Introduction

Journey into the heart of 20th Century Russia in this fun and funny historical mystery, perfect for fans of Verity Bright and Helena Dixon.

1918 Moscow

Will following her heart mean losing her head? It could mean losing her job.

Fiona Figg trails her nemesis Fredrick Fredricks to Moscow. But when she arrives at the grand Metropol Hotel, the bounder has vanished.

After Fiona doesn’t show up for work at the War Office, Kitty Lane raises a red flag and tracks her to Russia. Seeking haven at the British Embassy, Kitty and Fiona become embroiled in a plot to overthrow the Bolshevik government.

But the plot turns deadly when Fiona goes undercover as a governess in the household of Iron Viktor, the Bolsheviks’ Head of Secret Police. And when Viktor turns up dead in his study, Fiona finds herself wanted for murder and on the lam.

Can Fiona and Kitty find the real killer and escape the Kremlin before it’s too late? Or will this dangerous game of Russian roulette be their last?

What readers are saying about Kelly Oliver:

'A fun, mix of whodunnit and thriller!' T. A. Williams

'Fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek spy romp. Enjoy the ride!' Frances Evesham

'Will keep you turning the pages and laughing all the way!' Dianne Freeman ** 'The perfect wartime spy; Fiona Figg is smart, sneaky, and full of surprises... A fun whodunit that will keep you turning the pages!' **Cathi Stoler

'A cross between an Agatha Christie and a Sherlock Holmes sleuthing story. Just brilliant!' NetGalley Reviewer

'Simply delightful. Fiona Figg — with her tools, wigs, and disguises — is a sleuth you can't help but root for.' S.K. Golden

'This historical mystery delivers twists and turns. I can't wait for the next one!' Muddy Rose Reviews

'I love Fiona Figg!' Margaret Mizushima

'Couldn't put it down.' Amazon Reviewer

'A perfect blend of wit, fun, and intrigue.' Debra Goldstein

'I am hooked on these amazing characters.' Amazon Reviewer A fun diversion with an entertaining female lead. Kirkus Reviews 'Fans of Susan Elia MacNeal will gobble up this series! Highly recommend.' L.A. Chandlar

'Diabolical plot twists, interesting red herrings, colorful characters, make this a good whodunit.' NetGalley Reviewer

Editorial Review

No Editorial Review Currently Available

Excerpt

Kitty’s Prologue

27 February 1918, 10 a.m.

Kitty Lane reached across the table for the letter she’d found on Aunt Fiona’s nightstand. She uncrumpled it and reread the last line:

Fiona, ma chérie,… join me at Metropol Hotel, Suite 315. I offer you only the world.

What an arrogant arse. Snorting, she dropped the letter next to the gun she’d found in the nightstand. Aunt Fiona’s little pearl-handled number that she always bragged she’d got off the famous French spy, Mata Hari. Kitty resisted the urge to kick something. It wasn’t her place, after all. She glanced around. In Aunt Fiona’s kitchen, everything was as immaculate as pent-up passion. No red, or proper pink, not forest-green or even lime. Instead, pale colors, washed out and muted. From the scrubbed enameled stove and the dust-free paraffin lamps to the pale-pink ceiling and mint-green wallpaper, the cramped space exuded repression. Too bad Aunt Fiona had suddenly decided to follow her heart. Never a good idea.

Kitty stared down at the letter. What is the body but the vanity of the soul? Talk about vanity. She crumpled up the letter again, tossed it onto the kitchen table, and then stood up with such force, she nearly knocked over the chair. Pacing the length of the small kitchen, she debated her options. Hot on her heels, the little dog smacked into her foot. “Sorry, Poppy.” The Pekingese had been her constant companion since she’d returned from France four months ago, just before her first assignment partnered with Fiona Figg. She adjusted the pink bow on the dog’s topknot. It matched the one she wore in her own hair. Although Poppy’s butterscotch hair was a few shades darker than Kitty’s, they both looked fabulous in pink.

