is actually a badass city with its own complex history, partially covered by my beloved Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia”, partially being great on its own after Olympics-1992, visitors don't care about it at all. While majority of Barcelonians take a stand to fight for the Catalonian independence from Spain, tourist sees the Barcelona as a generic part of Spain, where protesters are just a huge assholes waving their stupid flags disturbing normal people's enjoyment of life. And it's sad – but it's actually true, cause that's how a normal tourist thinks. Anna perfectly covered a common Barcelona's issue with the theft and the picture of tourist “facing the reality”, even though it's still a sort of unusual situation where gangsters objectively hunt your fancy earrings. Also one observation worth mentioning: the book has been originally written in 2018, and now, in 2023, it's impossible to imagine a "Russian caviar exhibition” in Barcelona or anywhere else in Europe. What a twist, huh?
Another topic she perfectly covered in her "Barcelona” is marketing. As a seasoned marketing manager herself, Anna gives us few secrets on how to convince the consumer to buy things he/she doesn't need at all, how to manipulate people's minds. This sort of capitalism critic wasn't as brutal and harsh as it was in Palahniuk's "Fight Club” or it wasn't as crazy as Pelevin's "Generation P”, which all Russian readers know about, but still – good job! I didn't expect that strong accent on the phenomena of consumerism.
In the end, this book makes me want to read her next travel detective, which is "The Overheard Murder in Istanbul”.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews