Blurb

A former Russian ballerina and a police photographer, destined to be lovers, seek to unfold the murder mystery of two women…

DARK EYES…Anya, an unwed mother of a mentally challenged child, meets Andrei, at a murder scene. They strive to unravel the murders of a hotel worker and a doll-seller with a link to diamond smuggling in Soviet Leningrad.

The offbeat couple, in jeopardy, are stalked by a vicious detective with possible involvement in the murders, and in a taut reversal, the hunted become the hunters.

Review

This is a gritty and compelling thriller set in Leningrad over a period of seven weeks from mid-December 1956 to early February 1957 in the depths of a bitter winter — a time, for ordinary people, of food shortages and a gruelling struggle to survive.

When Anya Andreyeva, a former ballerina, arrives at her mother-in-law Calina’s apartment to collect her daughter Iskra, she discovers that Calina has been killed; Iskra, hidden under the older woman’s bed, may have seen the murderer. The police are unsympathetic and are suspicious of Anya. The police photographer, Andrei Garin shows a spark of humanity, and drives Anya and Iskra home. He mentions in passing that a street vendor was murdered who was probably part of a smuggling racket. Anya had collected matryoshka dolls for Calina from the woman the day before and had previously delivered parcels for Calina. Was Calina involved in the smuggling? Had Anya, unknowingly, been part of it?

A physical relationship quickly develops with Andrei but, initially, Anya does not know that she can trust him. This is a world ruled by suspicion and threat. Those in positions of power are self-serving, corrupt and brutal. It is impossible to know who can be trusted; everyone is suspect.

Nina Romano realistically brings this bitter cold world to life with its corruption, desolation and ever-present sense of threat. This is a world where people disappear. There are moments of sheer brutality yet the small domestic details, the preparation of food, tight friendships, and shared secrets woven through the novel provide a thread of light and hope.

All characters are well rounded and realistic. Anya and Andrei have their human flaws but are both people a reader can care and hope for. Their greatest threat is Nikoli Fomin, the corrupt and brutal police investigator, a man devoid of scruples, who is capable of anything.

Dark Eyes is a page-turner where the reader has no idea of the outcome, whether Anya and Andrei will survive, whether they will reach a place of safety, until the very last page. A tense, atmospheric and compelling novel.