She turned around and stopped in front of the telephone box on the wall. She plucked a piece of paper from behind the box. It read Archie and had a telephone number. How sweet. Aunt Fiona had Archie’s number tucked between the phone box and the wall. Lieutenant Archie Somersby, Aunt Fiona’s fiancé. Not anymore. Not after Aunt Fiona’s latest stunt. Should she call him and tell him? Tell him what? That Fiona had run after another man? Aunt Fiona should have stuck with the flyboy. At least he was on their side. No. Fiona had to run after that scoundrelFritz Duquesne, alias Fredrick Fredricks, a known assassin and German spy who called himself “The Panther.” Fiona had no idea what she was up against. She didn’t even know his real name was Fritz Duquesne. It was classified. Beyond her clearance level. And bound to get her killed.

Kitty bent down and scooped up her little furry friend and grabbed Mata Hari’s gun. “Time to face the music, Poppy-poo.” Tucking the squirming pup under her arm, she marched out of the kitchen, back through the flat—stopping only to pluck one of Aunt Fiona’s wigs from its stand on the dressing table—and then slammed the door on the way out.

Chapter One

Countess Brasova

A heart at war with itself. For the dozenth time, I repeated the phrase from the letter he’d left in my flat. I shouldn’t have followed the bounder from London to Moscow. What was I thinking? Was I completely daft? Concentrating on inhaling and exhaling, I squeezed my eyes shut. At twenty-five, I should have known better. Trailing Fredrick Fredricks for the War Office was one thing, but accepting his invitation for personal—ahem, romantic—reasons was quite another. Even if I didn’t end up with a broken skull, I’d end up with a broken heart.

Fredrick Fredricks. South African huntsman, sometimes journalist, and very clever German spy—an enemy spy—who repeatedly claimed he wanted to stop the war. With his dancing eyes and mischievous smile, he was also too darn charming for his own good—or mine. How could I let myself fall for such a cad? I’d really done it this time.

I took another turn around the hotel suite. Stopping at the desk, I picked up one of the hotel postcards. The Metropol Hotel, Russia’s finest. Sigh. Like most buildings in Moscow, the hotel had open wounds that would take years to heal. Russia’s finest was riddled with bullet holes and littered with bits of plaster. Many of the windows were broken and boarded, and armed guards patrolled every floor. My canopy bed had a bullet embedded in its frame, and the gold satin chairs and matching divan sat proudly in the midst of plaster dust. Like a wounded war hero, beneath its superficial scars the hotel exuded splendor, weary but beyond pity.

Damaged by bombing, the restaurant was closed, but food and wine were served in the private rooms. I felt like a princess locked in a gilded tower waiting for her prince to return. I strolled to the window—the only one not boarded up. Through cracked glass, I stared out as if I might spot him passing by on the street below. Instead, wearing shabby coats and hats, dozens of women banged on pots and shouted in Russian, their breath freezing into frosty clouds. I guessed they were protesting about the lack of food. I shivered just watching them out there in the cold. Across Europe and beyond, the war had taken its toll on everyone. Even kings were tightening their belts. Back home, King George V showed off his ration card, hoping he didn’t end up like his cousin, Tsar Nicholas II, who’d been exiled to Siberia. Some of the codebreakers in the War Office worried what was happening in Russia was a preview of things to come for England. I sincerely hope not.

In the two days since I arrived, it had become obvious this country was being torn apart by wars both abroad and at home. Things were bad back in England, but this was worse. Much worse. Every building within a mile was pocked with artillery shells. Not from the Germans but from civil war. A country turned against itself. And yet, judging by the sounds of music and laughter coming from neighboring rooms at all hours, guests at the Metropol Hotel celebrated like there was no tomorrow.

