Items related to The Gentle Axe: A Novel
Fresh off the case of a deranged student who murdered his landlady, noted police investigator Porfiry Petrovich barely takes a breath before a bizarre and very grisly double murder lands him back on the streets of the tsarist St. Petersburg he knows all too well. The sardonic sleuth follows a trail from the drinking dens of the Haymarket district to an altogether more genteel stratum of society-a hunt that leads him to a conclusion even he will find shocking. In the tradition of such first-rate historical novels such as The Alienist and The Dante Club, The Gentle Axe is atmospheric and tense storytelling from its dramatic opening to its stunning climax.
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Review:
Porfiry Petrovich, the police investigator who worked on the case involving the deranged student Raskolnikov in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, is given another life in R.N. Morris's The Gentle Axe. It is 1867 in St. Petersburg, Russia, on a cold winter morning. An elderly woman is scouring Petrovsky Park in search of a few sticks of firewood. What she finds instead is horrifying: a big, burly peasant hanging by a rope from a tree, with a blood-covered axe tucked into his belt. Nearby, she finds a suitcase. Packed inside is the body of a dwarf, with a deep head wound caused by an axe. Conventional wisdom says that the peasant killed the dwarf and then, in a paroxysm of guilt and remorse, killed himself. That scenario is good enough for everyone but Porfiry.
About the Author:
In a wonderfully atmospheric novel, Morris has created a world-weary protagonist in Porfiry, a man still exhausted from his last case, joined by a collection of absolutely believable characters to flesh out the novel. Mysteries abound and multiply in layers of characterization and narrative. Porfiry's investigation goes on, despite repeated attempts to take him off the case, and it leads him from the dregs of society to its most genteel heights. He follows clues, hunches, people, and stories to get to the bottom of the mystery--and when he does, it comes as a complete surprise, but one that makes perfect sense. This carefully written and entertaining novel will satisfy lovers of mystery, historical crime, and just plain good novels. --Valerie Ryan
R.N. Morris was born in Manchester, England, in 1960 and now lives in North London with his wife and two children. He sold his first short story to a teenage girls’ magazine while still a student at Cambridge University, where he read classics. Making his living as a freelance copywriter, he has continued to write, and occasionally publish, fiction. One of his stories, “The Devil’s Drum,” was turned into a one-act opera, which was performed at the Purcell Room in London’s South Bank. Another, “Revenants,” was published as a comic book. A Vengeful Longing is the follow-up to his first novel, The Gentle Axe, published by The Penguin Press in 2006.
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- PublisherPenguin Press HC, The
- Publication date2007
- ISBN 10 0571237843
- ISBN 13 9780571237845
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages320
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The Gentle Axe: A Novel
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. A GENTLE AXE. *** Signed & Dated *** This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780571237845
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780571237845
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good+. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+. First Edition. Signed and dated 1st Feb 2007 by the author. ; 9.2 X 6.4 X 1.2 inches; 293 pages; Signed by Author. Seller Inventory # 27372
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Book Description First edition, 2007. Signed and dated by the author to the title page. Hardback. 296pp. Dust jacket in a protective sleeve. What became of the shrewd police detective who harried and trapped the double axe murderer Rodion Raskalnikov? In 'A Gentle Axe', the inquiries of Porfiry Petrovich continue, through a richly textured historical crime novel that explores the darkest reserves of the Russian soul. Book in near fine condition and unread. Dust jacket near fine and unclipped. Book. Seller Inventory # 1306453
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A Gentle Axe (UK HB 1/1 - Signed and Dated - As New Condition - Boxed since new - First in the Porfiry Petrovich Series - Lovely Copy)
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. 1st Edition. UK HB 1/1 - Signed and Dated ('1st Feb 2007') - As New Condition - Boxed since new - First in the Porfiry Petrovich Series - Lovely Copy. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 2228
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. 1st Edition. 1st Printing. The Book is very fine, square, tight and unread. It is unmarked, with clean pages free of inscriptions or marks and has been signed and publication day dated (1 Feb 2007) by the author directly on to the title page. The pages show the normal slight yellowing due to ageing. The Dust Jacket is very fine, unfaded, unclipped (No price shown) and free of rips, tears or marks. First Edition, 1st Printing - Signed by the Author. All our books are covered with a clear, removable, chemically inert, protective wrapper before being securely bubble wrapped and dispatched in strong corrugated cardboard mailers. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 13189
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The Gentle Axe: A Novel
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. signed on title page by author, taunt exciting mystery of historical Tsarist russia Language: eng Language: eng 0.0 Language: eng Language: eng Language: eng Language: eng. Signed by Author. Seller Inventory # ABE-14548093312
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