Svetlana’s body lies covered in flowers in a Bulgarian villa. The young defiant light has been shot out, leaving those closest to her groping for answers.
With important businessmen to placate, the local police move slowly towards convenient solutions.
Twenty three years ago, her parents came to the UK as political refugees – to become so wound up in the desire to succeed in front of fellow emigrants they missed their daughter’s transition from partial invisibility to criminal blame.
Now back in his homeland Dr Gavril struggles to understand his daughter’s life and murder, helped by a lifelong obsession with Moby Dick.
His British friend and neighbour, Foxy – ex soldier – is determined to discover the murderer and take revenge. But first he has to penetrate the fog surrounding Svetlana’s affairs.
With the black humour evident in Prudence and the Red Baron Christopher Buxton once again stalks the dark borderlands between divided nations.
General Kornikov’s smile was tight but his tone was still soft. “There are some people who will be only too glad to tell you that there is no rule of law in this country and that we, the police are unable to fight crime – through reasons of corruption and incompetence. Whatever the justification of this view in some reported cases, let me assure you that in this case, we are as they say in England looking under every stone. Some of these stones of course have to be treated with a certain delicacy. Business interests in this country are interlinked with local politicians – I could say national politicians even. We are a fragile economy and so have to be careful with unsubstantiated rumours that may affect our reputation abroad.”