I dropped the postcard into my skirt pocket and then plopped down into a posh chair and flipped through an issue of Moscow Magazine. The centerpiece was an exhibit by a Russian painter named Wassily Kandinsky, who had recently been appointed head of the arts division of the People’s Commissariat for Enlightenment. I studied the brightly colored images. A world in motion, a rolling and roiling world of color and shapes, a world turned inside out. Much like the broken city outside my window, only more vibrant. A phrase caught my eye: like a mad tuba. He called the Moscow sunset a mad tuba vibrating in the soul. My heart felt like a mad tuba. I tossed the magazine onto the coffee table and then resumed my pacing.

I’d been here two days and no sign of Fredricks—except fresh flowers delivered daily. He was nothing if not extravagant. While everyone else had to wait for a glimpse of wildflowers in spring and felt lucky to dine on leftover war bread, Fredricks secured roses and dined on strawberries and champagne. Upon my arrival, a small card attached to the first dozen red roses read only:

Back soon, ma chérie.

Back soon. Ha! Back soon was something you said when you ran down the street for a pint of milk or a bag of sugar, not when you disappeared into the murky political landscape of a war-torn country.

The cards that came with the flowers had an odd insignia, an oval with a sword cutting it in half and a big V in the center. Was it a clue to Fredricks’s whereabouts? There had to be a clue somewhere in this suite. A clue as to why he was in Russia. A clue as to why he invited me here. Not just to Russia, or Moscow, or the Metropol Hotel, but to suite 315. I opened the closet again, as I’d done nearly every hour since I’d arrived. A woolen hunting jacket hung over a white ruffled shirt. On the same hanger, completing the ensemble, khaki jodhpurs peeked out below. Tall black boots stood underneath, creating the uncanny sense of a headless soldier standing at attention. I caressed the sleeve of the jacket, glanced around the suite, and then leaned forward to smell the collar. Sandalwood, mustache wax, and something else… something stalwart and dark. I slipped my hands into the jacket’s pockets, closed my eyes, and imagined an embrace. Fredricks, where are you? Why aren’t you here?

Wait. What’s that? My fingertip brushed against the point of something. Something I must have missed the dozen other times I’d slid my hands into his pockets. I pinched the small box between my thumb and forefinger and withdrew it. A colorful matchbox adorned with a growling tiger. I turned it over. On the underside, in black pencil, were three cryptic lines:

03-03 B-L.

10-03 P-M.

??-?? WRD.

One of Fredricks’s secret codes? Not a simple number to letter transcription. 03-03. What was 03-03? I resumed pacing. It helped me concentrate. Could it be a date—3 March? Four days from now. What happens on 3 March? If it was a date, then the second entry would be 10 March. Over one week later.

A rapping at the door interrupted my cogitations. “Fredricks?” My breath caught. He was back. I stuffed the matchbox into my skirt pocket and vowed to get the code out of him if I had to resort to torture—or something more enjoyable. I smiled to myself. Not that torturing Fredricks wouldn’t be fun. Quickly, I went to the dressing table and looked at myself in the mirror. I immediately regretted it. My swollen eyes were as purple as two plums, my cheeks as pasty as mealy pudding, and my lips dry and drawn. I patted my wig and adjusted my skirt. Sadly, no amount of patting or preening would make me pretty. Even before lost loves, sleepless nights, and war rations, I was no beauty.

I went to the door and stood there with my hand on the doorknob. I took a deep breath. Then another. Then another. Was I ready to face him? One more deep breath. Finally, I turned the knob and opened it.

My heart sank. Not Fredricks, but the aging porter. Trailing him was an attractive woman wearing feathers and furs. With her perfectly oval face, deep melancholy eyes, and long thin nose, she looked rather like a barn owl. Lips twitching, the porter introduced her as Countess Brasova. I peered out the door at her. Why in the world would a countess visit me? And what was proper etiquette when meeting Russian aristocrats? I extended my hand, thought better of it, and bobbed a curtsey. “How do you do?”

She gave me the weakest of smiles.

“I’m afraid there’s been a mix-up and the countess needs your suite.” The porter shifted from foot to foot. “I’ll have to ask you to vacate within the hour.” His white mustache twitched.

