“One Night in Winter” by Simon Sebag Montefiore
What happens when you cross Donna Tartt’s The Secret History with one of the scariest times in Russian history? You end up with Simon Sebag Montefiore’s One Night in Winter.
Set in Moscow shortly after Russia’s defeat of Hitler, two students are found shot dead during a celebratory parade. Investigations reveal that the children are not just any children, but those of Russia’s most influential and powerful political elite. They are also revealed to be members of a secret society dedicated to the works of Pushkin, or so it seems. One by one, students are arrested and held prisoner, questioned until they begin turn on each other and even their parents. Small, seemingly minor slips of the tongue made by children under duress have major consequences for some of the people closest to Stalin. Love affairs are uncovered, sacrifices are made, secrets revealed. Based in truth, this novel will keep you biting your nails until the very end.
One Night in Winter: A Novel by Simon Sebag Montefiore (Harper, 9780062291882, May 6, 2014)
