Giulia Ricciardi Ricciardi itibaren Shablish, Chelyabinskaya oblast', Rusya, 456854 itibaren Shablish, Chelyabinskaya oblast', Rusya, 456854

Unbelievably, the first book I've read for pleasure in months: uni seems to leave no time for casual reading. Set in contemporary Russia, the book is a stunning panorama of cities and characters. Starling is excellent at creating natural, three-dimensional characters and handles a large cast with skill. At points, especially early on, his descriptions seem somewhat too didactic; however, he soon eases into his style. The plot is convoluted but never clichéed, and holds the attention throughout. With only one or two exceptions - slipping Celine Dion lyrics into the mouth of a hard-as-nails mafiya boss four hundred pages in, for example - this is a truly excellent and gripping read.