“You’ve got to be joking.” I blinked at him. Vacate within the hour. “You’re moving me to another suite?”

“No, ma’am.” He grimaced. “We don’t have any more habitable rooms.” He stared down at his shoes. “I’m sorry.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. He was throwing me out onto the street? “Where will I go?” I looked from the porter to the countess. Neither said a word. I squinted at the porter. “Has Mr. Fredricks checked in yet? Fredrick Fredricks?”

“No, ma’am.” He shrugged. “No one by that name.”

“But this suite belongs to him. He arranged for me to meet him here. He even put my name on the reservation. Could he have checked in under another name?” Fredricks often used aliases. “Over six feet tall, broad shoulders, long black hair and mustache…” Devilishly attractive and irresistibly charming. “Possibly wearing a slouch hat and jodhpurs, carrying a riding stick.” I waved an imaginary stick. “Wears a gold ring with a panther insignia.”

The porter and Countess Brasova exchanged glances. “Duke Zakrevsky,” they said in unison. A Russian duke. What would the cad think of next? Duke Zakrevsky. That name was familiar.

Countess Brasova’s eyes lit up. “You know the duke?” She stepped out from behind the porter, removed a gloved hand from her fur muff, and extended it to me. “I’m Natalia Romanov, but my friends call me Natasha.”

“Romanov as in Tsar Nicholas?” My mouth fell open.

She put her hand on my arm as if we were best friends. “My husband Michael is his brother.”

Golly. The Russian aristocrat was actually Russian royalty. Wait a minute. I seemed to remember something about the tsar’s brother being exiled in disgrace for marrying a divorcee. As a divorcee myself, I sympathized. But not enough to accept eviction. I wasn’t about to sleep on the street, not even for the tsar himself. “I really don’t have anywhere else to go and I’m not about to—”

She squeezed my hand. “Of course, I wouldn’t think of letting you give up your suite.” She smiled at the porter. “Ivan, be a good boy and find me another room.” With his white mustache and beard, Ivan was hardly a boy. “And send up some tea.” She turned back to me. “And then you can tell me all about your friend Duke Zakrevsky.”

Taking my arm, the countess led me back into my suite. My suite. She’d invited herself in for tea. Sigh. I let her lead me to the small sitting area near the boarded-up window. “How long have you known the duke?” Her accent gave her voice a purring quality, like a cat’s before it pounced on an unsuspecting canary.

Apparently, I was the only one who didn’t know “the duke.”

The countess took a seat on the divan across from me. “Are the two of you… close?” The way she extended the word made it sound obscene.

“Umhmm.” I nodded. After all, it was my proximity—or lack thereof—to the duke that had turned the countess from my heartless evictor into my bosom pal. The question was why. What was Fredricks up to now? “How do you know the duke?” I asked, relaxing back into the chair. Please, clue me in.

Sprawling across the divan, she crossed her long legs. “I was hoping you might introduce him to me,” she said, chuckling. “I’ve heard so much about him… and about you, of course.”

About me? Now I knew she was lying.

She waved a hand in front of her face like she’d smelled something bad. “You must know Comrade Lenin.”

“The head of the Bolshevik government?” Why in the world would I know Mister, er, Comrade, Lenin?

“Are you friendly with Vladimir?” She tightened her thin lips, which accentuated her owl-like features.

Should I look for Fredricks in the Kremlin? I shook my head. How did he do it? Ingratiate himself to world leaders from that American president Teddy Roosevelt to the emperor of Austria. Men and women alike loved Fredricks—or the duke—or whatever other aliases he was using.

A soft knock at the door signaled the return of the porter with our tea. Scurrying around the sitting area, he sat the silver tea service on the low table and poured us both a cup. Alongside the teapot sat a plate of Russian tea biscuits. Obviously, Countess Brasova merited special treatment. My tea had never been accompanied by sweet biscuits. Nor had it been served in such an extravagant tea service with an ornate silver tray and teapot and delicate floral-patterned china.

