The Russian Singer

by Leif Davidsen

Set in contemporary Moscow, a thriller in which a Danish diplomat tries to solve the mystery of a prostitute's death in the apartment of one of the embassy's employees. His search leads him to the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 039458502X
• ISBN13: 9780394585024
• Release Date: August 1991
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 277 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A personal view of the decline and fall of communist Russia

At first glance "The Russian Singer" is a thriller. The story is set in Moscow in the years 1985 - 1988 and tells about the death of a Danish woman and her Russian girlfriend. The Moscow police claim that it was an accident and a suicide, but there is some indication that it was actually a double homicide. The main person in the book is Jack Andersen, a diplomat at the Danish Embassy in Moscow. He takes it upon himself to investigate the deaths despite being warned off. In this way he comes into contact with Lilli, the sister of the Russian woman, who works as a singer. A romance develops between Lilli and Jack, and at the same time Jack finds himself being threatened more and more in an attempt to make him give up his investigation. As a thriller "The Russian Singer" is fairly good, but that is not the real strength of the book. Leif Davidsen was a journalist working for Danmarks Radio (the Danish national TV and radio broadcaster) and lived, together with his family, in Moscow from 1984 to 1988. In this way he experienced firsthand the internal breakdown of Russian society that led to Gorbachev becoming leader. With Gorbachev came the reforms that were intended to make Russia more open and efficient and less corrupt, and that later resulted in the downfall of the Communist Party. This social breakdown and unrest provides the background for "The Russian Singer", and that is what makes the book so interesting. The descriptions of Moscow and Russian society during the years 1985 - 1988 are really fascinating. The Russians have become disillusioned and depressed, corruption flourishes, there is paranoia towards foreigners and there is an incredible amount of alcohol abuse. Leif Davidsen is very good at describing people and their personality and making them come alive. The various Russians who populate "The Russian Singer" are people who you come to understand and can relate to, despite the fact that most of them are drunk a lot of the time. The alcohol abuse theme was so dominant that I got tired of the various characters, including Jack Andersen, always drinking. So much wine, whisky and vodka is consumed that you wonder how any of these people can function. But unfortunately this probably was/is a correct picture of Russian society. In fact, at one point Leif Davidsen writes that 40 million Soviet citizens were alcoholics, and that every 10th child was born with alcohol-related problems. (I haven't been able to confirm these figures, but even if they are exaggerated they sound terrible.) A few final comments: It warmed my heart that Leif Davidsen quoted both Bruce Springsteen and Leonard Cohen, two of my favorite singer-songwriters. I found the ending rather abrupt, and wondered if Leif Davidsen couldn't make up his mind whether to end with a tragedy or a happy ending, and this resulted in him having difficulty writing a satisfying ending. In summary, a good thriller and a great picture of the mood of Russian society during the years 1