“I was hoping the duke might put a word in for my husband.” The countess straightened and took up her tea.

The duke. Duke Zakrevsky. Aha! I remembered. I’d seen that name on one of Fredricks’s fake passports.

I gazed at her over the rim of my cup as I sipped. The Russians did make a fine strong cuppa. Very soothing. Especially accompanied by the fresh cream, no doubt due to the presence of the countess.

“The Cheka arrested him.” A cloud passed over her breezy countenance.

I’d heard of the Cheka—the Bolshevik secret police.

“It’s all a great mistake, of course.” She sat her cup on its saucer. “I’ve appealed to Iron Victor. But he laughed in my face.” Her cheeks reddened.

Iron Victor? Goodness.

“Victor Volodarsky. Head of the Cheka. Evil man.” Jerking her head, she brushed a tear from her cheek. “Only Mr. Lenin can help us now, if your duke could put in a good word with him.”

“Put in a good word for your husband?” I continued to peer over my teacup. “With Mister… er, Vladimir.”

“They’re together night and day, negotiating with those German pridurki.” She picked imaginary lint from her muff.

I didn’t know what pridurki meant, but I knew it wasn’t good. Fredrick Fredricks and Vladimir Lenin together night and day negotiating with the Germans. Forget about pridurki. This was worse. Much worse. Russia had been an important ally. Now they were about to surrender to our enemy.

“I have half a mind to go to Lenin myself,” she huffed. “How dare they arrest Michael.” Her dark eyes flashed. “With his brother’s abdication, he is the head of the royal family.” She picked up her tea and stared down at it as if it might be poisoned. In view of the resentment toward the royal family, her fears might be justified.

“Do you know where these negotiations are taking place?” I tried to sound nonchalant.

“It’s OB, top-secret.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “But I have it on good authority they’re in Brest-on-the-Bug.”

“Brest-on-the-Bug,” I repeated.

“Brest-Litovsk on the Bug River.” She twisted around and pointed toward the window. “Southwest of here, near Warsaw. Now occupied by those German pridurki.”

Fredricks was with Lenin at Bug River. My mind was awhirl. I pulled out my notebook and a pencil and jotted down an abbreviated version of the information.

Brest-Litovsk at the Bug River ala Countess Brasova.

B-L @ B-R ala C-B. Good heavens. B-L. That was the notation on Fredricks’s matchbox. 03-03 B-L. He was in B-L. What was happening in B-L on 3 March?

“I’m sorry to bring you into the middle of this.” The countess’s eyes were pleading. “But I’m desperate.” She bit her lip. “I’m afraid of what they’ll do to Michael. The Cheka are brutal.”

I shuddered to think.

“I feel so helpless.” When she slumped on the divan, her long limbs seemed to fold in on themselves. Her shoulders began to shake. Oh dear. Was she sobbing?

“There, there.” I went over and sat next to her. “I’m certain the duke will help free your husband.” I wasn’t certain. In fact, I rather doubted that the duke would be inclined to help restore the monarchy if he was busy negotiating with the Germans. If I understood the situation correctly, Mr. Lenin and the Bolsheviks were decidedly anti-tsarist. To them, the royal family represented a threat. I wasn’t quite sure about the Bolsheviks’ stance on Germany. Politics was not my strong suit. Give me a complex filing system any day. Complicated politics gave me a headache. But I was certain of one thing. In the name of peace, Fredricks would do anything to ensure Germany’s victory over Britain—an unfortunate sticking point in our relationship. Not that we had a relationship, mind you.

I withdrew a handkerchief from my skirt pocket and handed it to the countess. Sniffling, she took it. I put my arm around her trembling shoulders. “Countess, why don’t you finish your tea?” I picked up her cup and saucer and held it out. “It will make you feel better.” My grandmother always said everything was better with a nice cuppa. But my grandmother never had a run-in with the police, secret or otherwise.

Perhaps something stronger would be more appropriate. “Should I call for a brandy? Or a whiskey, perhaps?” I usually didn’t go in for drinking, especially before noon, but the countess was melting into a messy puddle in my hotel suite. “To calm your nerves.” I couldn’t very well chuck her out, no matter how eager I was to find Fredricks and foil his plot, whatever it was.

Maybe if I found Fredricks and thwarted his plans, then I could redeem myself with the War Office. I cringed. No doubt I’d been sacked. And just when I was getting jolly good at espionage. What excuse could I give for waiting almost two weeks to report in? Kidnapped. I could say Fredricks had kidnapped me, and I didn’t have a choice, and I would have called if only I could have. I wasn’t following my heart but doing my duty. Would Captain Hall believe me? Disguises were one thing. Bald-faced lies were quite another.

“Yes, perhaps a brandy would be good.” The countess’s voice was small. Her demeanor had totally transformed from the confident, entitled aristocrat she’d been when she arrived, to a bereft woman fighting for the man she loved. The war was the great leveler. I plucked a fancy biscuit from the plate. At least in some ways.

Thud. Thud. The porter’s knock was harder than before. Perfect timing. I could order that restorative for the countess and then get rid of her. I patted her arm and then went to the door. When I opened it, a bearded man barged in. He looked menacing in his black leather jacket, tall black boots, and woolen mariner’s cap. In the hall another man in uniform and armed with a bayonet stood at attention.

“Natalia Romanov.” The bearded man barked out her name. “Vy arestovany.” He glanced at me. I didn’t understand what he’d said, but I knew from his tone it wasn’t good.

“Under arrest!” The countess jumped up. “But why?” She’d knocked her cup and saucer to the floor. At the sound of the breaking china, the armed guard dashed into the suite, bayonet aimed at me.

“Vy oba.” The leather-clad Cheka grabbed my arm. “Vy arestovany.”

“Both of us? But Miss Figg hasn’t done anything.” Arms akimbo, the countess stared them down as she spat something at them in Russian.

I yanked my arm away. “I’m a British citizen, a visitor from London.”

“Zalmochi.” The copper shoved me toward the door.

I lost my footing and fell. I hit the floor with a thud.

“Don’t tell her to shut up!” The countess ran to my side. She yelled something at them.

One of the Cheka pointed his bayonet at me.

“I twisted my ankle,” I whined. Holding my ankle, I rolled around on the floor.

The countess kicked the Cheka in the shin. He grabbed her by the hair, and she screamed. Both guards were on her now. I took advantage of the distraction and slipped my notebook out of my pocket. Quickly, I scrawled “CHEKA” in big letters and then skated the notebook under the nearest piece of furniture. An armoire that stood next to the door. A big hand was around my upper arm. The Cheka yanked me to my feet. His partner seized the countess around the waist and dragged her from the suite. Struggling, she managed to knock his hat off. But that only made him angry. He threw her against the wall and then brought the butt of his rifle down on her head. She fell to the floor in a heap.

I gasped and my hand flew to my mouth. Good heavens. These Cheka pridurki were going to kill us.

Thwack. What felt like a horse’s kick to the skull threw me to the ground. Holding my head in both hands, I moaned. My vision blurred. Then everything went black. view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

From the author:

1. The ambassador's plot in the novel is based on a real plot to assassinate Vladimir Lenin. Were you surprised to learn that the British and American governments tried to kill the Bolshevik leader? Who do you think was the mole? How might history have changed if they'd been successful?

2. Countess Brasova is based on the real person. She was one of the only members of the royal family to escape execution. What do you think of her character in the novel? What do you know about the Romanov family?

3. What did you learn about the complicated history of Russia from reading this novel?

4. The novel begins with the Bolsheviks signing a treaty and surrendering to Germany in WW1. How might world politics have changed if Russia had stayed the course and continued to fight with the allies?

5. The Women's Battalion of Death actually existed. What did you think of their leader, Maria Bochkareva as she was portrayed in the novel? 6. Are you team Archie or team Fredricks? Why?

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